Start living off the grid by following our simple guide of 9 things that you need to start living off the grid for beginners. Start living independently today!
Living off the grid is not just a fleeting trend, but more likely a new way of life given the increasingly harsh living conditions worldwide. Off the grid means living independently from all the infrastructure offered to you by the system, which gives you the opportunity to live a happier, more meaningful life in which you follow your passion and do the things that accomplish you, not just for the sake of making money. The core basics for an off-grid living are:
- off-grid electricity
- clean water source
- a heating source
- proper food storage
- lighting
Of course, an off the grid shelter or house is the first thing you need to allow you to start an off the grid living. If you are a beginner and need a quick guide to help you start living off the grid, here are the 9 things you need to start living off the grid. Let’s get to the checklist for living off the grid.
In This Article You Will Find:
9 Things You Need to Live Off The Grid
9. Portable Power Station
The first thing you need to start living off the grid is a good power source. Given that you’re off grid, a reliable portable power station is exactly what you need. The Explorer 240 from Jackery offers the minimum power required for a small off grid cabin, tent, or van. It is equipped with a 240Wh lithium-ion battery pack and has one DC outlet, two 5v USB ports, and one 12V DC carport to easily charge a tablet 7 times, smartphones 20+ times, laptop 3 times, or even power a car cooler for 6+ hours or a 32” TV for more than 3 hours.
But most importantly, the power station can be recharged using solar panels, which means you can go completely off grid with this simple unit and a set of solar panels. You can find the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240 below.
8. Portable Solar Panels
To make the portable power station actually off grid, you need to power it up from solar panels. Jackery already has 60W or 100W solar panels to plug into the portable power station and charge the batteries from the sun. The Jackery SolarSaga 100W is the real deal, compatible with the Portable Power Station Explorer 240. Given the technology they use in their solar panels, they have much higher conversion efficiency, up to 23% than other conventional solar panels. With the power station and the solar panels basically, you make unlimited electric energy and make a huge step towards a more independent lifestyle.
7. Clean Water
Clean water is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to living off the grid. If you have a source of water around, such as a river, a creek, or a lake, a safe option for making drinking water is to use a powerful water filter. One of the best options is the water bottle filter from LifeStraw. It filters out microplastics, chlorine, organic chemical matter and sand, dirt, cloudiness, and even improves the taste of water, and can filter up to 4000 l of water with one membrane microfilter
The water filter bottle is a great way to have clean drinkable water with you all the time, but if you want to make larger quantities of crystal clear water for drinking and making food, a countertop water distiller is ideal. The water distiller from Megahome is one of the best investments that you can make.
Yes, it uses electrical power and needs a good cleaning every few weeks, but this is a guarantee that the water that you use is 100% safe to drink and use. The distiller makes 4 l (5 gallons) of fresh water every 5.5 h. Distilled water is pure, but is also lacking minerals and nutrients, so add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to rev it up. The water filter and distiller are two of the best investments to make if you want to start living off the grid.
6. Lighting
Lighting is a major aspect of every home, especially when you’re living off the grid. For indoor and outdoor lighting, a portable LED bulb on USB, like the one from Onite is a very effective and convenient way to light up the place. You can plug it into your Jackery solar-powered power station and enjoy great warm lighting that you can switch On/Off, no need to plug and unplug the USB port frequently. The bulb has low consumption, high brightness, and stable performance, just what you need to start living off the grid. To make it even better, add a solar rechargeable lantern for night trips and you’re all set and ready to start living off the grid.
5. Fridge/Freezer
To keep food and produce cool, you can use a lightweight freezer and fridge such as the portable one from Whynter. This mini-fridge/freezer can hold up to 91 cans (12fl oz) at once, so it is pretty spacious for such a small fridge. It works both on 12/24V DC and 110V AC power and is ideal for mobile van homes, RVs or houses. This means it can be easily powered by a 24V solar panel, is also quiet, and is very efficient for the job. This fridge/freezer is a great starting point to keep produce cold when you decide to start living off the grid.
4. Portable Rocket Stove
Cooking on an open fire makes food especially tasty, but to make outdoor cooking even easier, a camping rocket stove, such as the one from StarBlue can actually make a great difference. The stove has a sturdy cook surface where you can put your skillet and prepare food, and a large fuel chamber that allows longer burn time and more efficient heat transfer while making little smoke. Of course, the wood-fueled rocket stove cannot be used indoors without evacuation, and for this, the best option is to use a portable butane stove for indoor cooking, such as the one from Coleman. With these two, cooking while living off grid is plain and simple.
3. Powerless Appliances
Manual kitchen appliances that require no power are ideal in any off the grid home. This will help you save energy for the other appliances and pieces of equipment that cannot function without electrical power. Some of the most useful and powerless appliances for living off grid are a manual shredder/cranker for cheese, nuts, and seeds, a manual food chopper, a manual coffee bean grinder, and a stovetop espresso machine and hot sandwich maker or waffle maker. The idea is that there are many powerless alternatives to your regular kitchen appliances, that are just as easy to use but require no electricity. You can find our picks below.
2. Dutch Oven
To make for the electric oven, one of the best alternatives is the Dutch oven. This cast iron pot will last you for a lifetime and you can use it to bake bread without needing an electrical oven, as it is specially designed to accumulate heat and perfectly bake foods, including bread. The Dutch oven can be used both on the stovetop, but also directly on an open fire. So if you were worried about the oven while living off the grid, you now have a reliable alternative.
1. Multifunctional Tools
A shovel, an axe, a good cutting knife, and multifunctional useful tools are key to living a life off the grid. These tools help you chop wood for the fire, dig, clean spaces and do all the things you need to get by. Hence, a set of multifunctional tools and equipment is another item you need to tick on the start living off the grid checklist. We found the multifunctional survival shovel and axe set from Banores one of the best tools that you can have around. Of course, for frequent use, a solid axe is needed, and we do recommend this investment.
Disadvantages of Living Off The Grid – Free Off Grid
One of the biggest disadvantages of living off the grid is that you need to start adjusting to a new way of life, and also a new way of thinking. First, you want to become a minimalist, as there may be things that consume way too much energy and time to actually work off the grid. Then you will need to learn a lot of new stuff, from basic electrical work, to even plumbing, growing a garden, composting, food preparation, and preservation.
But if you are the kind of person who loves making things with their own two hands and is not afraid of getting dirty, this is the path for you. Other possible disadvantages of living off the grid are:
- the feeling of loneliness, too little company
- having to do a lot of things yourself
- commuting to city/work/school
- relying only on your own power
However, the advantages of being FREE and using the time that you have with things that fulfill you and make your life meaningful is absolutely priceless.
Start Living Off The Grid Today
The meaning of “earning a living” changes once you start living off the grid, because once you settle off the grid, most of your basic necessities are already met, and you don’t have to earn your shelter, your “living”, as they say. Even more, you can start working for the pleasure of working and making something with your own two hands. Of course, living off the grid does not mean you make money automatically, but you place yourself above the majority of people, as you save money you should have spent on basic necessities, that should be offered to us by default, just because we were born on earth and have this right as earthlings.
Read Also: 9 Most Delicious Wild Mushrooms You Can Forage Yourself
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