Many people choose to live off-grid for any number of reasons. Some people prefer it because they don’t trust public utilities to serve them properly. Others simply want to be self-sufficient. For some, it’s a matter of cost. Living off the grid doesn’t mean pitching a tent, boiling rainwater, and scavenging for food. It means that you live without relying on public services. No electricity, no municipal water, and no gas power.
That doesn’t mean that you go completely without modern amenities. You might minimize some of the creature comforts that others enjoy, but you still live with power and water. To survive, you need to have certain equipment and tools to manage all of the things you need to do on a daily basis. Here is the equipment that you will most need if you are going to live off-grid.
Chainsaw
A chainsaw is a very important piece of machinery if you are trying to live off-grid. You will need to cut wood for fires, for one. You may also have to remove dead or intrusive trees if you are living in a wooded area. If you have livestock or pets, you will want to build a fence, and a chainsaw will help you cut your posts quickly and accurately. There are any number of uses for a chainsaw, and trying to do them without one can be exhausting and take a lot of time.
Water Equipment
As you know, you can’t live without water. However, if you are living off the grid, then you aren’t getting tap water from a public source. You will have to find a way to have safe and clean water without any help. There are many ways to collect water, either from a nearby river or lake or from the rain itself. However, there’s no telling what bacteria might be in the water you use, and you can’t spend the time boling it all. A water purification system can take care of that for you and ensure that the water you’ve collected is potable and safe for everyone.
Brush Hog
Living off the grid often means growing your own food and living in places where you are surrounded by nature. A brush hog is a piece of equipment that can clear out an area for your garden and remove leaves, grass, and other debris that might be there. In fact, you could even remove an entire small tree using a brush hog. One of the best features about this piece of machinery is that you can use it on uneven ground. The blades are attached to hinges that will move the blades up and down as they contour the terrain. This is very handy for people who live in a remote location.
Tractor
A tractor is crucial for someone living off the grid. It offers a number of advantages. For one, a tractor can get you from place to place without much trouble. They are great on inconsistent terrain, and you can install attachments that add even more uses. You can sow and seed a garden plot, move heavy equipment, and tow a trailer with heavy or abnormally shaped items. Living off the grid often means not having air conditioning. To beat the heat, you can invest in a kubota tractor canopy to keep the heat at bay.
Reciprocating Saw
Much like with a chainsaw, a reciprocating saw is necessary for living off-grid. It allows you to prune trees, cut down and dispose of fallen branches, cut pipes, and demolish drywall and other materials. Of course, you can use a handsaw for many of these jobs, but that will take up a lot of time and energy. On the other hand, a reciprocating saw gets into tight spaces and is simple to use. Just make sure that you purchase a corded one in case what you need to cut is located somewhere that a power cord can’t get plugged in.
Generators
You will need power of some kind, especially if you have power tools, so that generators will be absolutely necessary. You may not need them regularly if you have a solar or wind source set up, but those can run out of juice occasionally. You may want a large generator for your home, plus a smaller generator or two for vehicles and tools. Make sure your generators are fuelled adequately at all times, and get one with wheels. You may have to move it to different locations, and you want it to be as easy as possible.
Clothes Washing Machine
An electric washing machine can use up a lot of energy. So it’s not always a great option for someone living off the grid who likes to conserve. However, you can get washing machines that work by hand. You can crank or even pedal them to put clothes through spin cycles and make sure they come out clean. This does take more physical work, but it will save energy and keep you self-sufficient. They are also simpler to repair than a power washing machine would be.
While it’s hard to estimate numbers, living off the grid seems to be getting more and more popular around the United States. With many people showing off their no-grid lifestyles on social media, millions of people every day see what benefits there are and also what’s possible. While you won’t be connected to public services, you will still need certain pieces of equipment to get through your day-to-day life. So make sure you have these types of machinery on hand to make an off-grid living as easy as possible.
