Topic: Are there any Bitcoiners here who are living offgrid? (Read 425 times)

Wow - lots of great replies guys - thanks for those.

What power source do I use? My primary source is Will Power. I have a petrol generator, but I rarely use it. The vehicle alternator keeps mobile phones and power banks charged. As mentioned, I also use the electricity provided for customers in various restaurants and cafes.

We English are quite hardy individuals, and that is why we bred so many of the world's greatest explorers. I've never really felt the cold, and as a kid I used to roll naked in the snow I believe, I've probably build a healthy supply of brown adipose tissue, so as long as I keep eating the correct food, I'll probably maintain that. Heat is more over a problem. The van has a plastic roof, and it can become very uncomfortable on a hot summer day. I've recently bought a Fiamma roof ventilator, so I hope to rectify that soon. Damp from condensation is another problem, and I'm about to install a Chinese diesel heater to overcome this.

A couple of clarifications. I'm not mining Bitcoin at the moment, but I would like to if I can work out a way to secure solar panels on a van with a plastic roof. I refer to the van as a conversion, but this is a fairly optimistic reference. It is what is commonly called a "no build conversion". This means you get hold of a few bits of furniture, throw them into the van, and then move in. I've been experimenting with various options for a few years, and now I am prepared to customise the van to suit my anticipated needs.

I have a Volvo 740 saloon car which I use as a daily driver, so the van is really becoming a moveable house. I also have a high spec Volvo 740 estate, and I plan to use that as a show vehicle at various classic car meetings.

A lot od English words seem to have changed their meanings recently, and I think "offgrid" is one of them. Other example are "burglary", originally it meant housebraking during the hours of darkness, but now it seems to mean any form of housebreaking. "Gay" is another useful word that we have lost from the general vocabulary.  The Americans seem intent on removing "ensure" from general usage, and replacing it with the financial word "insure". Buying a remote hill farm in Wales used to be an example of offgrid living, but now it seems to refer to any lifestyle that doesn't have a dedicated connection to the utilities. It is this expanded definition that I use, mainly because I hope to pick up some extra revenue from a Youtube side hustle.

@Mindrust You electricity situation sounds pretty bad, and I hope we will never come to that. It's difficult to understand how it could be applied to van dwellers though. Maybe they will try to force us to use environmentally damaging electric vehicles, and force us to charge them with the electricity they generate by burning fossil fuels and ancient forests.

Offgrid? It is my dream to like that too but I think it is nearly impossible to live like that. How do you produce your water and electricity? In where I live it is not even completely legal to produce my own electricity. They won't care if my consumption is low (less than 1MW) but if they figure out that I am not connected to their grid and using only my own electricity which I get from the solar panels and windmills, then they will fine me. The limit is as I said earlier, 1MW which is not bad but the key factor here is that they also want me to pay for their grid. It means I should stay connected to their grid and pay them a monthly fee even though I don't use it. That alone kills the offgrid fantasy.


Vans are a different story. You can do whatever you like in a van in my country but then it will be hard to find a parking place. Sooner or later it is going to be a problem.

I don't believe that you are 81 years old. Can you prove it?
I guess that you aren't living offgrid completely. You are trying to live outside the fiat money grid. That's impossible for me and I don't find any reason to do such thing. What's the point of sacrificing your own convenience just to brag about "living offgrid" here and there?
I mean, do you want somebody to give you a medal or something? Who cares that you live in a converted van? It's your life and you live it the way you want to.
What "banking changes" are you talking about? Do you mean the situation around Signature bank and SVB? This is old news. I don't think that there are going to be any significant "banking changes".

^ Probably a Solar energy source?
I am right here because using a generator will probably be too loud upon using it but probably it is a generator too.
It is great to see that you are exploring new options and considering how to live more sustainably and independently which is called offgrid. I now start wondering how you will able to survive that kind of lifestyle. It should be you have a backup plan for your resources.
However, I respect the OP's decision, good luck with your new journey and if you have time just please update us here on your experience and how do you survive.

Bro c'mon we can't be ruling how someone lives his life based on technicalities. Come on man.

In my book as long as you're from the outskirts of civilization and are not living the conventional lifestyle, maybe even living in your van/vehicle in a secluded part of the country you're already off-grid. Doesn't have to be no cellphone, no internet, none of that bullcrap. As for electricity for mining bitcoins I'm pretty sure he's got that taken into account otherwise I don't see the logic behind him thinking about mining bitcoins in the first place. Just doesn't sit right with me. Although yes, out of all of that I'm pretty dubious about him using a raspberry pi to mine bitcoins. I don't think that's going to be profitable.

It's my dream to live in a passive house that doesn't rely on any utilities. At the moment I live in a hybrid system that has its own well, a backup generator, a fireplace with heat distribution, so it can heat up both the living room and bedrooms upstairs, but the main heating system is based on natural gas. It's just convenient at the moment to use it and I can't heat up water any other way.
I wish I had a new house that can rely on solar panel water heating, but getting my old house to work this way would cost me too much, as the slope of my roof is oriented to the West and it won't generate enough heat to make installing panels worth my time and money.

