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Thursday 22 September 2016

How To Survive When Living Off The Grid

By Frances Edwards


Sometimes, it takes a little break from the hustle and bustle of normal life for one to be able to refresh and do away with stress. If you fancy the idea of living off the grid, you should be prepared for an experience quite different from what you are accustomed to. This means living away from your friends and doing away with the likes of electricity, piped water and other community utilities.

Before you identify an ideal location, you must prepare in advance. To get on the right track, get a grasp of the general climate of the area. The place should experience sufficient rainfall to enable you to engage in agriculture. Subsistence farming has always been practiced by indigenous tribes since time immemorial. It helps ensure that food never becomes scarce.

As such, ensure you have the right tools for farming beforehand. Also look for a place with a permanent river nearby. This way, you can irrigate your crops without worrying about them withering. If the place is generally unsuitable for farming, think about looking for other locations. Access to water for drinking, cooking and agricultural purposes is very important.

Once you have water available, the other areas of concern will be easy to meet. With no cooking gas available, you should review your options for cooking. You may make a makeshift stove out of clay or use rocks to create a cooking platform.

Getting firewood should not be a hard thing to do if the area is largely forested. To have an easy time when the day comes, it is advisable to master the art of staring fires using firewood beforehand. With a well lit bonfire, you should keep insects and other predators away at night whilst staying warm.

Try to figure out how you will communicate with those around you before packing up to leave. When out on your own, you will need to communicate through natural techniques. This means having no electronic communication equipment. If you are so attached to your mobile phone, start getting yourself used to communicating without relying on it. It is also worth remembering that going off grid also means no television. This is something that you need to anticipate as well.

For your survival, it would be prudent to choose a spot that is located down a slope. This is advantageous for a number of reasons. Firstly, it will ensure you get immediate access to water from natural sources. Water cannot flow uphill without a pump. The location will help water get into your tanks from uphill through gravity. Furthermore, you will be shielded from harsh weather conditions such as strong winds.

It is also fundamentally important to construct your home with the weather in mind. Ensure it is well insulated. Furthermore, leave enough entry space for sunlight. Finally, use durable firewood during winter.




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