Pull up a chair
A little more independence.
One good read at a time.
Start with a weekend, understand the systems, then make everyday life work. Follow a reading path or choose the equipment question that matters to you today.
28 in-depth guides · About 149 minutes of reading
Path 01 · About 28 min
Picture your first weekend
Start with the life you want, then work through a realistic visit.
- 01
Choose your own off-grid starting point
Turn a broad wish for independence into a small, testable project, with a one-page brief you can make your own.
5 min read - 02
Weekend retreat or full-time life?
Compare occasional, seasonal and everyday use. The empty days matter as much as the occupied ones.
5 min read - 03
Read a site before you build
Walk the ordinary routes, keep an observation record and identify the questions a photograph cannot answer.
5 min read - 04
A comfortable cabin through the seasons
Plan around real activities: arriving with wet gear, reading after dark, sleeping well and caring for the building.
5 min read - 05
Plan an off-grid kitchen and cold storage
Build a two-night menu into a complete routine for transport, refrigeration, preparation, cooking and cleanup.
5 min read - 06
A cabin weekend, worked through
Follow a fictional Friday-to-Sunday visit and connect the decisions about power, water, meals, comfort and departure.
5 min read
Path 02 · About 29 min
Understand the essentials
Follow the relationships between power, water, sanitation and a useful connection.
- 01
Make your first off-grid energy audit
Understand watts and watt-hours, work through a sample day, and build an equipment list that shows its uncertainties.
5 min read - 02
Batteries, solar and cloudy days
Follow an energy balance across several days and learn what to ask about storage, recovery and backup.
6 min read - 03
Build a water budget for a cabin
Trace water from source to use to disposal, with a worked subtotal and a practical method for recording your own needs.
5 min read - 04
Rainwater collection: the first questions
Explore catchment arithmetic, storage space, dry periods and maintenance before choosing a tank.
5 min read - 05
Choose a sanitation routine, then a toilet
Compare the whole routine behind portable, flushing and waterless options, including servicing and other wastewater.
5 min read - 06
Mobile or satellite internet for your place?
Plan realistic connection trials and compare the full equipment, service and power commitment.
5 min read
Path 03 · About 19 min
Make it work between visits
Think through growing, monitoring, upkeep and the ongoing commitment.
- 01
Grow a garden that fits your visits
Choose a small growing experiment that suits your light, water, meals and the days you will be away.
5 min read - 02
Monitor a cabin while you are away
Choose useful signals, trace their dependencies and make alerts part of a response someone can actually carry out.
5 min read - 03
Build your arrival and leaving checklist
Develop a shared routine from preparation to the final walkthrough, with a departure note the next visitor can use.
5 min read - 04
Budget for your project in phases
Separate confirmed costs, estimates, unknowns and upgrades. Work through an example without mistaking it for a market quote.
5 min read
Path 04 · About 74 min
Choose equipment that fits
Move from a system plan to the specifications, compromises and extra parts behind a purchase.
- 01
Choosing a water pump for an off-grid cabin: from tank to tap
Match a tank-fed cabin pump to simultaneous fixture demand, pressure losses and power. Read a real pump curve and check the parts and maintenance the system needs.
6 min read - 02
Choosing a 12V refrigerator for an off-grid cabin
Compare a cooler, portable chest fridge and upright layout, then budget daily energy and battery storage. Check installation details before choosing a single-zone fridge.
6 min read - 03
Off-grid solar kits for cabins: what a complete setup must include
Compare solar-kit contents, check compatibility and work through an assumed cabin energy budget before choosing equipment.
9 min read - 04
Composting or separating toilet for a weekend cabin?
Compare two waterless cabin toilet designs through ventilation, power, emptying, winter shutdown and the disposal route you will actually use.
7 min read - 05
Choosing an off-grid water filter: match the treatment to your source
Identify the source and treatment need before comparing filters. Check specific certification claims, cabin operating conditions and the work required between visits.
7 min read - 06
Choosing a water heater for an off-grid cabin
Compare electric storage, electric tankless and fuel-fired water heating around your cabin’s hot-water use, power, water supply and installation location.
6 min read - 07
Choosing a battery bank for an off-grid cabin
Choose between a portable station and a separate battery bank. Compare three documented candidates around weekend use, a fridge left running and cold-weather charging.
8 min read - 08
First-flush diverters for cabin rainwater: sizing and upkeep
Understand what a first-flush diverter removes, where its water goes and how to choose an accessible chamber that resets between storms.
5 min read - 09
An off-grid security camera without Wi-Fi: choose the connection first
Compare cellular, existing-internet and local-recording cameras. Check coverage, recording, ongoing data and winter power before buying a bundle.
6 min read - 10
MPPT or PWM for a cabin: choose the solar charge controller
Choose charging control around panel voltage, battery chemistry and expansion. Work through controller labels without treating wattage as a complete compatibility check.
5 min read - 11
Starlink Mini power consumption: choose a cabin battery
Work out energy for four hours, a workday or an always-on connection. Separate USB-C output requirements from battery capacity and leave room for your other loads.
7 min read - 12
Choose a backup generator for your off-grid cabin
Match generator output to essential loads and battery charging. Compare three US inverter models, fuel choices and the practical limits of a cabin backup plan.
8 min read
Reading times are estimates at 220 words per minute, excluding time spent on exercises. Browse the complete library, including the shorter introductions.