There's over 20,000 traditional archers on this site. But, How many live a Traditional life style in a sense? Living in the backwoods or woods or along lakes and streams and walking a simple path?In 2008 the floods here in Iowa took my cabin. Than I moved to a camper until I lost my lot (People thinking I shouldn't be living like that) an had to move to a apartment. This 16 x 30 apartment is like a cage to an animal for me and my wife. And the rent is too high, and giving money away to something that doesn't make us happy isn't our bag of tea. Town life is not us! Lately my Wife and I have been thinking about buying a camper and finding a place to park it or renting a small cabin/shed or home in the country and living like we want. But so far here in Iowa that's not going to happen, unless your rich. I was wondering if anyone out there lives in a camper, remodeled shed or small cabin and has ideas to share. Ideas where one might be directed to find a place to live doing this on a budget? Maybe a caretaker, or watching land for owners, etc. We have agreed we would need some electricity an access to drinking and daily water usage. And most of all NATURE. And a place were we can walk with longbows in hand. Anyone live a somewhat traditional life like this while enjoying the aspects of Traditional archery and if so, how about advice, stories, ideas, pictures. If this is deemed unappropriated for a thread. Could some please PM me or email me. And I'm sorry Mod's. Thank you, Vic
You have a PM
great minds think alike!
good luck vic
Simple Is Better... This (city boy) can't seem to get up to those mountains enough these days. Best Of Luck To You Vic!
... mike ...
Well id save as much money as possible n try for a acre of land n tha country n live n a teepee.
It kind of sucks that we can't live the life we chose - (Government and people. Lucky for us when we bought land you could still build your own house, put in your own septic, etc. We did it - by hand! Used a chainsaw and shovels, etc to create our homestead. We bought 12 acres and called a sawmill and were on our way. Its far from perfect but we love it! Now everything needs to be inspected, the plans for a house need to be on a blueprint and approvial for a septic need done. What a mess the government has us in, rules, regulation = big money for them!
Where'd Ted Kazynski used to live?...lol.
Out here in Oregon we have a ton of public land. Is all you have to do is move your camp/camper 100 yards every 2 wks.
I know an old boy that sets up camp on National Forest every year for about 6 wks. He sets his camper up 2wks. before elk season starts and stays in the woods locating the elk until the season opens and then he and his family hunt the entire season.
Good luck to you.
Paul
Funny, my wife and I just talked about this. Building a cabin of meager proportions on some land, gas lamps and wood heat. Electricity provided by a home wind turbine or generator when needed. Horses in the paddock out by the house and a vehicle down by the road when you needed to go to town for supplies. Electricity in a garage (also down by the road) to run a freezer and refridgerator. Man I dont know if she was just teasing me or if she was serious but I could live that life buddy!
I think you could get away with something like that legally but it wouldnt be cheap by any stretch. Everything costs money and everyone just keeps wantin more of your money for less of their products and services every day. Welcome to the future, no robot butlers no flying cars and no personal jet packs but plenty of people telling us how we should live.
QuoteOriginally posted by BlacktailBowhunter:
Out here in Oregon we have a ton of public land. Is all you have to do is move your camp/camper 100 yards every 2 wks.
I know an old boy that sets up camp on National Forest every year for about 6 wks. He sets his camper up 2wks. before elk season starts and stays in the woods locating the elk until the season opens and then he and his family hunt the entire season.
Good luck to you.
Paul
I wish I had a job that afforded me that kind of latitude.
That being said, I thank God that I have a job at all in these trying times.
Good luck to the OP. I hope to find a way to simplify by the time my two boys have grown.
Simpler is definitely better Vic...but its not always easy.
Iv lived a lot of my Life on the farm, the road, and when not traveling i live as simple and as cheap as i can, Saving my money for things i want to do...things i enjoy.
Its important to find what makes you and your wife happy, i see little point in doing something if you are not truly happy doing it. Surprisingly few people in life really take the other path...and pursue what they really want, to easy to get stuck in our controlled molded society.
All depends on what makes "you" happy of course! "there is no One size fits all in life"
There are however a lot of people doing what you speak of...and there are a lot of options.
I have a few friends in the US living in a converted school buss that stay in national forests moving every 2 weeks, quite self sufficient. Lots of options house or property sitting for others. Another option is doing work camper work in lieu of rent and electric, there are Campgrounds and RV resorts all over the US where this is an option.
Ideally if you could buy some property, build a cabin and be self sufficient, fishing, hunting and growing your own food as much as possible.
Land is not cheap though.
I lived in Teepee for 7 months In the mountains in Colorado, fun but not the best structure for the cold weather, but i cut my own wood, canned all my food etc
here's the inside of my Teepee at the start.
