Anyone serious about starting a commune and living off the grid?

Discussion in 'The Great Outdoors' started by Marijuatheist, Jan 30, 2011.

  1. My boyfriend and I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now, so as soon as our lease is up (Nov. 2011), we plan on traveling somewhere with a neutral climate (preferably the canary islands) and living by our means -- off the grid. We want to get the hell out of this depressing and failing society as soon as we can, and we have a feeling a lot of other people do too.

    We're both vegans but if you're not that's fine with us! (We've discussed eating fish if we had to)

    If you have any skills such as building, cooking, hunting, gathering, and cultivating crops, please contact me. If you have no skills but still want to join us, that's also fine -- these are skills that can be easily learned.

    If you have any unused land that you think would be suitable for living, by all means let us know!

    - Serious inquiries only! This is a drastic change of lifestyle, but also incredibly rewarding.

    - We're looking for NICE people who we can develop great friendships with; easy-going, positive, and genuine. We don't want an asshole throwing off the community and making everyone else miserable.

    - An experienced cannabis-grower would be an asset

    - This commune will also be couple-friendly, child-friendly, and birth-friendly. Parents must take the responsibility of home-schooling their children (reading, writing, basic math) unless we find someone willing to teach.
     
  2. im in if you guys are willing to work like your lives depend on it, because they will, i was born and raised in the woods and am fairly well known in the survival scene in my area.

    i can grow most anything, i can prepare and cure and store my own meat. next survival trip i take i will be well sure to take a camera and show you guys my a-frames ive built out of forest, some are over 3 years old and still impervious to rain, snow, and high winds. each has its own fire pit inside for heating and cooking.
     
  3. im too lazy to google canary islands but how much life is on it to live off of
    is there enough vegetation, meat, stuff like that?
     
  4. no, islands are not ideal really in my eyes, pick some mountains, pick a spot in the woods, buy some land and have at it. fresh water would be easier to get, tons of meat and places to cultivate, plus you get the changing of the seasons,

    but im pretty buzzed and i keep thinking you mean a small island?

    most islands are so crowded and limited that really getting away may be harder, who knows. i wouldnt be good out of the states, not willing to leave
     
  5. still planning this? i have also thought of doing this.
     

  6. I admire you if you're serious about this, which it sounds like you are. I just hope you realize how much handwork and sacrifice it's going to take to make it all happen. This is a HUGE life change. I'm sure you understand that, and I'm not here to hate on you or to crush your dreams. Just remember to plan for everything and to be realistic.

    I have a good amount of experience with wilderness survival and off-the-grid living. Although I'm not really familiar with the Canary Islands, feel free to PM me if I can help out with any questions or anything. Once again, I'm not here to bash your dreams. Just remember to be safe out there! Best of luck to you!
     

  7. lol dont bring this guy if he is too lazy too google something....:bolt:
     
  8. aw my dear dude you just brought back some memories man...:smoke:...but a damn decade late for my ass....best of luck dude, my heart it with you guys....:smoke:
     
  9. We have gone way beyond living off the grid. We don't even live on the land anymore.

    We grow our own food and catch our own fish aboard a big sailboat. Since we have solar, wind, and sail power we don't use much fuel. Most of the food we grow is limited to bean sprouts, however, we also try larger plants too. The boat is 65ft long and 40 ft wide so we can only comfortably accommodate about 7 or 8. The boat sleeps 12 at max we have never pushed that number yet.

    Read the book Sailing the Farm. The author discusses all the ways to grow plants aboard and all the sea plants that are edible.

    One food we buy is oatmeal and flour to bake bread. Butter is still on our menu as hot bread from the oven with butter on it is the Captain's favorite.

    Off the land is great in so many ways. Whenever we want to move the boat we just sail away to another place in the South Pacific. We also escape bugs. Largely. The boat is free from bugs and they usually don't fly out to the boat. We don't have to wear clothing, and jump in the water whenever we get hot. We also get to mix with remote Polynesian cultures. We have been the only boat in the last year to visit and an islands with just 4 people, and the first boat in 5 years to visit and island with 100.

