“make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”
― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
OFF GRID VENTURE, living life off the grid has the primary needs of figuring out indpendent heat, water, power and food.
For heat I have a nice wood stove and decently insulated loft which can be 80 degrees inside when 0 degrees outside. This requires much firewood to sustain for 7 months of freezing temperatures. It has even hit the 30’s at night here in June! I also require heat for cooking more on food below.
Power – main needs for power are refrigeration of food in the summer, lights in the winter, and power wants for my cameras, laptop, dogs e-collars, and tools. I generate power in 3 main ways
– 2 generators, A 700 watt Ryobi which sips propane and a 2000 watt Gasoline generator. The little Ryobi can even run for over 4 hours on a 1lb green propane cylinder. I used these as an immediate power source when solar is inadequate like in the summer and before I had acquired my current solar array. Both are inverter generators which means you can plug electronics into them directly as they produce “clean” power. The generators are hugely important in the winter months when I get almost no direct sunlight so I can recharge my batteries.
– 4* 100 watt 12volt solar panels, a 40 amp EPEVER charge controller, and 2000 watt kreiger inverter hooked to a 100amp hour deep cycle battery. In the summer this provides all my power needs. I first started with just a 30watt panel being hooked up to an old truck battery and a 35ah sealed deep cycle that currently in powering my Jon boat =].
Water- This is a need I havent adequately addressed, a system for my drinking water. I have captured as much as 150 gallons off my roof in 55 gallon rain barrels, but it is not pressurized, filtered, or winterized. It is fine for watering my fruit trees and bathing, but currently I pack in 5 gallon jugs and refill them in town (100 mile round trip). I have a BERKE water filter and a creek nearby for emergencies, but my goal is to install a 250 gallon at my gutters and pump it to a 500 or 1000 gallon tank up on the hill thus pressurizing it to the cabin where it will also be ran through a filter possibly utilizing reverse osmosis.
Food- Primarily canned and shelf stable food, canned Chicken, canned Diced Tomatoes, canned Mushrooms, and rice goes a long way, maybe treat myself with some fried SPAM!
I have planted 6 fruit trees, 1 Fuji apple, 2 Gala apple, 1 Golden Dorset apple, and 2 Stella cherry trees.
I planted many seeds trying to establish perennial edibles without much luck, I’ve learned direct sowing is very inferior to carefully sprouted seeds and transplant.
Supplement my food stores with fishing, 2 nice trout lakes 7 miles away and even salmon fishing with my dad and brother on Puget sound and also a goal of hunting large and small game when living here full time.
Creek Runs through the bottom of the Property
Thousands of Pine and Fur trees
Sighted Wildlife – White Tail Deer and Mule Deer, Jack Rabbit, Snow Shoe Hare, Great Horned Owl, Squirrels, Grouse, Red Tailed Hawks, Turkey, Bald Eagles, Bear (a red one I named El Rojotito), Wolf (all black), even heard a purring Cougar on New Years! …with the continued possibility for Moose, Elk, Brown Bear, and Sasquatch.
Working on planting Apple Trees – Currently 1 Fuji and 2 Gala we will see if they make it the winter, but long term I hope to establish a few dozen apple trees, vegetable garden, and a green house.
Solar Power – TBD – Currently have 500 watts of panels that need to be hooked up also have a small propane generator and larger gasoline generator.
Water Storage – TBD – Currently have been hauling 5 gallon jugs of drinking water and collecting roof water in 55 gal drums for the apple trees and other cleaning.
www.OffGridVenture.com 