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IVY_20090621_0942.jpg)
A yurt makes a very very good Non permanent structure and many people live in them year round.
you can find a nice balance between modern conveniences and resource's ( like the internet ect) and the Tradition life style.
Nothings impossible...good luck and Enjoy the journey
Cheers Andy
I could live the simple life but not my wife! I sure would be in better shape if I was requird to hunt and gather!
How about rebuilding your cabin?
I would rebuild on stilts to protect from more flooding.
Or, you could move out west and be a sheep herder. Live in the mountains all summer and get paid for it. Live in the desert all winter here and freeze, but still get paid! The sheep owner will bring food and water once every week or two.
Nice to see like minded people. I can assure you neither my wife or I am strangers to living poor and a hard life. She being a Native Lady from the reservation and myself lived for three years without income. One and a half in that family cabin and after the flood one year in a ten foot camper. I had electricity. But collected pop cans, fished and hunted and traded things for food. What got me there is the same ole story that happens to alot of Americans, health, lost job, divorce, etc. And alot of other drama in my life. Rebuilding or moving to the same lot along the river is out of the question because my folks own it and they won't allow anyone to use it but them now. Acreages around here on the market run 35,000.00 to 45,000.00 for an acre or less with utilities on them. There is some that are around 15,000 to 20,000.00 with no utilities. and in my mind Too darn high for that size of ground. After working since i was 10 years old and lots of years working three jobs to fit in with societies materialistic ways. It took me forty years to figure out what really counts in life and it ain't busting butt for a Porsche or castle. It's nice to get other ideas and input from other Traditional thinking people.
Shedrock i spent three months of winter in Afton Wyoming and i want no part of your winters bro. But the sheepherder part in the summer sounds interesting, and plenty of stump shooting while watching the herd.
Lets see. We heat the house and water with wood. Have two dozen chickens and three turkeys currently. Will be getting three Boer (meat) goats this spring. Have three vegetable gardens for about 5,000 square feet tilled. I have a 1956 Ford tractor for plowing and dragging logs. The barn has no electricity or water so I have to go out twice a day and toss feed grains and turn out ice and fill the water pans.
My wife spins and knits wool. We can most of our own vegetables. And raise, hunt or fish 100% of our meat some years - though usually supplement 'cause we like ALL seafood and meat. I make up 20 gallons of sauerkraut in the fall. Here is some maple syrup I bolied down last year from our sugar maples. Way too much work!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Stumpkiller/HPIM1226.jpg)
Oh, and I do most of my hunting on my own land and all of it starting at my back door on foot.
We live as simple as possible here. I built my house myself, straw bale construction with recycled "leftovers" from various construction jobs I've done, and re-used lumber. I also collected driftwood and whatever to "decorate" and add wild touches to everything. We live on property along the Yellowstone....15 acres, and in a very beautiful spot. It's paid for doing whatever jobs I needed to do to make payments for 20 years. At this point my debts are mostly nonexistant....just power and heat, and the few "luxuries" we afford ourselves like cable for internet and TV. (winters are long here).
We eat mostly what we can kill, then supliment with what we need. We gather what we can during the short growing season. We fish some. We only buy, with cash, what we can afford...drive old beaters that are paid for, and work whatever we have to do to make ends meet. It's pretty simple, and most folks that make it here also live similarly, I think. Working folks anyway.
We all have choices we can make regarding our lives, and the consequences of our choices can be rewarding, and sometimes frustrating and scary....but simple is better in my book anyway. At least it's easier for me to understand it. :)
QuoteOriginally posted by Mark Baker:
We live as simple as possible here. I built my house myself, straw bale construction with recycled "leftovers" from various construction jobs I've done, and re-used lumber. I also collected driftwood and whatever to "decorate" and add wild touches to everything. We live on property along the Yellowstone....15 acres, and in a very beautiful spot. It's paid for doing whatever jobs I needed to do to make payments for 20 years. At this point my debts are mostly nonexistant....just power and heat, and the few "luxuries" we afford ourselves like cable for internet and TV. (winters are long here).
We eat mostly what we can kill, then supliment with what we need. We gather what we can during the short growing season. We fish some. We only buy, with cash, what we can afford...drive old beaters that are paid for, and work whatever we have to do to make ends meet. It's pretty simple, and most folks that make it here also live similarly, I think. Working folks anyway.
We all have choices we can make regarding our lives, and the consequences of our choices can be rewarding, and sometimes frustrating and scary....but simple is better in my book anyway. At least it's easier for me to understand it. :)
Awesome!
By the way, Andy...love the teepee thing. I've had a few freinds live and brave the Montana winter here in a teepee in the past. The yurt thing is also very cool. Been considering putting up a couple and renting them out for summer rentals to bring in some income and help pay taxes!
