# Could You Live Off The Grid?



## PrepperForums (Nov 21, 2014)

Could you live an off the grid, self-sufficient lifestyle? Do you have the skills to do so?

Would you want to?


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## jim-henscheli (May 4, 2015)

Let's define Grid here, I produce all my own electricity, and some food. Is that off the grid? I still buy most food and all clothes. Does grid mean to lectricity? Or ALL goods,services and utilities?


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I have some skills and being off grid would force me to learn others quickly. I would prefer not to have to find out.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

I believe I could but I don't want to. I enjoy modern conveniences too much. I'd be good living that way if town was 30 minutes or so away and I could easily get things I may need. But if push came to shove I could live that way.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

A very good question, growing up on a farm in the 50s and 60s we were somewhat self sufficient, we had electricity for the most part but it wasn't very reliable, we raised our own meat, grew and home canned vegetables, had wood heat, an outdoor toilet, windmill for pumping water, farmed with horses for awhile, it was a different world then, being able to do it now? Maybe not as comfortably as then because I don't have the same resources available today as we did years ago, though people can become very resourceful when confronted with challenges, I can't give a yes or no answer.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Yes we could. It would be our first choice but if we had to we could. In our consideration of what if's. It was clear that in Total SHTF we had better be ready to live with out power. Generators will only buy you time. The family that settled this farm did it. Winter will be both a blessing and a curse . It will keep others way but will require a lot of work. I have gotten use to gas heat.


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## Coastie dad (Jan 2, 2016)

Yes. Not my desire to do so permanently. But even off grid usually means there is a form of trade system for acquiring what you can't produce. 
I was off grid tonight for a while. I made it without need of therapy. It was a rough couple of hours, but I pulled through.


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## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

Could yes.

Want to no, prefer a life of urban luxury, and to not have to work just for necessities but the extras in life.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Like Jim said in post 2, define off the grid. My kids would define off grid meaning no internet, microwaves, or long hot showers. 

definition for this discussion: off the grid for 2 years with no outside power sources such as electricity, gasoline (liquid fuels) and outside 1 mile (immediate neighbors) any other needs like food or basic medical. And for those in an urban environment keep in mind that the more neighbors the more potential threats and threats means less chance of survival. For older and sick people you must have someone close by who would cut and split wood for heat and cooking and in hot climates the ability to power a cooling fan.


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## OldHorseman (Feb 17, 2017)

PrepperForums said:


> Could you live an off the grid, self-sufficient lifestyle? Do you have the skills to do so?


- Yes. Pretty well, actually.



> Would you want to?


- As opposed to what? Getting-by without cornucopian support would certainly be preferable to dying or being driven into the Fedghetto, at least to us.

- But we do admittedly enjoy some of the benefits of the grid, and will do so until it is no longer available/ affordable.

.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Answer is yes, but not a good life after the 1st year food potentially gets very thin. Add a 3rd year and things could get really tough as salt and all stored food is used. We still don't have medical well covered (some supplies but no medical training in the group) and food would be challenging. Much better than average energy production but all things wear out. Just being real here.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

When forced to, people either adapt or die. Some will be able to adapt, others won't. We have seen this time and time again throughout the ages. Twice Europe was torn apart by war. Modern conveniences went by the wayside. Europe survived both. 

Improvise, adapt and overcome. That's what survivors do when the have to.

ETA: Could I do it? I think so but it's hard to say. In reality, it would depend on the situation. But I'm old school and don't like losing.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

inceptor said:


> When forced to, people either adapt or die. Some will be able to adapt, others won't. We have seen this time and time again throughout the ages. Twice Europe was torn apart by war. Modern conveniences went by the wayside. Europe survived both.
> 
> Improvise, adapt and overcome. That's what survivors do when the have to.
> 
> ETA: Could I do it? I think so but it's hard to say. In reality, it would depend on the situation. But I'm old school and don't like losing.


Improvising, I'm better than most by far, but others in the group aren't nearly so good at thinking "outside the box". It has me worried because without me I worry about the others. Being realistic I'm worried about the group if something happened to me. A lot of what I do requires walking down a store isle and finding how to repurpose something to build something different, just what I do for my work on a regular basis.


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## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

Been there, done that (love this American expression  ).


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

I'd be will to tough it out, but my wife requires a medication that literally keeps her alive.

I cast bullets, can survive my own cooking, I'm a knife sharpener, I'm not to proud to forage, and as long as I have a nice blanket I can tough out our Wisconsin winters. My wife, on the other hand, needs a med that cannot be stockpiled.

It does set up an amusing scenario where I fake my own death...


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The day you start preparing you prepare the next leaders to take over. Your time in the front row is limited. This is in all things. It is not about my surviving. It is about the next generation and the one after that an so on. The strength comes from those behind you. Your comfort comes when they pass you.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I'd be okay for a while, I guess, like in a power failure. If it lasted more than a couple/three months it would get dark, cold, and smelly.

