OFG-HowToFreeYourself.svg

mobile home

RV's just got futuristic: The Basecamp Airstream
Mobile

The Open Road: RV Sales Boom

The all-American way to go off the grid is of course with a recreational vehicle – an RV.

Buckle up. Open road. Highway 66. Freedom. Yes mam!

Last week thousands of Americans gathered at Grand Rapids, Michigan for a celebration of this off-piste culture. ‘The Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show’. On the bill were classic RV’s such as the Basecamp Airstream – a small silver travel trailer of just 16 feet long and weighing less than 3,000 pounds equipped with solar energy, shower and toilet- as well as lifestyle gurus Greg & Cori Young and John Holod.

Hungry for travel and adventure,the Young’s sold all their possessions, bought an RV and now live life on the road.To support themselves they found ways to work with their travel and now advise other campers on how to install and utilise solar energy.

According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RIVA), RV sales in 2016 were the highest they’ve been in over a decade with 400,000 RV’s sold in 2016. In fact, an estimated 8-9% of US household now own an RV.

John Holod is a documentary maker about all things RV and is best known for work such as ‘Alaska: RV Adventure of a Lifetime’ and ‘The Great Rocky Mountain RV Adventure’.He has travelled over 600,000 miles in various RV’s and was awarded the “Distinguished Achievement in RV Journalism Award” by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.

What both Holod and the Young’s prove is that a life full of movement and travel is entirely possible, and is not exclusively reserved for the rebellious likes of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper.

The General Manager of the American RV, Chad Neff, said that due to low interest rates, low fuel prices and high customer confidence RV’s are experiencing a boom in sales (he took over 50 campers to the Grand Rapids show and expects to sell them all).The demographics of his customers range from millennials all the way to retiring baby boomers, all sharing one thing in common- a passion and drive for adventure and a world outside a TV screen.

If the ‘Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show’ shows one thing it’s that living off-grid and on the road is becoming increasingly common- (in American accent) I sure know what I’ll be doing next summer!

 

Read More »
Community

Experience a Tiny House – No Strings Attached

 

Off-grid Experience

Perhaps you’ve thought about ditching the concept of the traditional house and living a full off-grid experience, in a tiny home? But you haven’t got the nerve to try it out.

Maybe you’re pretty sure that an off-the-grid lifestyle is for you, but you don’t want to fully commit to living in compact quarters. A new Boston-based start-up wants to let you try your hand in the world of off-grid living with no strings attached.

Sacrificing the open space of a traditional home for compact living has many benefits. Cost efficiency, sustainability, and focusing on the simplicity of life hold obvious allure, and for some, this allure is reason enough to convert from a typical home or apartment to dwellings no larger than a single shipping container.
 

Boston-based company Getaway will let you rent a mobile tiny home in the Boston area for as little as 99$ a night.

 

Some homeowners might find the idea of permanently leaving their space for something radically different is just too big of a transition. The answer may be this clever new take on an off-the-grid vacation,

Using the same principles of tiny house living (including the need to escape, the need to foster nomadic living, and the desire for sustainability), the newly-created company set out to build their very own tiny homes to fit families comfortably. The home is designed by Harvard graduate students and includes solar–powered flaps and a composting toilet. There are plenty of designs to optimize space, like fold-out beds and shelves to fit books and board games. Should the house be transported, setup will take less than an hour.

The overall design is meant to be simple, but also harness the best economy for the space. The average cost of rent in the U.S. is $962, while to rent a night in the tiny home which sleeps four, complete with bicycles and firewood, costs only $99 a night. There’s an additional fee of $15 for a pet, or a $10 fee for a third and fourth guest. The houses will be built on land leased from local landowners. Getaway sees this as a benefit for landowners: having a tiny house for rent on their properties would provide people with an additional source of income, and put open land to good use.

Read More »
Community

Trailersteading – book review

trailersteadingcoversmHow many of you would like (love?) to to have your own place and live for just what you’d pay in taxes? Assuming you already have a piece of land (hint, look for so called “junk” land and you can often have it for a song)… Well that’s precisely what Anna Hess and her husband Mark did.

Read More »
People

How to Lose Your Job in 60 Days

“I want to go full nomad and be free, but I need to figure out how to get rid of my job first.”  When I say this to people (friends and strangers alike) an almost hysterical look washes over their face, followed by a humorous smirk with a suggestion to just pick up the phone and quit.  I wish it could be that simple… or could it be?  I have a job with a large car dealership as a Web Administrator/Graphic Designer.  I appreciate it, as it’s the best-paying job I’ve ever had (which still isn’t much).  Instead of answering phones all day and watching the clock, I get to use my creativity.  My days and weeks usually sail by.

Read More »
543830_3815396273806_191871541_n-3252074
Mobile

Stops Along the Way: Part 2

Five o’clock quickly arrived at my desk on my first night as a full-time RVer.  I left my office and walked into the dark parking lot knowing I would be home in less than 30 seconds.  No one from work knew it.  Since I land acting and print gigs on occasion, they believe my camper is to go on jobs out of town.  Half-truths go a long way.  I also made it a point for them to know that owning an RV has always been a dream of mine.  I considered letting my co-workers know of my new lifestyle, but I’ve grown less trusting with age.  My managers may feel less compelled to give me higher raises since I have fewer expenses.  My supervisor may look at me with scorn if I come in late on a snowy day. Co-workers may think I’m just plain kooky… and they would be right!  Yes, none of these things would be fair, but life isn’t fair and neither are people’s judgments and actions.  If the folks at work ever did find out (and some may already suspect), I guess it wouldn’t be a big deal.  However, why put myself out there if I don’t have to?

As I approached close to my camper, I visually took it all in.  “This is my home!”.  Realizing this felt odd, good… and a little scary.  I got in the van and drove to my RV friendly parking spot.  Like a dog, I instinctively circled the lot twice before parking.  There were two big rig trucks settled in for the night, so I parked next to them under a light post.

Read More »

off-grid.net

Join the global off-grid community

Register for a better experiencE on this site!