Nordic Overland

Hi!  Jonas and Anton here, we run Nordic Overland  where we arrange, among other things, vehicle-borne adventure trips with different orientations, often in nature photography, as well as trainings in survival with a focus on how to cope with few available funds in the wilderness when the conditions you find yourself in may not be the most favorable.

Our courses include everything from typical abilities such as making fire, finding and purifying water, navigation, healthcare, movement, protection from cold, etc., and a lot of other useful tips and tricks.  The next course session will come as early as this autumn, namely the weekend of October 9-11th, so if you want to practice and test your current abilities and knowledge, and hopefully get out of there with a lot of new ones, it is important to secure a place as soon as possible!

As a precursor to our "live courses", we have also developed a distance-based basic course  on an online platform where participants can gain basic knowledge and understanding on their own, but also the opportunity to practice practical elements on their own through video instructions. This is a great advantage of these prior knowledge among the participants as we can go deeper from the most basic parts into slightly more applied exercises, which gives a significantly higher training position in the end.

In distance education, we also go into basic crisis preparedness as well as a large part about physical preparation in the form of adequate training and diet.

Now for the major!

In our business, we use vehicles in one way or another in connection with most of the activities we carry out. And while the level of preparation may differ slightly when it comes to an expedition-like long journey versus everyday commuting to work, we believe that a basic minimum level of certain equipment carried is of the utmost importance. Just as a spare wheel, jack and warning triangle are included in the car's standard equipment, you have a tremendous advantage if you can equip your vehicle to be able to handle even situations that have a arisen from just a flat tire.

Without going into too much on exactly what gadgets you need (which is highly individual and strongly linked to other factors such as distance between work and housing, where in the country you live, what your lifestyle looks like otherwise, etc.), here we address some fundamental fundamental factors, some that are often forgotten, in order to hopefully be able to awaken some ideas of your own on how to equip your car. Without it in any way becoming some kind of zombie survival monster car...

On your feet

Something that is often overlooked is what you have on your feet when driving. In the event that your car fails, or that for other reasons you have to abandon your vehicle and continue on foot, it becomes quite important that you actually have shoes that you are able to walk in. Maybe a longer distance, maybe in cold and harsh weather. Maybe with a reasonably heavy pack.

For example, if you have a job that requires a certain type of upholstery and shoes that are less suitable for movement on foot, it may be a good idea to have a pair of smoother shoes or boots in the car (and of course other clothes for the prevailing climate and season).  
When it comes to the type of shoes, we prefer light and smooth shoes or boots. Preferably with a thin and flexible sole that still provides adequate protection, but does not build incorrect movement patterns into the step or limits the movement of the foot. This allows us to feel the surface, get better balance and thus be able to move faster, safer and more efficiently!

First aid

The type of medical equipment you bring depends, of course, on what you are safe to handle and what knowledge/training position you possess. However, even if you are not trained in health care at all, it can still be a gain in carrying certain equipment that you yourself may not master. You may find yourself in a situation where there are others who have more knowledge, so being able to provide more equipment can be crucial to saving lives.

The car's regular medical kit rarely contains more than a few patches, tape and some simple first dressings, so please supplement this with equipment to prevent cooling. E.g.  mylar blanket,wool blankets, warm jacket/sweater, hat, etc. and possibly some kind of active heat source such as a self-heating healthcare blanket.  
In addition, it is of the utmost importance to be able to quickly stop catastrophic bleeding, so some form of tourniquet and/or dauerlinda as well as hemostatic (blood-soaking) dressings is something that we advocate to be almost always close to graspable. So feel free to store these where they can be easily accessed from both the driver's seat and the passenger seat. Even if the car's on the roof and you're hanging in your seat belt...

Finally, we also want the ability to ensure free airways and breathing. The more advanced user can bring decompression needles and  chest  sealshere, but adequate training is an absolute requirement for using this equipment, especially with regard to the former.

Ger to bring

Protection against cold

When we get to other good-to-have equipment, as a minimum we always want to have the opportunity to protect ourselves from the elements, and especially  cold. How much and what type of such equipment is needed depends, of course, on the time of year, and again where in the country you live. It may not be necessary to carry a sleeping bag that can handle -17°C in the middle of summer for those who live in southern Sweden, but bringing a small pack of clothes that resist moisture and have some insulating ability is something that can be crucial for your rescue/self-rescue.  
So, too, some kind of equipment to be able to quickly construct a weather shelter or beeswax,  such as a  tarp or a  windbag. It is important here to adjust the size to the number of individuals who usually travel in the vehicle.  
Our principle is to always have equipment that allows us to last at least one night in the open without freezing to death... hence, a sleeping bag or blanket adapted for the season as well as a lighter sleeping mat may also be worth their weight in gold.

communication

In addition to protection, we also want the opportunity to communicate and, if necessary, call for help. The mobile phone is something that comes with everywhere, but a power bank, preferably with solar charging and possibly anemergency transmitter of type Spot or  Inreach  can be a good investment if you are often far away from civilization. A couple of flares and maybe t.om some flare can also come in handy for the same purpose.

