This pictorial presents designerly immersion into DIY activities on catering to local mobility needs in the periphery areas of the Russian North. In two case studies, we observe and document different manifestations of user creativity by necessity, namely rethinking available materials, tools and competencies. We combine photos and drawings to grasp the vivid dynamic relationship between human sand technologies within the ever-changing and challenging environment. Finally,we frame the value of field trips for designers in the context of design education as understanding DIY/making as a form of autonomous life support in an extreme environment.