You're currently on:

• Home
• /
• Life at the Off-Grid Ranch

Off-Grid Ranch in Montana

By Grow and Make Product Expert Clay Anderson

Every year my wife and I leave our quiet home in Portland, Oregon for our friend’s 500 acre ranch in western Montana to get away from it all and enjoy the great outdoors. In the 12 hours it takes us to drive there, we transition from our traditional life with all of the amenities one expects to find in the city to a total off-grid experience.

On the ranch with Solar Panel on storage shed roof

I’ve been making this trip for over a decade now, and have become accustomed to the off-grid lifestyle. Now, I can make the transition instantly and find that I do not miss my grid-tied energy appliances in the least. However, the first few years took some getting used to. No lights that turn on with a wall switch, no running water (we use a hand pump to pump water up from the cistern), no refrigerator (we use large coolers and block ice purchased in the nearest town), and no modern bathroom facilities (a simple outhouse until recently. A couple of years ago we dug a crib septic system and installed a flush toilet. The water is fed to the toilet from the irrigation system), and all cooking performed on a wood or propane stove.

We don't always hang-out in front of the outhouse, but it's a great place to watch the sunset

At the ranch, we do have a computer and a land line for dial-up access to the Internet, so we are not completely cut off from civilization. We also have lights (with dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs), a television, VCR, and a radio should we ever decide to use them. All of these electronic devices require electricity to operate, of course, and the energy for them is 100% supplied by solar power. The ranch has a moderately sized solar panel which charges a series of batteries. These batteries, in turn, provide the power for the lights, computers, etc. There is also a back up generator if required.

With a solar panel kit you are ready to power many of your off-grid electronics

I have learned over the years, to bring my own solar devices and chargers as well. Now I bring my solar ipod charger to keep my ipod charged. I also bring a Solio solar hybrid charger to capture solar power and take with me hikes and overnight camping trips. The Solio solar hybrid charger comes in very handy when I need to recharge my GPS, cell phone, or even give my laptop a quick boost.

Whever you go you can be charging and charged

In addition, I have found a few products from Everlite which provide me with solar power lighting options which allow me to dispense with traditional flashlights (and their batteries) and lanterns such as the Coleman white gas and/or battery powered styles.

The water from the well is used for cleaning, since there is some risk of giardia.

The Everlite solar LED spotlight captures energy from the sun and will easily provide enough light to read by in the evening, light up a small room, or provide enough light to get around with at night in the pitch blackness. Similarly, Everlite has a mini Everlite LED lamp which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and is what I use in place of a flashlight when making a trip to the outhouse after dark. Lastly, Everlite also has a solar headlamp LED device which also charges from the sun works like a traditional headlamp.

You don't have to use a 19th century writing instrument, but it somehow feels right

Every year, after returning home, I am much more conscious of devices which I can use with solar power and take with me to the ranch. My annual off-grid experience is something that I look forward to every year, and I am always looking at ways to live more sustainably at the ranch while enjoying some of the comforts of home. If it wasn’t for work and family, I could easily live the off-grid lifestyle permanently.

Kids love visiting the ranch