You might have better luck with a mobile home (which aren't very mobile) than a RV.
I have a BIL and a cousin that each built a house in the Sierra foothills.
The BIL uses a propane generator for power, the propane for heat, a well and a septic system.
The cousin started with the barn/garage and installed solar panels on it. He also uses propane, a well and septic system. He now has his house (not a small, simple one BTW), and supplies all his electric with the solar system.
I agree with Bubby, and I think his kin are doing it the right way.
If it were me, I would purchase and have delivered a mobile home or LARGE TT, possibly park model. The key is that it would be OLD and CHEAP. Once set up on my property it would have found its final resting place, and once done with it I would cut it up and bury it in the yard.
If you are determined to live off-grid, fine, but it is a LOT more expensive. And forget any notion of the "simple" life. Off-grid you must ensure that you have enough fuel, food, equipment, etc, to get through the tough spots. For me, if there were any way to get electricity strung to my homesite I would do it and cut out fully 90% of my recurring costs. You're still going to need a reliable generator for backup, but at least you're not generating power at $1.00/kwh.
As others have said, its all do-able. It does, however, demand a daily proactive approach. Cities got so big by being so efficient at keeping us warm/cool, fed, safe, etc. Leaving the city means taking personal responsibility for all that.
As for the poor "winterability" of RV's, I think it's a matter of perspective. Having tent camped in 25 below (AK), I can tell you that an RV seems toasty warm by comparison. Although it's true that an RV is not as well-insulated as a house, it is much easier to heat, given it's small size. Your biggest concern will be ensuring that your plumbing and tanks are protected from the cold.
Good luck with this, and please post your progress. I know I daydream of doing this every now and then, and I am sure there are others.
Thanks for all the replies...even if very discouraging. I needed the information straight from people who might have experienced RV living when not hooked to easy found amenities. I had hoped that setting up an RV on the land might be a peaceful option until the house could be up. Perhaps I over estimated the RV's ability to withstand weather. And their ability to function if not hooked directly to utilities.
Now, a bit of a rant in reply TO DONN0128's nicely placed insult. I appreciated your suggestions, but then you felt the need to add an insult. " Sorry to put it this way", but perhaps you should save your insulting generalizations for someone you actually know something about. I am not a "city dweller longing for a simpler life". It is obvious that you meant that comment as an insult. Maybe a bit of education for you Donn, seeing that you have not traveled to NY....there is a huge and diverse state above NYC, where people do exist who are not "city dwellers". I am and have been living in a rural area most of my life. Grew up in the country on a small farm, have always known the value of hard work, currently work with state Ag. Dept and make a living by educating folks who are not" another city dweller longing for a simpler life and moving to the country thinking it will be utopia", but are people who know the true meaning of rural life and all that it entails. In case you missed the point there, I EDUCATE rural folks on how to live successfully on their farms. I even work around the globe, educating rural peoples on how to live healthier and more efficiently on the lands they own and farm. Imagine that, me being a "city dweller, and all...!! lol
I am a 47 year old woman has backpacked into the Adirondacks for 2-3 weeks a summer,for the last 31 years, loving the simple life that living in a tent and along a remote pristine lake can bring. Minus a/c, a microwave, a queen size mattress, tvs and a hot shower, if you can also imagine that. And, not to insult anyone, but often I have looked at folks "camping" in large luxury vehicles, lined up like a trailer park...and felt sad that they are missing out on the most basic of joys in life, by separating themselves from nature in that way.
Now, that being said, I was still hoping to temporarily make use of an RV, to live until I can make that "dream" house you referred to.While rarely do I feel that RVS offer a simple approach to enjoying nature, in my new situation I had thought that "adding a bit of luxury" might work for a longer period. Parked and not involving the excessive part of RVing, made the thought palatable to me. I wanted to meld my respect for nature and ecology, and somehow balance it with a few amenities, for this next year. That being said...obviously not a realistic thought, with an RV. It seems, Donn, based on all the responses here...that an RV is not all that functional unless plugged in, hooked up, and only driven during the sunny times of life.
Yes, I am planning on building a green home....simple, small, well designed... which will respect a slower pace of life, respect the environment, and not use too many resources. Complete with solar, wind, water conservation, etc. To insultingly accuse me of being someone coming to the " country thinking it will be utopia" and being naive, is very sad of you. I am quite the opposite, very capable and knowledgeable. Frankly, because I have never lived in a mobile luxury home on wheels, I somehow doubt that that criteria excludes me from being among those folks that have great knowledge of, respect for, and are a part of the rural areas they live in.
So, Donn, next time you feel the need to personally insult someone without a thought or any facts in that head of yours, try zipping it. You embarrass yourself.
back it the earlier days there was outhouses over dug pits it still can be done today no permit needed and use a portable potty inside or a pail in winter and use the outhouse for dumping it in.you can bring in your own water in containers ,you can go back to the days of kerosean lamps if you wanted to for lights and use a wood stove or kerosean stove for heat,i have done it way back and wintered over in upstate ny for a few years wasnt to hard if your used to it if thats what you choose to do but can get cold at times.not what most people are used to and they wouldnt want to live that way , i would prefer a small insulated cabin then a rv to live in thou it would be warmer and could be set up for a wood stove to make it safer,wood stoves in rvs can be a fire hazard if not done right,theres water tanks for wood stoves for heating water so you have hot water all the time.if you want to go the old fashion way no power way you can do it with candels and kerosean lamps, if your set on doing it give it a try, keeping warm in winter is the biggest thing to worry about, i heated with a fireplace for a couple of years but wood/coal stoves are better and put out more heat and use less wood.being used to all the modern convients of todays world people forget the old ways of liveing.hauling, cutting and splitting wood can be a lot of work and it gets pretty old by the time spring comes and it warms up again,wood heat can be hard to regulate in fall and spring when the temps are not that cold.if thats what you want to do i would go for it, you could save a bundel by going back to the old ways and cutting out modern way of liveing.