I would not make the move to intentionally live off the grid; too old for all that heavy work.


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## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

even with my disability , I would do my best to live off grid , in my heart I feel that God would see that a was able to do it .


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

What's the big deal?? Gee a whole 75-100 years ago it was normal.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Chipper said:


> What's the big deal?? Gee a whole 75-100 years ago it was normal.


The difference is back then there was a self reliant infrastructure. The whole society was based upon living without electricity & other "modern" conveniences. Every appliance or tool you owned or you friends owned was designed to work off the grid. If your plow broke, there was a blacksmith to fix it. Need a new harness for the draft animal, there was a leathersmith around. Need a new draft animal, they were available. Point being, the whole society was set up to operate smoothly as they got to that stage in human development very slowly. What we preppers discuss would be going back in time with very little resources & no community of skill, equipment or other tools & resources... and do so in the flash of an EMP blast.

THAT WOULD BE A HUGE DEAL.


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

Very easy to do so now days and in some locations cheaper than trying to be grid tied. Solar technology with panels, batteries and a small generator for cloudy days coupled with satellites you can live anywhere. Opens up lots of areas of the world you would want to live in but in the past said but I want my lights at night, clothes washer, music, movies, tv, telephone and internet. 

I live in mid-Missouri and get my internet , TV and phone via satellite. I am grid tied as the house had it when I moved here. Hope to be 100 percent solar by fall.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Chipper said:


> What's the big deal?? Gee a whole 75-100 years ago it was normal.


The big deal is that society has done a 180. 75-100 years ago people were taught how to care for themselves. Society has since scorned such teaching instead they teach to rely on others. Many have maybe a weeks worth of food on hand. Most have no idea how to grow their own. People no longer fix things and couldn't do it now if they had to, just toss it out and buy newer and better.

Self defense used to be a common occurrence. That is no longer true. Society began teaching that we let the police handle it. That stayed in play until SCOTUS ruled that the police have no duty to protect.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/p...ve-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html?_r=0

Society began teaching that criminals were not responsible for their deeds. It was the result of their environment. Self responsibility has been tossed out the window.

Blame others for you mishaps. Sue and make money from your mishap. Society owes you when things go wrong. Don't feel like working? No worries, the government will take care of you.

I could go on but you get the idea.


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## Real Old Man (Aug 17, 2015)

If it means doing without rolled crappin paper no. Otherwise .... However, I don't believe in the concept of alone with family or just a few other families. I believe that in a real SHTF scenerio that for one to survive long term that a small community 1,000 to 5,000 is darned near essential. Think Alas Babylon


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

I have visited areas of the world for 6 months at a time where they did not have electrical power, No TV or internet. A few battery operated AM/FM radio receiver they would play music for an hour or two a couple days a week in the village market square. No roads and no vehicles in the village . Other areas a group of small islands. Some villages had a refrigerator a small kerosene operated one in a medical clinic. 

On the islands they traded goods using small boats , often hand made dug outs. Men load up a canoe with coconuts and hand crafts come back with boxed milk, cheeses, wheat flour. Other areas I staid used pack horses or 4 wheel trucks to on trails , fording rivers to get from the populated areas into the rural areas and small villages. 

Thousands of people living today without the grid in there area doing pretty good for themselves.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

inceptor said:


> When forced to, people either adapt or die. Some will be able to adapt, others won't. We have seen this time and time again throughout the ages. Twice Europe was torn apart by war. Modern conveniences went by the wayside. Europe survived both.
> 
> Improvise, adapt and overcome. That's what survivors do when the have to.
> 
> ETA: Could I do it? I think so but it's hard to say. In reality, it would depend on the situation. But I'm old school and don't like losing.


Agreed. Could I? I have not always lived as well as I do now, so yes I believe I can. I don't like to loose either. Do I want to? Hell no. As I have said before I would rather have a cold beer and watch a football game. Unfortunately, the powers that be may make it a no choice decision .


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

At my age, I wouldn't want to live off grid. Could I, probably for awhile. One of the minor reasons I pick AZ. Doesn't get as cold a back in northern ILL. Also the government isn't as stupid as back in ILL.


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## SierraGhost (Feb 14, 2017)

Like others have said, it depends on your definition of “off the grid” and for how long. Although I’ve prepared for it, it’s not something I would relish. Do I have the capacity to do it? Yes. Even without adding hunting and foraging to the equation, the food would last for several years. I have the medical training to handle most things. However, after year one the lights / freezer / refrigerator would go off. This is an area that needs improvement and I need to learn more about adding solar & battery storage to the mix. Also, after several years my clothing would be threadbare, so adding a bolt or two of fabric would be a good idea.