Everything is indeed relative. We still have springtime runnoff threats on our property, but it's usually pretty easy to guage. Still every once in a while mother nature throws out a "curveball". Work can be hard to come by, and we do a lot of different things to make ends here, not relying on any one "career" but having more control in our lives of our time and that was our choice.
It is certainly not for everyone, but making simplifying choices can be very liberating, and it can trickle down in a lot of ways, easing stress and validating time. Just like the bowhunting we do, you get more out of it, the more you put into it yourself.
Vic, does being poor count?
well i am with you on getting out there.
i think we as tradlifers need to join up , and head west northwest. yukon territry.
i gauran-damn-tee-ya we get far enough out there that no one is going to give a hoot that our camp is on their mountain.
not to mention , we can hunt , fish , and pan for gold...
when me an the wife went to my old man's place , it sealed the deal that she wants to live in the country. not the "hour to the nearest gas station" kind of country , but i want my driveway to be at least 15 minutes long...
-hov
Well maybe not that extreme but started out that way. Bought two acres out in the boonies that borders thousands of wooded Boy Scout property. Built a 24' by 24' garage complete with a header for the garage door but framed, sided and paneled right over it, couldn't tell it was there. A woodstove right in the center and a full size gas frig. Wife and I both agreed that was some of the best times of our lives. Then twin daughters came and it got pretty crowed so I built my house myself beside the "garage". Built a small super insulated house with foot thick insulation all around. Utilites finally came through our area. Our utility bills are minimal(my utilites for a year are what some of my buddies pay a month) and I built the house as I had money. So I'm debt free with a house and now my garage has a garage door but the car can't fit in it because it's full of my bow building, knife building stuff, my man cave!
My favorite sayings are "That man is richest who's pleasures are the cheapest" and "Most folks get rich by having more money than they have needs, me I just reduced my needs" Live a pretty simple and non complicated life. Have a job with lots of time off and always find ways to save enough money to hunt ALOT!
if i had a ton of land i could hunt i think i could make do with less tech. if i had all that land i would need a tv sense i would be out hunting every second i could
Kinda did the same thing as LC only we are still in the garage/workshop and have used some to the money we saved to improve on it. Used equity from the house we sold to build it and added to it slowly. Lots of friends and neighbors helped to get it built.No house payment in 14 years. We were so poor when we moved out here it wasn't funny. Not much better now but we have a little savings and can do stuff we never would have been able to do otherwise. My grandma and dad own the land around us so I have hunting right out my backdoor.
mr. vic i envy you.. i wish i could up and move.17 year ol 16 year old and a 6 year old and a wife,maybe when they all grow up and move on,we use to go to dollywood tenn.twice a year and stay ,there is a campground in sevierville,that has ltlle cabins and rv park ,there are alot of retired folks and younger folks that live there year around,your not to far from peigon forge and about 10 min. from the base of the smokey mountains ,thats my plan ,im 39 and the way i look at it is, my soscial security will not be there,so i have a good job and make enough money to suport my family ,but once everyone grows up ,im buying an rv and moving their,and finding a job for permanent hook up and groceries.ripling waters campground is the name.
Do I admit the amount of time I have spent on this subject in my life.
My place:
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/katiejgilbert/house/100_3262.jpg)
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/katiejgilbert/house/100_3266.jpg)
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb117/katiejgilbert/house/fall789.jpg)
We saved up and bought the land from family(proving to be a mistake). Our piece is surrounded by family land in a trust. Always suppose to stay in the family. Hunt and not pay taxes. Sounded too good to be true and was. The aunts in charge have found a way with their lawyer to steal the trust away and sell. That is another story for later!
Anyways...... We used the land to get a small loan to put up the shed. My husband worked at that time for a company that sold and put up steel buildings. We got it at cost and put it up ourselves on the weekends. Used on sale and lightly used materials. Took forever, but got it done. Have been in it for 10 years now. We heat with wood. The building has 1 foot insulated walls so we do not need to heat or cool much. I plan to put in a whole house fan this srping to help with cooling. No North windows to catch the cool summer night air was a bad idea. Metal roof and walls makes for dirt cheap insurace.
We are now starting to finish the loft storage area. With 2 kids getting bigger, they wanted their own rooms. We have the kid area wired solar(pannels from Harbor Freight $145 with coupon is a steal!). It can also be switched over to the grid if needed. We are slowly buying up materials to build a drain back solar system to heat our water. We use propane now and it is $$$$. The solar water unit will run around $1000 and will pay for itself in no time! Got the plan from build it solar's website. great info!
I have looked into yurts and think they are great. For one, they are not stuck to the ground. That means Iowa can not tax you for it! Same with the little hunting cabins on skids. You see them now and then used at a good price. Yurts can be found used as well.
