AN adventurer doesn’t view living off-grid through rose-colored lenses.
After realizing that social media glamorized the lifestyle, he shared the truth about the hardships he faces.
Self-proclaimed cabin and van dweller Adam Ruzzo (@cabinspeak) wanted to shed a light on off-grid living.
“On social media, we make it look really great and sexy and all that,” he began.
There are three misconceptions he often hears.
“I’m going to give you some real talk in this video.
"I’m by no means discouraging you or trying to shatter your dreams, I just want you to know what its really like out here.”
SIMPLICITY
The first misconception: “It’s the ‘simple life.’”
Adam said that’s not exactly true.
“For example, right now I’ve got a busted pull cord on my chainsaw. I’ve got to fix it.
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“I wish I had a secondary chainsaw just to back me up when that one is out of commission.”
He began doing the math.
“Let me think here, that’s two chainsaws for one guy. Two small engines to sustain me and my survival.
“Keep multiplying that. People who live off-grid have tractors, ATVs, chainsaws, massive solar systems.
“It’s much simpler, technically, in my opinion, to live in an apartment building where your landlord looks after all that stuff.”
Out in the wild, all that responsibility falls on you.
“And if you don’t know how to do it, you have got to learn fast because not a lot of people are here to help you.”
PROBLEMS DISAPPEAR
Adam filmed the setting in which he lives: open fields, freshly fallen snow, nothing in sight but nature.
“Beautiful, right? I love this view.”
Still, he said, it isn’t the answer to all of life’s pickles.
“It’s important to remember that this alone cannot make you happy, folks.
“I’ve met miserable people out in the middle of nowhere, and I’ve met super strong, healthy, happy people in the city.”
He said working on yourself first is critical.
“And then what you see around you is a reflection of what goes on [inside you].”
RUSTIC LIVING
While many people aim to live rustically and with the bare minimum out in the wild, Adam said that soon changes for most.
“First you want to start off totally rustic.
“And then eventually, it’s just human nature: we want survival to be a little easier.”
The outdoorsman explained that people end up “craving the comfort” they left behind.
“For example, with me, I started out with oil lamps. Eventually I got solar lights, and then I got proper 12-volt lighting with dimmers and warm light and LED strips.
“I went crazy on it because I craved it after a while.”
He felt the same way about his kitchen.
While he lived without a fridge for four years, surviving off coolers, he eventually invested in a 12-volt refrigerator.
And when it comes to the bathroom situation, he misses proper plumbing.
“I used a hole in the ground for the longest time, then an outhouse, then a bucket toilet, then a composting toilet, and here I am using an outhouse again.
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“And you know what? I would love to have a water toilet. That’s just the way it goes.”
As for one of his favorite parts about the lifestyle, the simplicity of a wood stove is “awesome” and totally worth it.
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