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So, I have big plans for off-grid and van-life living. Its a life style thats been calling to me for years now and the call has been stronger and stronger lately. Im in my early 20s and am staying rent free with my older parents. This year the family went through some difficult events I won't get into. So im helping get the house cleaned up. I also worked full time for a few months and saved up a good chunk of cash to go on a long term road trip through some of my country. Im single, without debt, got nothing to do but kill time, have some real play money, plenty of energy, and *want* to live a minimalist lifestyle.
So I got a 13' four season canvas bell tent close to a month ago and have been living in it full time more or less out of backyard.
The tent has held up exceptionally well, as good as I could ever hope. I almost didn't get it cause of expense but then it went on sale for 200$ off and I felt that was the universe sending me a message. Im so happy with the quality and how its held up to the harsh winds and heavy rains without a single leak or hint of failure anywhere.
It takes a lot of stakes which is an annoyance but also a good thing in that its not going anywhere ever short of hurricane level winds.The round nature of the bell tent helps the wind move around it via aerodynamics. Its collapsable 8ft steel support pole with rubber end stoppers are also easy to set up and reduce potential wear from friction to an absolute minumum.
I was originally going to go with the 10' option since thats the recommended for a single person, but was convinced by my dad to go a size up to 13' and I am so glad I did. Its the PERFECT size for me, any smaller would have been claustraphobic/cramped, and bigger and it would have been too heavy for me to carry and also much harder to heat. I have all the space I want let alone need its like a studio apartment to me.
Its been interesting finding out the minimum of what I need to be comfortable. I was always frugal by nature the only materialistic things I ever collected were books and technology.
Most of my clothes are years old and well seasoned minus a few new hemp based articles I got as a treat. Every article of clothing I own fit nicely into one big collapsable bag with lots of space to spare. I never had much to begin with so its relatively easy to let go of the few pieces of sentimental crap.
Tech wise I have a good laptop,thinkpad t460 16gb ram i7 256gb SSD, which runs most of my games fairly well. Also Phone, a nintendo switch, and a very energy efficent ereader. Between these things I am covered for all the things I want out of my technology. I can use each one adaptively depending on different power availability when off grid. I really wanted the steam deck but well that 600$ is better spent on survival necessities to me now.
I've had a basic luci light for over 5 years now and used it for lighting initially. It can last 24 hours on lowest charge but its solar charged only requiring 7 hours of direct sun and during winter and windy days thats a pain in the ass. So I bit the bullet and ordered their newest top of the line premium model, the luci light homebase for 50$. That price tag was a hard one to swallow, but good quality long lasting lighting in the terms of years is important enough for me to eat it. Its waterproof+dustproof, usb-c + solar chargable and its 5000mah battery can be used to charge other things in an emergency. I also can't imagine it consumes more than a few watts on its lowest light setting which is perfectly acceptable. It also is a much warmer lighting like 2200k warm house lighting not the bright white hospital lighting of the basic luci which is a huge win.
The biggest fustration is that it occasionally for whatever reason dims its light level after awhile on lowest setting and I cant tell if thats a feature to save energy or a hardware bug. Its not a deal breaker so I didn't bother returning it but is a noticable thing that happens. Oh well, life is not perfect I love everything else about it.
The books are still sitting in my parents home, should probably donate most of them and try to sell the collectors grade manga and comics. My waterproof kobo makes this a lot easier pill to swallow. The only thing I don't want to give up are my out of print fractal books. Maybe one day I will be in a well enough position to have a permanent homestead and can finally have a home for my books.
Im fine with just cooking up and eating shelf-stable canned and preserved foods. I don't need a fridge. Its important to preserve nutritional variation, so I stock a bit of everything. I need to get some water containers still. I have a single burner propane stove which is all I need for cooking and water boiling needs.
I have a single 3 inch self inflating mattress, and 3 large sized 4 inch square memory foam medidation pillows which are about the same width as the mattress layed underneath. These two things together prove to be comfortable enough to sleep on. Im a roller and a side sleeper so it took some getting used to it going from a full sized mattress. I manage it and its quite comfey. My biggest issue is that the meditation pillows and the pad slide around which can lead to me needing to get up and re-adjust them. I am considering using double sided velcro tape to be able to stick them all together better.
The second biggest is that the mattress has a small hole in it. I ordered some repair glue for it but read on the contents that the stuff its made with is known to the state of California to cause cancer. Im not sure how much of a risk it really is but it put me off enough to not use it and just accept the slight delfation since the memory foam pillows makes up for it.
