If you hunger for adventure, off-grid living can be the perfect way to get in touch with your wild side. The hustle and bustle of city life and concrete jungles don’t compare to the experiences you’ll have while living off grid. That said, if you’re stepping your foot outdoors for the first time, there are some things you should know in order to make your off-grid adventure safe, sustainable, and fun. No matter how long you’re leaving society, here are some adventure must-haves for living off the grid.
Essential items for off-grid survival
Large-capacity water filter
Without clean water, you’re, uh … well, dead. You can bring along many gallons of water when you set out from civilization, but sooner or later, you’re going to need to start making your own fresh water. The best way to do that is with a reliable water filtration device. For long-term water purification, skip the smaller personal-sized filters and get a filtration system designed for use by multiple people. As a backup, also bring along purification tablets, each of which can treat 20 liters of water per day and last for an amazing 12 months.
Lots of shelf-stable food
You can always plant your own frontier garden, hunt for game, and fish the nearby rivers, lakes, and streams, but a large supply of shelf-stable food is a safer bet. Don’t worry, you don’t need to live off oatmeal, freeze-dried beef stroganoff, and hard tack for the duration of your off-grid life — you can keep a rather standard pantry, in fact. Take a look in your own kitchen and you’ll notice that many of the items you likely eat regularly have far-out sell-by dates. Boxed or canned beans and soups, pasta and rice, canned fruits and vegetables, tuna or chicken, and many other foods that taste fresh when cooked will keep well provided you can prevent exposure to hot or freezing temperatures. (And don’t forget to stock plenty of oil for cooking, by the way. Also, you’ll need cookware, but you thought of that, I’m sure.)
Reliable fire starters
Lighters run out of fuel and matches are single use (and easily damaged by moisture). While convenient and always good to have on hand, these easy fire-starting tools can’t be the only ones you bring off the grid with you. I recommend variety and redundancy when it comes to fire starters, meaning multiple different types of tool. A solar fire starter will never run out of burnable material but is useless at night or on rainy or cloudy days. A ferrocerium striker starter will work in just about any conditions, but it won’t work forever. And so on. With multiple fire-starting tools, including a trusty lighter and matches, you’ll be good to go.
Shelter that can handle the elements
Until you’ve got your log cabin built, you’ll need a reliable shelter that can protect you from the elements and provide some semblance of home. A big tent will provide more comfort, but also may be a liability in high winds or under heavy snows. I recommend a large tent, which even has its own screened in a vestibule, but also bring along a smaller, leaner, and sturdier tent like a four-season tent. These can handle winds, snow load, pouring rain, and will keep you warmer in the cold. In mild weather, stash the small tent inside the big one. As bad weather looms, break down the roomy guy and tuck it away into the rugged guy.
A damn good sleeping bag
A great sleeping bag can keep you safe and warm even lying there fully exposed to the elements. Staying warm is a matter of safety; staying comfortable is a matter of getting good sleep and having a generally tolerable life. So bring at least one heavy duty, reliable winter bag, but also consider a lighter sleeping bag for milder weather. And maybe a mid-weight bag if you’re going off-grid for the long run. And don’t forget a good cot or sleeping pad. And maybe bring a nice blanket, too, for those in-between season nights.
Means of protection
Honestly, you should probably have a firearm with you if you’re really headed out into the backcountry for an extended (or indefinite) stay. But you don’t need a gun to stay safe from predators (that will probably leave you the hell alone anyway) as long as you have some other means of self-protection. Even with a firearm, it’s a good idea to have a can or three of bear spray nearby at all times. This gives you a nonlethal but reliably effective way to ward off an animal that comes too close. This spray will also work quite well on unwanted human visitors. And if anything gets too close, a sharp knife can help there, though ideally your knife will only be used for cooking and whittling.
Comfort and lifestyle enhancers for off-grid living
Solar generator
Going off the grid means much less use of technology, but let’s be honest: you’re not going full-on pioneer days, are you? If you planned things carefully, all of your powered devices, from your headlamp to your radio, will use rechargeable batteries. (I mean built-in internal batteries, for the record.) That way, all you need is a device that can recharge them. Also, with the addition of a solar panel, it can be charged up itself in about half a day. Yeah, it’s expensive, but it’s effective. I know because I’ve used one.
Lighting
Out there on your own, things get pretty dark at night. So bring a flashlight. And a headlamp. And several lanterns. I also recommend you bring a stockpile of good old candles, too, and a windproof clear vessel (a large jar, e.g.) in which you can house them. If all your batteries drain and/or your generator fails, you can stave off the dark the way people did for tens of thousands of years: by using fire.
Grill that doesn’t require fuel
Cooking over a campfire is great when you have the luxury of time and good weather. A wood-burning grill can speed up the cooking process and some can even be used inside a cabin or a large tent if it comes with an optional stovepipe attachment that can send smoke up and out of your shelter. These will let you cook “indoors” even in bad weather while also enjoying welcome warmth. As it burns wood, you won’t run out of fuel.
Comprehensive first aid kit
Before you go off the grid, pay a visit to a dentist and a doctor and make sure your body is in the best possible condition. After you go off the grid, you are your own doctor, so be ready for whatever medical issues come your way with a great first aid kit. I recommend you buy one designed for use by multiple people to ensure it will have enough supplies to last you for the weeks or months you spend on your own. Also, make sure it is sealed against the elements or that you place the kit in water-tight packaging yourself.
A portable shower
No matter how rough you like it out in the wild, a portable shower is nice to have. These give you a convenient and efficient way to stay clean in the most remote of locations, so you don’t have to freeze your buns in some icy stream (unless that’s your thing, no judgement here!) Portable showers often have a tap at the bottom, too, so if you ever need to wash your hands, there it is. Some even come with a solar panel for heating. Most portable showers have 5 or so gallons of water and can heat to a comfortable temperature in around three hours.
Leisure activities
While you might focus completely on the survival and self-sufficiency aspects of off-grid living, leisure activities are essential for mental health and creativity. Chances are, you’ll hit a rainy day every now and then, so bring lots of books. Seriously. Reading is a great way to expand your horizons, but if that doesn’t do it for you, try journaling your experiences.
Woodworking can also be a rewarding way to pass leisure time, whether it’s building something functional for your space or something fun like decorations. Board games, cards, or puzzles will also go a long way in making the off-grid fun.
This isn’t by any means an exhaustive list, but these off-grid essentials,but these survival tools and comfort items will make off-grid living worth doing.
