SAFETY FIRST! Don’t go jumping into the OFF GRID lifestyle without planning and proper safety and preparing. Be prepared. Be ready. Know how to survive. Plan your move and do it gradually. You could move off grid if you have the survival skills and knowledge to live out there in the wild, but if you’re from the city or suburbs and you’ve never lived in the wilderness for a prolonged period of time, you will need to educate yourself, plan and prepare before moving fully off grid.
Off grid living is no joke. It’s not a walk in the park.
It’s not just about off grid living, it’s about survival. If you go off grid and you’re unprepared you could die.
Not trying to scare you or discourage you from seeking your dreams, but you must always do your due diligence! Do your research, do your planning, consult with experts and professionals in their fields of study and make sure you know what you’re doing BEFORE making the move to move off the grid.
Off grid living might be a great way to live, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
We’re talking extreme cold weather, extreme heat, and if you have no water, no food, no shelter you can die out there in the elements if you’re unprepared.
That’s WHY the SURVIVAL part of Off Grid Living & Survival exists. Don’t forget about the survival part.
You can’t just go from city and suburban life with zero planning or preparation and think you’re going to make it living off the grid. It’s a completely different kind lifestyle.
Sure, you can still have your modern amenities and even luxuries and comforts, but unless you have planned for winter or extreme heat, or you have a backup food and water storage you could seriously be endangering your health and safety and that of your family if they are going off grid with you.
Use common sense
Don’t go out into the middle of nowhere and think you can survive the harsh winters and summers and dry heat and cold without planning and preparation! That’s just not smart.
Sorry, not trying to be mean, but this isn’t about coddling you or saying nice feel-good things. This is about survival. Sure, off grid living is a very rewarding and freeing way of life. It’s a simple life, less stress from the hustle and bustle of the city, but that doesn’t mean there’s no stress. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Simple in this context means it’s a simple life as in there’s none of the complexities of city/suburban life or the stressors of that lifestyle. Off grid living can be relaxing and a wonderfully rewarding experience. But it’s not something to be taken lightly.
If you believe you can just move from the city/suburbs and go live off grid without planning and educating yourself on this way of life then you probably shouldn’t do it. Again, sorry to sound mean or harsh, but mother nature is a lot more harsh and unforgiving and is indifferent to you and your family.
Your family’s health and safety are your first priority. Do not do something that would put them in danger. Your health and safety and the health and safety of your family should ALWAYS be your number one priority.
You should NEVER just walk out into the wilderness unprepared and expect to survive.
Do you think the old timers just wandered off into the wilderness without planning?
The old timers knew it was a harsh world out there and that the weather could change at any moment. They had to prepare for the cold and heat, drought and floods. They had to prepare for long periods of bad weather and have proper food and water to last in the event they were snowed in or cut off entirely from civilization.
Communications is key too. Always have a backup communication device. You could even have a GPS personal locator beacon to signal in case of emergencies. This is a last resort of course, but it could save your life if you get in trouble out there.
Think about the things that you will need out there. If you don’t know, research it, look it up, ask an expert. Hire a professional if you can. Read and learn everything you can about survival.
There are a myriad survival shows out there but DO NOT WATCH THE SENSATIONALIZED ONES! Those ones will get people killed.
If you want to know some good survival shows to watch, here’s a short list.
Survivorman – Les Stroud
Dual Survival – Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury (Matt Graham)
Alone – For entertainment value and to see the kinds of harsh environments you could be faced with it you go off grid unprepared.
There are also some good survival and bushcraft videos on Youtube, watch all the best ones to get a basic idea of some of the skills you’ll need out there when you do finally go off grid.
Get yourself some books on survival and bushcraft, read them all, understand them, practice what they teach.
One of the most important aspects of off grid living is SURVIVAL.
It’s why I named my blog, my magazine and my Facebook group and page Off Grid Living & Survival.
The survival part is the most important. Living comes later. Survival comes first!
You can’t “LIVE” Off Grid if you can’t “SURVIVE” The Wild.
What I mean by that is simple. You must have the survival skills to live out there in the wild if you expect to live off the grid. Educate yourself and hone your skills with practice camping. Maybe even camp for prolonged periods, a week or more, to give yourself an idea of what you need out there.
What if your source of heat breaks and there’s a blizzard? What if you didn’t think about heat at all? What if there’s a winter storm and you’re snowed in for 2-3 months or longer? Are you ready for that? Do you have enough food and water to last? Do you have enough of your medications and prescriptions to last that long? Do you have a way to communicate with emergency services or friends and family back in civilization?
You better be ready! Many people just go off grid with almost no planning and near zero preparation. They think they can just go off grid and make it work. It doesn’t work that way.
That’s not how that works. That’s not how any of that works.
Are you prepared!? Are you prepared for ANYTHING!?
If the answer is no…then DON’T GO OFF GRID until you can answer yes to those questions.
Certainly don’t just buy land and set up a tent thinking you’re going to camp out and live there in the wild until you build your cabin.
Without proper shelter, food and water, heating and cooling, med kit, equipment, tools, communications (off grid utilities like solar power and battery backup, generator, propane stove with plenty of propane for backup heat and cooking and heating water, water filtration, waste disposal, generator, extra fuel, extra blankets and sleeping bags, etc.) you could die.
The list of things you need to prepare for is very long. Being self reliant requires a huge list of tools and equipment and knowledge.
This is why it takes proper planning to go off grid and survive. Don’t ever just go do it. It’s not that simple. It’s never that simple.
This is why survival books and blogs and groups and videos and TV shows exist.
Arm yourself with knowledge and prepare. Learn all the survival skills you can.
Do your due diligence when you buy your land. Research everything. Have a plan for bad weather. Mother nature is beautiful, yes. But it can kill you if you’re not smart and unprepared.
BE SAFE! BE PREPARED! BE SMART!