I know it's technically almost impossible to do, because I'm hooked up to electricity and city water, but I'm considering van dwelling, so I'm going to try to live as off-grid as possible for a month without making myself too uncomfortable, so I can see if I am cut out for this life.
I've decided to do this in the fall/winter because I live in FL, so I won't need too much heat/cooling. As a van dweller, I do plan to follow good weather as much as possible.
I have a 120-watt solar panel (needs all the accessories) which I plan to use for my basic electrical needs (computer, lights, etc.), and am trying to buy what I will need for van living now, such as a camping stove, porta-potty, water containers, etc. May skip the camping stove and just use a grill and a fire pit for now, since I do have an enclosed courtyard where I can do that. I know I can't emulate the situation entirely, but I want to see what it's like to cook entirely off-grid, heat only with a small propane heater (yes, I know about ventilation -- heated with kerosene for years), use a porta-potty, try to stay clean without showering, and greatly restrict my water usage.
Some problems I foresee are
1) I don't currently own a car, so I will be dumping the porta potty down my commode and probably getting water out of my faucets.
2) It will be tempting to use the hot water, toilet and shower facilities. I am not the most disciplined person when I have to go to the bathroom at 2 a.m., and I hate feeling dirty/grimy.
3) Propane will be an added expense on top of my minimal electric charge. It will be tempting just to turn on the heat when I get cold, or the air when it's too warm.
Once years ago, my power went out for three days after an ice storm. Roads were impassable, and my son and I had to live in the LR and close off all the other areas of the house. We used a kerosene heater and a fireplace to stay warm and cook. The bathroom was FRIGID, so we spent as little time in there as we could, and heated water on the top of the kerosene camping stove/heater to wash with. We had to pump water with a hand pump and haul it inside in buckets to flush the commode because the pump didn't work. We still had phone service (landline), but we had to use kerosene lamps and candles for light. So I know I can do this for 3 days under worse conditions.
I'll let you know how it goes. I plan to do it for a month, but I'm waiting for it to get a little cooler during the day right now. I actually thought about living outside in my tent, but I think the neighbors would think I was crazy, and I'd probably get turned in to management, who would find out I wasn't using the toilet facilities -- you get the drift. I also thought about setting up the tent in here and living in it to simulate the small space, but right now, I don't even have enough room for that. I'll figure something out. Most of the experiment is to experience deprivation and inconvenience, and that's the same no matter how much space you have.
Submitted September 21, 2017 at 04:39PM by anybodyanywhere http://ift.tt/2hjCiB9