Navigation

Smartphone apps and digital aids in all their glory, after all, they are very effective when they work, but when the batteries have run out/they have broken/you have lost them, only the map and compass remain. Have maps of the areas you are staying in or planning to visit as well as a reliable compass. And most importantly, be well acquainted with how you use them.

Water/food

Although water and especially  food come relatively far down the order of priority, we also want some preparedness here as well. Especially  to always have a certain amount of guaranteed food/liquid intake at hand. Sure, water filters and water containers allow us to find and arrange drinkable water ourselves. And food can also be found in nature. Alternatively, you are in a place where it is possible to buy food and drink.

But if we have access to carried nutrition, it saves both time and energy. In addition, it allows us to keep our ability up longer and has a couple of things less to worry about, at least for a while.  
So simpler food in the form of protein or nut bars and maybe a few portions freeze-dried together with one or two water bottles can make a big difference. Just keep in mind that the food and liquid you store in the car will be exposed to severe temperature differences, both extreme heat in summer and severe cold in winter. Therefore, rotate both food and water frequently, and choose,  for example,  freeze-dried or self-dried food over,  for example, soft preserves.  

It is hardly necessary to mention this, but of course we also need pans and a smaller and lighter field kitchen of some type. Preferably a light gas stove or perhaps a folding  little twig burner kitchen ("hobo  stove").  
Finally, in order to burn twigs or light a gas stove, tools are of course also needed for this! We always have  with ignition steel  and  e.g.  tampons or tumble dryer pad to facilitate ignition, but a couple of lighters and/or storm matches are not wrong to pack with either. You don't have to make it harder for yourself than necessary! Having said that, it cannot be pointed out enough how important the ability to make fires in different (read: cold, humid and windy) conditions is. This, of course, also goes into the principles of protection against cold. So practice practice practice!

Movement/transport

Of course, carrying equipment and supplies as described above in your vehicle brings a great advantage in terms of preparation for unforeseen  events and emergencies. But worth considering is also the balance between not being "weighed down" by too  much gadgets  that take up too much space in the car versus carrying the right amount, and properly adapted equipment for what your lifestyle and everyday transports look like.  
We prefer to pack the vehicle-borne equipment in  a modular  way that makes it easy to move all or part of the equipment between vehicles.

We also like to have our equipment packed in a hardcase  or similar, which allows vehicle debris to lie at the bottom of the trunk when loading other everyday things such as grocery bags, strollers, bicycles on top without being damaged.  
The obvious downside of a  hardcase  is that it becomes quite unwieldy to drag on in case you are forced to abandon your vehicle, but still want to bring your equipment. So don't forget to also pack a light, compressible backpack in your bag or have some space in your everyday backpack to pack essential equipment from your vehicle kit.

Stay or leave the vehicle

Finally, we come to the big question when it is time to stay in or at your car, or leave it to seek help on your own. What you choose to do depends, of course, largely on the type of situation you find yourself in, but either way, don't take hasty action but make sure to make an informed decision where you objectively weighed the pros and cons.  
In some cases, it can of course be life-changing that you get out of the vehicle quickly, for example if it is a car accident in which you or any passenger or fellow road user is injured and needs care, or that the car itself poses a risk of injury.  

But in other cases, if, for example, you have slipped off the road in slippery winter road conditions and cold where the vehicle is reasonably intact (and it is not positioned in a way that entails the risk of hitting other road users), then the car itself constitutes a very good protection against the weather that becomes a valuable resource for your survival.

Other modes that may mean you need to abandon your vehicle may be when you can't expect help within a reasonable time horizon (directly linked to how much provisions and resources you have with you in the car) and instead  need to move to a better place where you have the opportunity to call attention. It may also be that you may need to move on without your vehicle to find resources, from trying to get your hands on fuel to finding water and food to ensure your survival.

So make a plan based on what conditions you have and what circumstances prevail, follow the plan but be no stranger to reassessing your situation and designing a new plan as you execute your initial planning if the situation changes. Which it can so often do in situations when things are put to the test.

And as a final word; DO NOT forget to practice with your equipment and test your plans, preferably in applied forms. You can have all the equipment in the world, but it's not worth much if you lack knowledge and practical experience in how to handle it and what you as an individual can handle!

Jonas & Anton 
Nordic Overland