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Knowledge

What stays with you.

Nothing that dates — just the things that hold true over the years and are worth looking up. From my own experience, plainly put, with nothing made a secret of.

6 chapters24 rules of thumb
Coast from above, Iceland

  • Power & energy

    The kit is not the hard part — knowing your own consumption is.

    • 220 W of solar, a 107 Ah AGM (LiFePO₄ planned), CTEK shore power. In normal use the sun tops it up again during the day.
    • The big draws are the fridge and the heater fan — everything else is background noise.
    • Measure your daily amp-hours instead of guessing them; then you can size the system properly.
    • You only get about 50 % out of an AGM, and almost all of it out of LiFePO₄ — that is the real step up, not more watts.

  • Water

    The supply is finite — discipline makes it last, and one more jerry can is the cheapest insurance there is.

    • Reckon on 3–5 l per person per day for drinking and cooking; add washing and it is soon double that.
    • Top up at every reliable source — not only when you’re running low.
    • Filter or treat unknown water; keep drinking and washing water separate.
    • In winter, drain the lines or keep them heated — once they freeze, they split.

  • Navigation

    Offline is not optional — the interesting places have no signal.

    • OsmAnd + GPX off-road, Apple/Google Maps for towns and fuel.
    • Download map regions ahead; record your track so you can find the way back.
    • Look at the satellite image first — tracks, fords and somewhere to turn around all show up from above.
    • A track that is getting worse rarely gets better again: turn around early.

  • Weather

    Decide, don’t hope — the day follows the sky, not the plan.

    • Windy for the models (ECMWF/GFS: wind, rain, cloud), Yr for Scandinavia.
    • Waiting a day often beats driving 200 km — and the better photographs come free with it.
    • Fords after rain: levels rise fast and are lowest at dawn — otherwise wait.
    • Don’t sit out a storm in an exposed spot with the pop-top up; the wind will find the edge.

  • Safety & where to sleep

    Sleeping easy is preparation, not paranoia.

    • The unremarkable spot wins: arrive late, leave early, don’t spread out the whole camp.
    • If a spot feels wrong, driving on costs you twenty minutes — and they are worth it.
    • Asking pays off: a farmyard with permission is safer than a lonely lay-by.
    • Keep camera gear out of sight; Scandinavia tolerates wild camping, southern Europe often doesn’t — know the local rule.

  • Weight & axle loads

    3.5 t sounds like a lot and fills up fast — how you distribute it matters more than the total.

    • Take axle loads seriously (1,700 / 2,250 kg on Karl), not just the gross weight.
    • Load heavy items low and central — it keeps the handling predictable.
    • Go over a weighbridge once, fully packed: it saves you a fine, and a nasty surprise on a climb.
    • Every kilo you leave at home is one you never have to carry, cool, brake or dig out again.