Anyone looking on in horror as a totalitarian technocratic global police state gets erected in the name of public safety™ has probably been ruminating on ways of avoiding it all. There may be no perfect one-size-fits-all strategy to follow, but there are tools and concepts that can get one well on their way to divorce with the system. Some of which may only be tenable for those living outside of densely crowded nations, so your mileage may vary.
Getting away from urban centers may be obvious. There is acreage of rural land to be had for cheap (Note: even though ruralvacantland’s owner shares the same name as Luke Smith, this is not the same Luke Smith who also advocates moving out to the country, it is just a funny coincidence). Such land can be purchased on just a few months of savings as one should always strive to avoid entering into a death pledge. And rural property has relaxed building codes with lower overall taxes. I’m told that some demographics even get to enjoy reduced or no property tax. Most importantly, you will have distance between yourself and whichever next crazy witch hunt hysteria surges through the oversocialized masses.
What I've learned since starting:Many US states have some variation of a homestead exemption which can be used to further lower one’s property taxes.
With a bit of luck and planning, the land probably also includes some kind of structure. Ideally, one should get the least square footage required since every extra bit of house also brings burden in cleaning, repairs, heating and furnishing. This is also a great way to further minimize property tax incurrence. Homes with metal roofs are common in rural areas, as well as other stronger design considerations. And if it didn’t have any preexisting structure, that’s no problem! A manufactured home can be dropped into place.
Having an on site well means no ongoing water bills and no water fluoridation. In combination with a septic system gets you fully off-grid. You might also be able to get away with rain water catchment to cisterns and the inclusion of a grey water system. Shallow wells are probably the cheapest to install, if the water table is favorable on your land, and require only a basic electric pump.
What I've learned since starting:The quality of water drawn up from a well is a lottery. If you’re lucky you won’t need any filtration. Get a water test kit and periodically check that contaminants are within safe limits. And even if your well water is clean, consider placing at least a sediment filter somewhere in the line. The contaminant levels can change over time.
Drain pipes that don’t enjoy the protection of a heated basement can be kept from freezing with line wrapping that has electric heating elements woven inside. There is also an environmentally safe antifreeze made for RVs that can be used to help clear frozen blockages.
Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Even a modest garden can yield so much at peak growing season that you might find yourself giving away excess vegetable. It only needs to supplement your other sources, but of course some go out of their way to build elaborate garden systems. Those more ambitious may even see fit to keep small domestic animals like ducks.
Off-grid solar carries a high initial investment but, once in place, is basically free energy. It might be a good idea to integrate additional power sources such as wind turbines (for which kits can be found online), managed through a charge control unit. A backup generator that can kick in automatically is probably a must.
What I've learned since starting:Generators have different kinds of hookups. Some are three-pronged RV style connectors, others four-pronged. You do not want to attempt adapting between these types. I’ve also heard that it can be possible to use 240V dryer hookups with the three-pronged connectors in case one does not have a dedicated generator outlet installed, but I cannot attest to whether this works.
Gasoline should be stabilzed with an additive so that it lasts longer when sitting in a generator tank. An electrician has advised me to avoid using standard 87 octane as that can leave particulate accumulation within the engine lines. But I like to use the same fuel grade that my vehicle takes so that I can dump the unused generator fuel into my gas tank after a storm has subsided.
You are going to want to have blackout lights which can remain powered by a battery after a power loss. You don’t want to be cooking food or showering and suddenly be plunged into pitch blackness to stumble around for a battery lantern. Battery lanterns: also keep these in every critical room of your house. It’s a good way to keep things illuminated in the event that you cannot or wish not to run your generator. Lastly, uninterruptible power supplies. Keep your primary digital electronics connected to a UPS at all times. I’ve even been able to power up my desktop and networking equipment to run and send important correspondence during power outages. The most expensive consumer UPS will generally get you at least an hour of operating time on a full desktop and computer monitor.
Battery powered clocks so that you don’t need to reference the time from your vehicle or computers every time the digital stove clocks need to be reset after a power loss.
The simplest method for heat, especially if your property is wooded, is a wood burning stove. It cannot be left unattended and so one will probably want to have complimentary heating options like gas or oil. The best would be geothermal which simply requires only the power needed to pump refridgerant through the loop. It acts as heating in the winter and cooling in the summer by bringing in the relatively constant temperature from deep underground. Unfortunately, geothermal is currently more expensive to install than the entire cost of the aforementioned properties, so that is something to be installed sometime later.
What I've learned since starting:Unfortunately, almost every heating option except for wood burning requires electricity in order to operate. A power outage most often also means a heating outage. I have discovered that, in a pinch, the heat output of just two gas stove range burners is enough to maintain a <1000 sq.ft. home above freezing. Although this is apparently hazardous. Refer to the Generate Your Own Power section above.
Consider checking out the FCC mobile broadband data coverage map. No coverage? Perfect! Ditch all wireless junk. That is because your new property will probably have dialup or DSL. Or satellite if you’re really unfortunate. All low bandwidth optons, which is fine if you actually know how to use computers. See my article Make Computing Local Again.
What I've learned since starting:Satellite connectivity has some perks. 1: Your IP address does not reflect your geography. This might be a problem for normies but is a boon to those of us who despise adtech tracking. 2: Satellite connectivity isn’t subject to falling trees. As long as you can power the modem, you have internet access. 3: The bandwidth isn’t actually all that bad. I had preconceived notions that satellite internet would be horribly constrained which have proven to be wrong. Only the latency is a point of pain.
Rural areas are rushing to build out fast internet options. Even if you don’t have fast internet available to your property today, you likely will in the near to mid-term future. I only had to resort to satellite service for a few months before finally getting hooked up to a terrestrial option.
First, the obvious: have a privately owned vehicle. Where a car needs to be maintained in an urban or suburban environment, that same car will definitely need special attention payed to it in a rural or remote environment. I have had a vehicle break down before way out in small town USA and it’s no fun. Of particular note, you’ll want to:
Change out any petrolium based parts that are old enough to have begun deteriorating. Belts, pulleys, tubes, bushings, cowlings. Change fluids that haven’t been touched in years. Engine coolant, for example, can actually begin to go bad, believe it or not.
Keep in your vehicle: A basic tool kit, a basic survival/first aid kit, a mechanic’s flashlight, additional fluids (coolant, engine oil, transmission oil) along with funnels, gloves and rags. Consider keeping a fuel canister (see Generating Your Own Power) and shovel. Spare bulbs, spare tire (check that it is still good), spare fuses and maybe hose clamps.
Type of vehicle: If you’re going off-grid below the geographic fall line and somewhere flat like Florida, maybe this won’t matter. But up North in the mountains where it gets frigid, roads aren’t all paved and even your own property might be a mud pool during times of the year, it might be worth considering an all wheel drive or four wheel drive vehicle. Something with good ground clearance and carrying capacity. Had I tried to embark on this living arrangement with my first vehicle (a low, two wheel drive sedan), I would have surely given up after probably getting stuck (or wrecked) on my way to get generator fuel in the middle of a blizzard at night.
Wash your vehicle regularly. Flush out the wheel wells and undercarriage, especially in the winter months when salt and calcium are being applied to roads. Even in the depths of January, there are days above 32℉ where a quick rinse is feasible. If you take care of your things, they’ll take care of you.
None of these solutions needs to be used in absolute. For example, a solar array is still helpful even if you find yourself remaining on grid connected power. If you’re escaping from deep within clowntown, it may take quite a while to get everything in place anyway. So the plan should be to just tackle each area gradually and thoughtfully.
*Article last revised on 02/05/24