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Knowledge

What stays with you.

Nothing time-sensitive — the things that hold true over the years and are worth looking up. From experience, honestly, without making a secret of it.

Coast from above, Iceland

  • Power & energy

    The kit isn’t the hard part — knowing your own consumption is.

    • 220 W solar, 107 Ah AGM (LiFePO₄ planned), CTEK shore power. At normal use the sun tops it up by day.
    • The big draws are the fridge and the heater fan — the rest is noise.
    • Measure your daily amp-hours, don’t guess; then the sizing is right.
    • AGM yields only ~50 % usable, LiFePO₄ almost all of it — that’s the real gain, not more watts.

  • Water

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

    • Reckon 3–5 l per person per day for drinking and cooking; with washing, quickly 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 or heat the lines — frozen, they burst.

  • Navigation

    Offline is mandatory — 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.
    • Check the satellite image first — tracks, fords and turnarounds show from above.
    • A track that’s getting worse rarely gets better: 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.
    • A day’s wait often beats 200 km of driving — the better photos come free.
    • Fords after rain: levels rise fast and are lowest at dawn — otherwise wait.
    • Don’t camp exposed in a storm with the pop-top up; the wind finds 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, moving on costs 20 minutes — well worth it.
    • Asking pays off: a farmyard with permission beats the lonely pullout.
    • 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 — the distribution 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.
    • Hit the weighbridge once fully packed: it saves you a fine and a nasty surprise on a climb.
    • Every kilo you leave behind is one you don’t have to carry, cool, brake or recover.