1985 Class A Holiday Rambler Imperial 33 +1979 Class C Holiday Rambler Statesman 1000 = 24 ft
just a after thought but you sound like a tried and true Adirondacker who remembers and knows the old ways and that's a compliment, there's few of us old ones around but not so many younger ones,modern conveniences can be great but they lack in many other ways and the simpler way of life has a lot going for it that's the reason many go camping to get away from it, its easy to get spoiled with all the modern conveniences of today.being stuck in front of TVs or the computer for entertainment when we should be outside doing something instead ,the modern lifestyle is not all that healthy for any of us taking the easy way out.just go for it if its what you want to do you can work it out and you will learn along the way in what works for you.dealing with your local goverment and what they will allow you to do will be your biggest problem in most places.
roadlsstrvld wrote: Thanks for all the replies...even if very discouraging. I needed the information straight from people who might have experienced RV living when not hooked to easy found amenities. I had hoped that setting up an RV on the land might be a peaceful option until the house could be up. Perhaps I over estimated the RV's ability to withstand weather. And their ability to function if not hooked directly to utilities.
Now, a bit of a rant in reply TO DONN0128's nicely placed insult. I appreciated your suggestions, but then you felt the need to add an insult. " Sorry to put it this way", but perhaps you should save your insulting generalizations for someone you actually know something about. I am not a "city dweller longing for a simpler life". It is obvious that you meant that comment as an insult. Maybe a bit of education for you Donn, seeing that you have not traveled to NY....there is a huge and diverse state above NYC, where people do exist who are not "city dwellers". I am and have been living in a rural area most of my life. Grew up in the country on a small farm, have always known the value of hard work, currently work with state Ag. Dept and make a living by educating folks who are not" another city dweller longing for a simpler life and moving to the country thinking it will be utopia", but are people who know the true meaning of rural life and all that it entails. In case you missed the point there, I EDUCATE rural folks on how to live successfully on their farms. I even work around the globe, educating rural peoples on how to live healthier and more efficiently on the lands they own and farm. Imagine that, me being a "city dweller, and all...!! lol
I am a 47 year old woman has backpacked into the Adirondacks for 2-3 weeks a summer,for the last 31 years, loving the simple life that living in a tent and along a remote pristine lake can bring. Minus a/c, a microwave, a queen size mattress, tvs and a hot shower, if you can also imagine that. And, not to insult anyone, but often I have looked at folks "camping" in large luxury vehicles, lined up like a trailer park...and felt sad that they are missing out on the most basic of joys in life, by separating themselves from nature in that way.
Now, that being said, I was still hoping to temporarily make use of an RV, to live until I can make that "dream" house you referred to.While rarely do I feel that RVS offer a simple approach to enjoying nature, in my new situation I had thought that "adding a bit of luxury" might work for a longer period. Parked and not involving the excessive part of RVing, made the thought palatable to me. I wanted to meld my respect for nature and ecology, and somehow balance it with a few amenities, for this next year. That being said...obviously not a realistic thought, with an RV. It seems, Donn, based on all the responses here...that an RV is not all that functional unless plugged in, hooked up, and only driven during the sunny times of life.
Yes, I am planning on building a green home....simple, small, well designed... which will respect a slower pace of life, respect the environment, and not use too many resources. Complete with solar, wind, water conservation, etc. To insultingly accuse me of being someone coming to the " country thinking it will be utopia" and being naive, is very sad of you. I am quite the opposite, very capable and knowledgeable. Frankly, because I have never lived in a mobile luxury home on wheels, I somehow doubt that that criteria excludes me from being among those folks that have great knowledge of, respect for, and are a part of the rural areas they live in.
So, Donn, next time you feel the need to personally insult someone without a thought or any facts in that head of yours, try zipping it. You embarrass yourself.
I thank those who have given suggestions.
WOW, quite the rant over my comment. Sorry that offended you. I actually have traveled and worked in NY state quite a lot over the last 30 years. My comment was not directed at you exactly, but there are a great many people that come on here and ask all sorts of questions about full timing, the RV lifestyle like it is some idealistic thing that city dwellers can do. The RV lifestyle is definitely doable, but it is not for everyone. RV's in general are designed as a three season dwelling with very few exceptions. People do and have lived in them for extended periods of time in very cold climates. But it is really not a preferred method of living for most people. Cost alone it is by far cheaper to buy a used manufactured home, have it moved and placed on your property. Wind and solar are still very expensive and like others have mentioned it takes a considerable amount of time and energy to make it work. I suppose if you had given some more back ground into your abilities up front you would not have gotten some of the comments that you received. Again, sorry that I offended you. It was not my intention.
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