Firstly thanks Ktoopi for sharing the problem in the first place. This is something I always dread will happen, I have been backing up to different externals for awhile, I too many years ago dropped an external and paid the ultimate price, now when we travel with them I wrap them in bubble wrap. I learned many things in this thread watching the advice you were given, apart from the occurrence between the two members on the use of large font, this thread was very worthwhile. Putting all that to one side they each gave great advice too.
This is a lesson to us all, if you love it save it in several different mediums, I have reverse engineered your method, I didn't trust my DVD's would survive so I have transferred all that info onto externals, also I have copied old VHS movies to externals as well because they are fading and that technology will die out pretty soon.
A friend of mine shared a story the other day, they know of someone that keeps all their data on the jump drives, not so silly when you think of it, this way even though they are smaller than the large externals now being offered if there was a fault you would only lose say a months worth and not a years worth of data. I envisaged a fishing tackle box of some description for storage purposes, I guess it is worth a thought to attempt this method too just for peace of mind