Hope everyone is having a good evening tonight! Currently have a storm rolling in, but all good so far.
Some us here about people wanting to do the off grid lifestyle, long term, or semi long term, but don’t quite understand how much work is involved off grid living takes.
Since I work during the day, I’m up by 3am to get the wood stove going to get hot water for coffee every morning. I set myself an hour before my typical wake up time. After work, firewood gathering, scouting areas of animal tracks, 4 mile area of checking over a dozen traps every 2 days, getting the fire ready to cook dinner, checking water levels, then finally down to relax for an hour or so before the process starts all over again. When it’s time for bed, one thing I learned is to get the stove ready but don’t ignite until you wake up in the middle of the night from freezing. I was getting the fire going right before bed, then freezing all night because the wood was burnt up. The more fire pits and wood stoves you are using, be expected to double your work load. With two fire pits being used for all meals, and one for warmth, firewood gathering takes twice as long if not longer. Other things to look at in preparation for a trip like is:
Weather: is there a possibility of rain, and wind, are you in an area of possible tornadoes, hurricanes and so on? These are things to prepare for.
Checklist: the number one thing people forget on weekend camp trip, or long term outdoor camping is toilet paper. Luckily I make sure to always remember this, but this trip was a can of chili with no can opener. Luckily a spiked rebar stake off the tent and hammer fixed that issue. Making a checklist is something needed. Being able to zero in on the fine details is what will help make your trip a lot smoother.
Damaged Items: if something gets damaged what will you do? Tent in a wind storm getting demolished, tarp shelter ripping. By all means, do not throw anything away! More then likely you will find some sort of use for it.
Protection: Researching wildlife in the area is a must! In another blog I’ll be showing some ways of keeping predators away.
Fulltime RVing isn’t for everyone, this definitely is only for a selected group that can physically, and mentally do it. I would suggest to give it a try on a long or short term trip, just so you have the knowledge what you would be looking at with isolation from media, people, and the constant process of having a job that doesn’t end. We are currently located about 5 miles off the nearest main road in the mountains in Central Oregon. I can’t give exact location on here due to safety issues. To me, this is the ultimate freedom and hope you find yours out there if you haven’t already. Blogs coming up with be techniques used for trapping, we will check out some of Oregon’s hot spots to see if ever in the state, devices used off grid, and a little detail of the type of work I’m doing out here.
Stay safe, and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer.
RAT PACK DRIFTERS 