Thoughts about archiving Raw Card Dumps VS FCPX's Original Media Folder?

With the release of 10.1 I've been thinking a lot about how I organize my workflow across various drives and what exactly I'm archiving for the long-term.

In the past, I've always had raw dumps from my SD cards, complete with original file structures backed up for safekeeping. Going back to 2010 I can reproduce every SD card I've shot if need be. Then on my main edit drives, I've had the footage as it was imported into FCPX and transcoded from AVCHD (or whatever format, based on the camera) into ProRes .mov or whatever it is that FCPX places in the 'Original Media' folder.

So what I'm starting to think now is, is it really worth it to waste space with the card backups? Is it enough to clear out the render and transcode/proxy files when I'm done with a project and move 10.1's new Events to a backup destination and call it good? The way I see it, the Original Media folder is where I'm editing from anyway, so what are the .MTS files on the card backups doing for me anyway? If I backed up the new Events files I'm getting not just the footage but also the work I've put into the edits (which I'm currently backing up in a different way but it doesn't seem entirely relevant here).

(There's also the side-issue of if I ever needed to hop over to Premiere or Avid and if the 'Original Media' files would be good enough of if I'd then be kicking myself and wishing I'd kept the card dumps.)

Am I missing anything in this line of reasoning? There's always so much to know and I learn so much every day that sometimes I feel paralyzed by my "always the learner" mindset because I just don't know what I don't know. Anyway, I'd really love to hear what you fine folks think about this and hear about some of your archive strategies, particularly in light of the changes in 10.1.

Cheers!

I would say your best bet is to keep the raw files, and invest in a tape backup solution (LTO-5 or LTO-6). It can be as simple as getting an external drive and SAS interface. It's an outlay of cash, but not outlandish, and it will be best for archival in the long run. All those hard drives can start to add up in cost, and we all know they won't keep for too long. Even if you're just keeping the transcoded/re-wrapped stuff, you'll have to store them somewhere, and hard drives are just not good long-term. Technically, Premiere and Avid will be able to use FCPX's original media files, but I just don't feel comfortable telling someone to trash their raw data. Just think of the hours getting those shots! I'd rather pay $30 for an LTO tape.

Ahhh, tape is a good idea and I had no idea the media itself was so inexpensive. The decks themselves are definitely a tad spendy but it's something to work towards. In the meantime my main protection against drive failure is a Drobo which should provide a decent amount of redundancy.

Thanks for the input, I truly appreciate it!