Anyone living off-grid ouutdoors or want to learn how ?

[LaMar]

I am an off-grid outdoorsman and live in a small solar cabin I designed and built myself.

I have no house payments and no monthly utility bills so I can spend my time enjoying nature and enjoying my hobbies.

If anyone wants to learn how to live this life I am always glad to share ideas and answer questions!

Here is a free video showing cabin construction and some songs I wrote:


Yes I do sell a $5 ebook on my website but no one is twisting your arm to buy it and there are lots of free videos and pics for ideas!

[Felicia]

Interesting - do you live in a four season climate?

[DiscGo]

Good for you Lamar! I am very jealous.

Where or how did you get started?

[LaMar]

Interesting - do you live in a four season climate?

Hi Felicia and Disgo,

yes I am in Utah at the foot of the Uintah mountains. We get lots of snow and cold temps in winter. Highs in the 90s in summer.

My cabin is small and well insulated and I use about $200 worth of propane a year. I could use wood but propane is also used for my stove, fridge, and OD water heater.

solar system is 470 watts solar and 125 watt wind and runs water pump, two tvs, stereo, lights, laptop and gadgets.

I have been off-grid about 15 years and started in a camp trialer with one solar panel and an old car battery. Saved up $2000 to build my cabin and added to the solar system over time.

I work about 5 hours a day 9 months a year so I have enough time to do the things I enjoy. Last year I rafted the green and parachuted in Zion.

I am surrounded by millions of acres of BLM and Ute reservation land and they are all mine!

Having no house payments and utility bills frees your time and money!

[DiscGo]

How did you forget out how to do everything?

[LaMar]

How did you forget out how to do everything?

Did you mean how did I figure out how to do it ?

Mostly by trial and error and reading a lot of books.

Thats why I try to help people so they don't make so many mistakes. I wrote an ebook for that reason.

Building a cabin really is not that hard and mine cost under $2000 from all new materials. I salvaged the doors and windows from a trailer being torn down.

Off-grid solar systems are just a panel, charge controller, batteries and an inverter.

I also have a solar composting toilet of my own design, solar water heater, and drilled my own water well.

It is best to learn from someone that has actually done it!

[bbennett]

Very nice! I've always dreamed of this sort of thing. Reminds me a lot of Alone In the Wilderness; http://www.dickproenneke.com/. If you've never seen it, I would very highly encourage you to check it out.

How did you acquire the land?

[JP]

And you have Internet

That's one great idea How do you like the "waterless toilet"? How does the solar additive help that out?

[Deathcricket]

Very cool stuff! I'm interested in Solar but everything I see seems so stinking expensive. Where do you purchase solar panels? Thats seems to me to be the biggest problem getting off the grid. the the time I pay $20k for panels it would take me 30 years of not paying electricity to get that money back I think.

[Don]

Very cool. After reading about the earthship community in New Mexico I have often thought that this is how I would like to retire...

[Don]

I just noticed the link with your cabin picture and realized you seem to have gotten away with some sneaky spam placement 'cause people are interested and disscussing your cool spammy cabin.

[LaMar]

Very nice! I've always dreamed of this sort of thing. Reminds me a lot of Alone In the Wilderness; http://www.dickproenneke.com/. If you've never seen it, I would very highly encourage you to check it out.

How did you acquire the land?

I inherited the land my cabin is on and it is part of my families old homestead but I have purchased land and paid $700 for 5 acres near El Paso Texas and $400 for 1.4 acres near Show low Arizona.

I have watched Proennekke vide and he stayed in his Alaska cabin for 30 years.

I am off-grid but not that isolated with a town, hospital and stuff only 10 minutes away if needed.

[LaMar]

Very cool stuff! I'm interested in Solar but everything I see seems so stinking expensive. Where do you purchase solar panels? Thats seems to me to be the biggest problem getting off the grid. the the time I pay $20k for panels it would take me 30 years of not paying electricity to get that money back I think.

My system is 470 watts and 125 watt wind and would cost under $3000.

Look at www.sunelec.com for good prices on solar equipment.

[LaMar]

And you have Internet

That's one great idea How do you like the "waterless toilet"? How does the solar additive help that out?

yes I use Alltel wifi and I could have satellite tv but just have an antennae.

A regular sawdust composting toilet works very well but in winter the compost will freeze and then thaw and stink in spring so by enclosing it in a small solar greenhouse it stay warmer and decomposes faster.

[Cirrus2000]

I just noticed the link with your cabin picture and realized you seem to have gotten away with some sneaky spam placement 'cause people are interested and disscussing your cool spammy cabin.

Ah, for a $5 ebook, I don't have a big problem. It's an interesting website. You can get idears without having to pay anything, there's a link to an active forum, etc.

Cool stuff, LaMar. (For cranky guys like Don, however, it maybe would have been best to have a little disclaimer or something, saying you're selling something on the site. )

[LaMar]

I just noticed the link with your cabin picture and realized you seem to have gotten away with some sneaky spam placement 'cause people are interested and disscussing your cool spammy cabin.

Ah, for a $5 ebook, I don't have a big problem. It's an interesting website. You can get idears without having to pay anything, there's a link to an active forum, etc.

Cool stuff, LaMar. (For cranky guys like Don, however, it maybe would have been best to have a little disclaimer or something, saying you're selling something on the site. )

OK, I have an ebook for sale- good enuf LOL!

[Cirrus2000]

I just noticed the link with your cabin picture and realized you seem to have gotten away with some sneaky spam placement 'cause people are interested and disscussing your cool spammy cabin.

Ah, for a $5 ebook, I don't have a big problem. It's an interesting website. You can get idears without having to pay anything, there's a link to an active forum, etc.

Cool stuff, LaMar. (For cranky guys like Don, however, it maybe would have been best to have a little disclaimer or something, saying you're selling something on the site. )

OK, I have an ebook for sale- good enuf LOL!

And welcome to Bogley!

[LaMar]

Thanks 4 the warm welcome guys!

[BruteForce]

Maybe it's just me and my many years online (before the tubes were truly invented by Al Gore), but Lamar types like a Nigerian, or at the very least like somebody from Finland.

I could easily live like Lamar in my 42' 5th wheel trailer by simply adding a few solar panels to the roof.

Seems he's still paying for Propane and Internet access. I could pull up into a Walmart parking lot, fire up the solar panels, never have to turn on the Propane, hijack Internet access and live it up high style without paying $5 for an eBook.

How exactly are you off the grid when you're paying for Propane and Internet access?

Who's more grumpy now, Don or me?

[Sombeech]

Very cool and interesting.

So if you don't mind, what "ties" do you still have with society, such as a Post Office Box? Or do you get mail coming to your place? I'm assuming you pay most of your bills online.

And by the way, what's your occupation for 5 hours a day?