Currently my main concern is with staying warm during the night.
I initially started with an almost dead electric space heater my parents have had for decades. Then got a propane space heater, which has proven to be an excellent solution. I was initially a bit scared of carbon monoxide poisoning and gas leaks so made sure all safety protocols were strictly met. Detectors and space clearances and ventilation, that sort of thing. It having Oxygen Depletion Sensor and automatic tilt shutoff in case of fall are both really nice touches. The lowest setting is able to keep my tent warmed very well.
A 20lbs tank lasted me about a week and cost 12$ to refill at local propane station which comes to 1.70$ per night. Its important to note its been rainy and damp so I had to run it all day for a few days which is more than I would have to under optimal conditions, average cost per night may be even less.
Still, fuel cost money and even a dollar or two per night can add up fast over the course of months. While looking up alternatives to tent heating I searched through low-tech-magazines archive for 'heat' and found a few FANTASTIC articles discussing various kinds of heating. Relevant to me are convection radiant heating of old like my propane heater or a wood stove, and more importantly the concept of personal heating.
I knew bundling up was an important part of staying warm but didn't understand just how much your choice in clothing affects until I read LTM's article 'Restoring the Old Way of Warming: Heating People, not Places' Which discusses the scientific method of measuring a piece of clothings effective insultation values in terms of keeping a person comfortable at a specific ambient temperature. Mentally associating a piece of clothing with a mathematical insulation value which the military uses, helped me mentally digest and appreciate the concept of layering up. Im buffing up my insulation stats with armor while leveling up my natural cold resistance ;)
Restoring the Old Way of Warming: Heating People, not Places
Recent advancements in thermally insulated clothing technology has allowed for lighter pieces of clothing with huge CLO values like thermal underwear. With a little bit of adjustment to my apparel come sundown I can stay comfortable for longer as the temp starts to drop, holding off turning on the fueled heater for a few more hours if not entirely. The reality of the lifestyle I am choosing makes non-powered personal thermal improving clothes and blankets a solid and potentially lifesaving investment.
I also frequent the CheapRVLiving yt channel hosted by bob wells who lived a lot of his life in alsaska and has been doing the nomadic vanlife living in USA western states for over a decade. He recommends a few things like a true wool blanket as it keeps you warm even if its wet. If you didn't know the body is constantly expelling moisture and it can get wet and humid when sleeping in closes spaces with no ventilation. A duvet alternative cover thats extremely puffy and thermally insulated on top, and optionally an electric blanket. I got the wool blanet and duvet cover alternative he recommended, well see how they are in a day or two.
USB powered electric blankets, heated clothing, and heated camping seats are also on my bucket list but currently I don't have any means of power generation so they would loose usefulness quickly. I really can't justify a lot of money on a real solar system but maybe 60$ for a basic 25 watt panel + charge controller kit would be a start. For now the less I have to rely on electric the better.
I have had the duvet alternative slippers to keep my feet warm at night that bob recommended for years now. They are amazing and totally worth the asking price. I got a second pair that doesnt have the upper shoe which is easier to slip on and off with my huge feet. BUT they are not waterproof, I got tired of having my feet wet and cold in the early morning when coming into house to make coffee so bought a pair of waterproof slippers for quick trips into the house, they are AWESOME!
I have an accoustic guitar I started playing a few weeks ago. Im not really interested in 'learning' how to play it, I just like strumming on it and finding a few good sounding patterns while trying new patterns of finger placement for cords. I am the kind of person who prefers figuring out things myself through 1000 hours of experementation more than being instructed by others.
I also completed my first two crochet projects using hemp yarn, two hand towels for body cleaning, hand drying, dish cleaning. I got into crochet a few months ago but lost interest after I couldn't understand instructions, got stuck, and gave up. I see it as a valuable skill that could potentially make me some side money if I get good at it. I really like hemp stuff but its expensive so im glad I found enough confidince to sucessfully make my own.
I dug out my illuminated tarot deck for the first time in a while and did a daily reading. Its both a unique tarot card deck and a 52 playing card deck, very practical. I occasionally turn to divination as a means of self-reflection and to become in tune with the synchronicity of the universe. The reading suggested that I listen to my intuition and be open to new unexpected experiences.
So this is where I am at now. Living in a tent, working on ways to simplify my life while staying comfortable. Figuring out in my own way how to reduce reliance on things I can't produce myself which will ultimately help build on my dream of off-grid living. Hope you learned something! Have a good one.