As an individual residing in a van, what power source do you depend on for mining?

This lifestyle must be fun, to be honest. Living in a van and being a Bitcoin maximalist, like a true Bitcoiner is obviously insane. I'm pretty sure you're generating electricity from renewable energies, most likely solar energy, which is really good. But one more point - did you say that you're 81? Hat off to you! I've never seen someone at that age interested in crypto, as far as I know. The majority of people who are older than 60 don't know much about crypto, so it's surprising that you're into it at your age!"

I think you might be one of the oldest Bitcoiners in this forum. You would probably be among the top 100 in terms of age.

Keep it up, and good luck in your life!

Wow man that must be a fun lifestyle, I was recently talking to a guy who does what you do, but also has a sailboat and he goes between the doc to the van and moves around wherever he wants to go. I met him at the boat show in West Palm Beach about a month ago or less. What are your main struggles with that lifestyle, just curious. What would you say is your favorite part about it? What do you enjoy doing the most?

Also, do you utilize solar to power your bitcoin node? Way to be off grid, I don't think a lot of people can say that. Did you also say that you're 81 years of age?!

Moving to an independent off-grid lifestyle would be very difficult, especially if you adhere to the general meaning of being "off-grid"- not dependent on any public utilities such as water, sewage, gas, and electrical power grid. You are relying on yourself to provide for yourself, mining Bitcoin would be the last thing on your mind. In your current experience, you are a digital nomad, not someone off-grid.

Even if I question the current political and banking changes, moving to an off-grid lifestyle seems like a nuclear option lol People have become reliant on the conveniences of modern life and people will fight for it to progress, or if not, protect their status quo. But in reading your experience, being a digital nomad also has its perks.

I totally agree with keeping and enjoying the freedom, however I don't see why preserving your health implies staying away from doctors and pharmaceuticals. The health care system is really different from country to country and in my case, for example, it is mostly useful and helpful. Besides, regardless of the conditions, health care system can be used like any other system, which corresponds to your first rule.

Maybe "offgrid" is not the most apposite word. I'm a true Gemini, so I don't want to be divorced from society. Also, I enjoy many of the advantages of modern living. I just want to free myself from the anti-social restrictions and health hazards that are being forced on the current governments. For example, there is no way that I am going to allow free spike proteins to be injected into my body, and I reject the mad just towards the incredibly environmentally damaging electric vehicles. I'm becoming very cautious about food production and reatiling, and I'm starting to ferment vegetables myself. I'm also increasing my hedgerow cooking, and frying the off road kill pheasant.
I started a thread about running a full node which being a van dweller, and that looks quite promising. So far I haven't found any other Bitcoiners amonst the van dwelling community. In fact most of them seem to be quite rude and mocking about Bitcoin and crypto. Maybe I should try to organise a national get together.

Van dwelling is not for everybody, but before knocking it, you need to step back and review tha advantages. Some years ago I owned 3 houses that I lived in, one was on the outskirts of London, one was by the sea, and one was a former farm. This created quite a lot of stress and expense, and I had the constant worry of breakins and theft. I came to realise that you don't own property, property owns you. So I decided to enjoy life for a change. When I was in Oxford, I met an old tramp, and he had an interesting malapropism - keep treading the windmill! This seems to sum up the lives of most people.

No offense mate, but I'm imagining you somewhat of a character in Red, a movie which stars Bruce Willis. I'm seeing you as the John Malcovich character there, Marvin, who's living on the van and trying to live off-grid because he is afraid that the FBI or whatever agencies are trying to track him and their group.  .

The only bitcoiner that I know from this forum who's trying to go off grid is Elwar, ‘seasteading’ in Thailand but faces lot of challenges.

Living Offgrid and at the same time is making the banks have a hard time by only using bitcoins in most of his transactions is such a hero and hoping to see more people like that in the future to counter these banks' hostility against bitcoins and cryptocurrencies. they are not publicizing their hatred against bitcoins but I'm pretty sure that they are the ones who are funding these groups that are creating negative articles about bitcoins especially the mainstream media that always have confuse descriptions of bitcoins in their headlines. If we were to use bitcoins in most of our transactions, it will be a slapped in their face.

I don't question the current political and banking changes because it is useless. We can never win against people who have already put it all together.

And I am impressed by the principle you adopted. And it's true. We can only use it as best as possible for our benefit. As long as we can enjoy our freedom, we must enjoy it and not complain about other freedoms because we must follow the rules.

I agree to care for our health because health is the most important. When we are healthy, we can use the resources we have as much as possible and maybe it can provide something better for us. But when we are sick, we cannot do anything and miss all the best opportunities we have ever seen. The most important thing is to balance our life and not think about something that hasn't happened yet because it will trigger negative thoughts.

