How we create our guides

Off Grid Hackz is a one-person publication run by Stine Grytøyr through Norsk Webservice, a sole proprietorship in Norway. Every guide is written and edited by the site owner, with research drawn from established outdoor practice, manufacturer documentation and public safety guidance from bodies such as national emergency agencies, fire safety organisations and health authorities.

Tom Woods is a fictional editorial character. He exists to give the site a consistent voice and to frame practical advice in a memorable way. He is not a real person, not a survival instructor, and he has never tested a product or performed a technique. Anywhere his name appears, treat it as editorial framing rather than testimony.

We describe techniques that are established in outdoor, bushcraft and preparedness practice. We do not claim that our team has personally field-tested every technique or product on this site, and we do not publish invented test results, review scores, testimonials or reader statistics.

Where a technique is improvisation for an emergency rather than good everyday practice, we say so in the guide itself. Where a technique has a hard limit — a filter that removes sediment but not pathogens, a knot that must never carry a person — we state the limit next to the instruction, not in the small print.

• Can a reader actually complete the task from the steps as written?
• Are the materials, time and cost estimates realistic and given as ranges?
• Is every safety-relevant claim conservative, and consistent with published guidance?
• Are the failure modes and limitations described, not just the ideal case?
• Does the guide stay useful for a reader who buys nothing at all?

On safety-sensitive subjects — drinking water, fire, wild food, first aid, food preservation, batteries, fuel-burning appliances and severe weather — guides link to reputable primary sources so you can verify the advice yourself. We link to sources because they help the reader, not to decorate the page.

If something here is wrong, we want to fix it. Email offgridhackz@norskwebservice.no with the page and the problem. Substantive corrections are made to the guide itself rather than quietly deleted, and we will tell you what changed.

Some gear links are affiliate links, and some placements are paid. Both are disclosed. Our affiliate disclosure explains the arrangement in full. Commercial relationships never decide what a guide recommends or how a technique is explained.

These guides are educational. They are not medical, legal, structural, electrical or emergency-services advice, and they do not replace training. In a real emergency, contact the emergency services and follow the instructions of local authorities. See our terms of use.