The natural resources are dwindling! In the wise words of Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull). More people are now looking into going ‘off the grid’ or saving energy and money. The opportunities are endless, solar panels, wind turbines, log burners, composting your toilet waste & food for crops! To some it may all seem a bit unneccesary when they look at their luxurious lifestyle, but do we need everything we buy? We THINK we do!
Anyway, caravans are a great way to get off the grid, even just for your holiday! Most of them have gas bottles and battery power… but is it sustainable?! Well, Sunrise has their very own 1969 Thomson Glendale which is (in the process of being!) set up as completely off grid, making it liveable for weeks at a time (maybe more!) thanks to some simple but effective ideas. Of course there are plenty of parks out there to choose from, but wouldn’t it be nice to know you could park up on a byway or the Scottish highlands and live comfortably in the nature for a while… or are we just hippies?!
Water? An external water tank (like in a beach hut) & hose pipe clicked on the back saves hooking up to mains water, remember to use the space in your caravan when towing it, take spare water just in case you’re further from society than expected!
Power? Solar panels and wind turbines can easily power lights/ fridge etc with the right setup, although there are off grid solutions to this too; try Googling a Pot-in-pot refrigerator, it’ll blow your mind! For lights, we prefer good old fashioned lanterns and candles… so far this is all costing pretty much nothing hey!
Heating? Long term we’ll be fitting a small log burner, although there are other options too, such as using 2 clay plant pots (one bigger than the other) and 3 or 4 of tea lights to create a convection heating system which will last 2-4 hours and is plenty capable of heating a tourer/ small boat/ shepards hut etc.
Awnings or home made canopies are a great way to make your (or our!) little tourer more liveable, create an outside living space under shelter and you’ll find yourself enjoying the fresh air and scenic views from the comfort of your shelter.
What else? Have your say! If you’d like to know more about this or you have some ideas of your own we’d love to hear them! We just wish more people read this part of our website!
If you’ve got a plot of land why not buy one of our Used Static Caravans and go off the grid for yourself! You’ll save a fortune, get back in touch with nature and you can move it whenever and wherever you wish!