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Sasquatch said:


> I believe I could but I don't want to. I enjoy modern conveniences too much. I'd be good living that way if town was 30 minutes or so away and I could easily get things I may need. But if push came to shove I could live that way.


Took the words right out of my mouth. It would suck adjusting to the new lifestyle but people will survive. We've survived a long time without modern conveniences but its nice to have a Walmart close by and a Pizza Hut that delivers after I use the internet to order a pizza. I'm also rather fond of air conditioning


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

Been off-grid five years. Solar, with wind almost ready, and haul my water from a spring or town, what I don't harvest off the roof. Town (3x4 blocks), for mail and a tiny little gas and grocery, is thirteen miles of rough road away. Much of said road has been washed out the last couple weeks as sudden snow melt and a bursting dam has made a mess of everything in sight. Town got pretty much wiped out, many people are packing up and leaving (there's only about 60 people, so it makes a big dent). Currently, I can get to town with a ATV in 4x4 if I have to. Tomorrow, I think, but I'm not sure if we've had a mail delivery yet (I'm expecting bullets from Midway and brass from Starline). As of last Tuesday, there'd been no mail for a week as town is cut off north and south by highway. The UP tracks are torn up, too. I have not heard a train in two weeks. From my perch on this ridge I can see the highway a couple miles off, and the only traffic has been gravel trucks and vehicles with flashing lights. Otherwise, the road is closed. The National Guard did manage to get a high water vehicle in last week with some water and MREs, and some people were helicoptered out (pregnant lady with a five year old kid, for example, and others with medical issues). It hasn't really affected me all that much, being well-prepped and all, but man, those folks in town did not deserve this. I have a neighbor a couple miles away I've been helping out, as she is stranded until all this mud dries and we get to filling in some of the trenches (in places the road has been scoured out three feet below grade). I hope to be able to get out for a dentist appointment 100 miles away 3/20. And see if we got mail tomorrow. That .327 is getting hungry.
Raining again, deer and elk sheltering down in the draw. Life is good.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

PrepperForums said:


> Could you live an off the grid, self-sufficient lifestyle? Do you have the skills to do so?
> 
> Would you want to?


No. We are going to shelter in place and save the last of the ammo for ourselves. We are going out in glory.


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

It would be tough and I'm not sure how long I could make it off grid. There are a lot of variables to consider. Is this a permanent or temporary grid down situation? Where was I when it happened? Has panic set in right away or is it more of a slow burn? What time of year is it? Things like that. Short term, yes I'm confident I could survive a month or two. Long term is a different story but I'm working on it.


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## No Body (Feb 8, 2017)

As long as nobody kills me, yes. Do I want to NO. I definitely don't want to go back to them good ole days.


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## Gunn (Jan 1, 2016)

At our BOL, I go there most 4 day runs off from work. It is off the grid. We were fortunate enough that my grandfather left my nephew and I 23 acres and a home. It is very secluded. We are bringing in containers for my children and grandchildren. My nephew is in the alternative energy business and has set us up very well. But we are completely off the grid. As I type this I am ensconced at my BOL. We have satellite that I bootlegged from my home. I have wifi bootlegged from home, no power runs to us. Everything runs off solar and we have what my nephew calls "Submarine Batteries" for storage. I don't understand any of the solar, for my wife and I are the medical end of it. I need to know more and understand it better. I feel that being off the grid is manageable and my wife wants my nephew to take our home off the grid.


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## arrowblazer71 (Jul 27, 2015)

I believe i personally could live off grid, but having 3 children under 12 i prefer not to. the problem I face is I live in a small community and hunting for food could get interesting as most farmers around have leased out their hunting rights to city hunters who have flushed most game from the area and killed so much for sport, finding someone to let me hunt has been a huge issue and its hard to teach your offspring without places to go.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

As long as it was near a running water source, or even hand pumped well.....and I could take what I needed that I don't currently have.....I'd be there in a heartbeat. This has always been my dream, to live a self sustainable off grid life. I think my hubby would go nuts without a remote, but even he COULD do it if push came to shove. 

When we've been camping, it's always been to the middle of nowhere. I've washed dishes and clothes in the creek and cooked on an open fire. In fact I prefer that to a propane camp stove. We have a woodstove that is our primary source of heat but has come in handy for cooking when our power has went out. One time many years ago I had a pizza in the oven when the power went out and had to think fast. I put the cast iron dutch oven inside the woodstove with hot coals inside it, then put the pizza pan on top. It wasn't the greatest, but it did work in a pinch. 


Now to the question of COULD we do this? At 57, my body is starting to complain...a lot so that would limit what I can do, and I wouldn't do it alone or just hubby & I. If our sons came with to do the heavy work, we'd do just fine.


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## bearsergeant (Jan 28, 2017)

i would do it in a heart beat. We all live in a place that's not gonna survive much longer you might as well start now.


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