    These people really are living the commune live and we love to share our food and meals with them. Most grow their own tobacco, which gets to another downside. You would think that 420 would be more acceptable out here, however, it isn't. Many of the countries we visit have the death penalty if we show up with any trace of it aboard. The Captain of our boat happens to like his head so his policy is none aboard.

    The US government has basically instituted evil tobacco as the only acceptable crop besides coconuts for these poor Polynesians to grow. It is terrible, they always beg us for paper. They will take any paper, books, magazines, newspaper. They have no other good paper to roll their tobacco.

    Health care for us tends to be very very cheap. Meds out here typically cost less then the co-payment in the US. One crew member was fell and broke a rib recently. He had one emergency room visit, 7 x-rays, a followup trip to a specialist, and was given 3 prescription drugs. Total bill $17 USD. In the US that hospital visit and drugs would have run thousands.

    We are always tempted by SCUBA diving trips. Yes we spend most of our time snorkeling, spear fishing, and kayaking (there are 5 aboard), however, to dive deep into caves and WWII wrecks we need tanks. It also is important for us to see these places before global warming kills all the reefs. Just 2 weeks ago it was announced in Thailand that 19 reefs are now closed since in the last few months between 50-90% of the coral has died from being overheated. Fortunately for us we were diving there last year, however, it show us how narrow the window of opportunity is to see the world.

    Travel costs to and from the boat are a pain in the bank account. The places we go are so remote that usually only one airline will service the area and they charge accordingly.

    There is no TV, no Internet (except when near a big port city), and no radio. The best thing we have aboard for a replacement is enjoying the sea all around us, or playing music (there is a piano aboard and some play guitar).

    Time is another thing you need to take into consideration. The Pacific is big and our sailboat, while being a fast trimaran, doesn't take a few hours to cover a thousand miles like a plane will. Home schooling kids is a downside for some parents, however, we think it is a plus if you dedicated to teaching them.

    Some crew members are naturists, other not. The ones that tend not to be naturists tend to get tropical skin rashes from the heat and wearing damp clothing.

    If you happen to be reading this post and think a sailing commune might be an alternative for you, then check out sailing web sites that are looking for crew. Generally you are expected to contribute something towards the costs when you are living aboard and eating for months at a time.

    We are always looking for good fellow crew members that are tolerate, open minded, willing to conserve resources, and want to enjoy this lifestyle off the land. Attached picture was taken in Palau. This is an incredible South Pacific Country 800 miles east of the Philippines. More pics on Yahoo group if interested.

    Phil Maise
    Captain Hot Buoys
    gaysail : Gay Sailing & SCUBA South Pacific
     

    Attached Files:

  10. I'm down. Where do you guys plan on doing this?
     
  11. Im actually up for this. I will be moving out in Oct of 2011. And I want to be rid of all the babylon of this society. I was a vegan for 3 years. One day I was told I was moving to Ohio and was forced to return to eating meat. After that day, I accepted I do not fit into this society. :) Hit me up with more details please. :D
     
  12. Just make sure you have internet, so you can post on GC. :smoke:
     
  13. I can fish in any climate/ condition . I got the fish!!!!!!!
    My gf and I want to do this aswell. Not sure about how serious we are about doing it (stoners are generally pretty non comittal)
     
  14. .......maybe you are, but when I set my mind on something I do it.
     
  15. I can see this turning into the Manson Family part 2
     
  16. im down for this i just need to wait till sept of this year and im pretty knowledgable when it comes to outdoor living and survival and by the way i dont know how long u would stay vegan if your life really depended on it. i think you would be eating fish in no time
     

  17. I WANT IN. seriously
     

  18. Yeah I didn't wanna rain on your parade, but you're going to need more calories/energy than plants can give you. And a diet of strictly plants could be dangerous because you have a higher chance of eating some bad shit if you don't know what you're doing.
     
  19. uh its not easy,you could build an old fashioned log cabin to live in,dug an underground cellar to store meat,then go somewhere to grow pot,i mean,if you sell that,you could then get enough money for solar panels/batterys so you can have electricity...etc
     

  20. :laughing:
     

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