Hey Vic, maybe all the rich out of state land owners will let you put a yurt on their property. You could run security for them:) Keep all the hunters off their property while they are waiting on their points to let them hunt. He, he
Cool ideas and stories. Thank you. They are very inspiring. Our notebook of ideas and plans is growing like this thread. The yurt living has our attention. But, questions about the warmth of them using a wood stove when it gets 2 degrees and a windchill of -20. We have sent the word out to several people we know who buy land up to farm that we are looking for an acre or less to Lease/Rent or buy. Got a lead on a river lot and need to get in contact with the owners. Katie two years ago i was two hours late into getting a deal like that. Someone beat me to it. House and utilities were free, just a little mowing and security watch. Of course no hunting in the main timber. Living there and not being able to walk out back and hunt would be like putting a rutting Buck in a Pen next to a pen of estrus Does! Thanks for the ideas and the pm's it really stokes the fire!
I have been in a yurt on top of a Colorado mountain in the winter. It was more than toasty with the fire going. Yurts are not all made the same. Some are set up for winter (insulation, snow load, wind load, etc). The only thing about a yurt is that you need a wood deck built under it. That can be $$$. But it is not hard to get used lumber. Plus in Iowa you do not always want a place that is not hooked down. We do not have a basement and have had a few tornados a little tooooooo close for comfort.
If you do a wood stove make sure you have timber to cut. I know people that have made the change to a corn stove. They had to buy the wood they burned. It was just so much cheaper to go to the co-op or local farmer and get a wagon of corn. If you have a clear South facing wall, look into a thermosyphin air solar unit. If you build it yourself it is like $100 and will heat your room up great!!!!
I know some Amish dow your way are building shell cabins in all sizes at a good price. I would look into that. If we move, that is a huge thing we are considering. I love my shed house. So cheap to heat and cool. Plus you have so much room in the garage for cars and side jobs. We have done so many projects in that thing. Plus everyone wants to pay you to store campers and such. Great way to help with a loan payment!
Of course the main thing is to find a good place to hunt. We have to eat:) I need to get back into my garden better. The 1st few years out here I had a large one. Then summer turned into play time instead of work time. This year the garden was tiny. Too bad I can not eat my food plot:)
We live in a 2 bedroom log cabin close to a lake.Only have 5 acres,but neighbor owns about 200 and have access to it.Practice shooting right out backdoor.Killed a small buck a few weeks ago less than 60 yards from kitchen door.Have blackberry and grape vines for making jelly.Also peach and nectarine trees.Crappie fish,spring and fall garden,cut wood for heating with wood stove.Do have water and electric.Only mistake?Should have done this 25 years ago instead of 2.LOVING life more than ever.Did a bunch of the work on the cabin myself as I hired drying in then finished it myself.
I've got a few friends that live "homestead" style here... not an easy life style but rewarding if you're a nature nut and love that simple kind of lifestyle. Bring in your own water and supply (if you need it) your own electric... all the sunshine, moonlight and starry nights that one could ask for... and being an island... a beach around every bend.
Left one thing out,getting honey bees in May
one of the best threads i have read in a long while!
I have a country place with some acres that we raise chickens, ducks and rabbits on. When I moved out of my parents I could not see paying someone to live in there place so I bought a duplex and had a tenant pay the morage. insurance and taxes with the rent. I payed $20 out of my pocket to cover the total each month.
I put aside what I would pay for rent each month and bought the land in the country.
Built my own home working full time night and working on the home during the day 10 1/2 months and still working on little things.( It is never done.) 18yrs here now.
I have had my duplex on the market for a long time but the economy is in the hole right now.
I have tenants that have been there 17yrs and 8yrs.(make it liveable and they will stay)
WHEN I sell this I will put up a fence for some beef cattle. I heat with wood that I cut myself and have a LARGE garden. I sell pumpkins in the fall. I will start bees come spring also.
If a person is thrifty (tight) and stops waisting the money they make. A person can put money away for their dreams. Make a budget and track your spending for 2 months.
There are days I wish I had a little city lot with out the work but that goes away fast when I see the rat race when I go to town.
Tighten the belt and get to saving those pennies they all add up and you WILL get the small cabin you wish for.
Sorry for the long post.Tim
Good thread! We live in a major metro area and I have often thought about living a simpler life and get away from the constant flow of people rushing everywhere. I have looked at properties within several hours drive of our current location but the prices are staggering! Looks like I'm not the only one wanting our own little slice of heaven on earth. It does feel like we are put on a $$$ treadmill at times (money in/money out). I'll be looking to relocate after I retire as the cost of living here is unreal and I don't see us being able to make it on retirement income. This thread has got me thinking that I really need to focus on a good exit plan...