I like the follow-up that Jet Cash wrote, at least partially. Fighting the system can be difficult, and people should decide for themselves whether it's worth it. I must say that from the initial post, I've imagined a different approach.
It's important to realize that we need to choose our battles and let go of some things. Banks aren't my battle, and neither is the centralized Internet, corporations and stuff, so I agree about using the system. The only point I disagree with is staying away from doctors, at least not in cases of emergencies or illnesses that can be treated well with modern medicine. I appreciate the freedom that Bitcoin brings, but I also don't want to make my life overly difficult by refusing to use bank accounts or something like that.

Yes, there are certainly Bitcoiners who are living offgrid and embracing a more self-sufficient lifestyle. For many, Bitcoin represents a way to escape the constraints of traditional financial systems and take greater control of their own lives. By using Bitcoin, they can conduct transactions without relying on banks or other intermediaries and they can store their wealth in a way that is resistant to government control and inflation.

I think I like this to, Living offgrid can also be a way to reduce reliance on centralized systems and infrastructure, and to pursue a more sustainable and environmentally conscious way of life. While it may not be for everyone, for those who value independence and autonomy, Bitcoin and offgrid living can be a powerful combination.

    -   What do you mean you live in a converted van? Do you mean a van that you modified to be like your home with a bed, food, solar and others, so no matter where you go you won't have a problem sleeping, it's like a camping van, right?

Don't you have someone to do that with, mate? It seems like what you're doing is fun, you're enjoying your freedom and at the same time you still value bitcoins? Then you ask I can say that I rarely see an offgrid lifestyle bitcoin enthusiast like you,

independant lifestyle
- jetcash income is government social security benefits

off the grid
-jetcash still pays energy companies(diesel)
-jetcash still registered to vote
-jetcash uses debit cards that trade his purchase history for rewards

questions banks and politics
-still votes
-still uses debitcards
-still leaches off social security

i agree you are a nomad.. not a digital. just a normal nomad like a traveller, gypsy, pikey wannabe
you have yet to escape reliance on fiat handouts to survive. you are yet to be a bitcoin maximalist, independant, self sufficient

you have made the same claims years ago but not evolved your lifestyle. i bet you are still microwaving diseased fish you find floating around
if you think charging your phone at asda(walmart) is independence. you have much to learn

i too travel. but i dont limit myself to a county. i like boats, planes and trains. right now im not in england and so i dont have to pay council tax, i dont claim benefits and i am self sustainable via bitcoin

have you ever thought that with all your legal battles you fought, might be where you have been causing crap and stress to your life, beyond whats needed.

as for your friend fighting those fights it seems you and them went down that stupid "freeman" rabbit whole fantasy rhetoric that went viral years ago

have you not learned the methods to escape your county and actually travel the world in a true non domicile way of all tax laws. learned how to actually be truly financially independent instead of dependant on supermarket cafe's just to keep you fed and charged

i know people that use a basic skill like window cleaning. they go travelling and approach farmhouse shops and offer to wash all their windows in exchange for prime steak a £10 steak in exchange for 30 minutes work
they go to independent petrol stations and make the same offers for fuel or confectionery, living the cash in hand life

if after so many years of utilising bitcoin you have yet to sever your ties to needing social security handouts, and steal leaching electric from cafe's. you have yet to reach the potential life you pretend to aim for.

dont get me wrong i fully enjoy the same freedoms of travel and lifestyle as you. but with you scrapping by, dependant on still so much, you are still prisoner to your own surroundings

being stuck living in a prison the space of a van is not true freedom. its just a different prison. yes it has wheels. but so does prison transport vans.
this morning i woke up in a kingsize bed. looked out on the balcony as the sun rose and then went for a dip in a pool
i dont need to worry about making the bed or doing the laundry. maids get paid well for my habits

i didnt have supermarket coffee. nor microwaved fish..
for me it was a british breakfast in a non british country cooked fresh, i had beans on toast, sausage bacon, a glass of orange juice and a hot chocolate(the real kind) and never needed to use my debit card this week. (thank you bitcoin)

heck with luggage fee's these days. and laundry costs. its cheaper to just buy new clothes in each destination. thus less baggage to clutter my life and ends up cheaper too

one day you should try to escape the sights and smells of england and broaden your views, dont be stuck in the system

Thanks for the replies, mand the support and encouragement. I agree that I'm not living completely offgrid. Right now I am sitting in an Asda cafe (English supermarket ), and I'm using thir free WiFi. I'm paying the rent by buying a cup of coffee for £2.30, but I get a free one after I have bought 7. They are unusual in that they don't have power points for customers, most of the other supermarket cafes offer free mobile and laptop charging. I recently bought a Huawei Matebook, and that seems to have good battery life, and charges via an USB-C port. My HP netbook and notebook computers require 19 volt charging. This means I need a mains socket or an inverter in the van.

I've spent most of my life fighting, mainly various legal battles, and I decided that I would stop and enjoy my "retirement". I'm no longer fighting the system, and that includes the banks and the government. I'm now registered as "no fixed abode" with the council, so I am able to vote, and take advantage of various government programmes. I have a friend who is anti-bank, and refuses to pay anything until the last minute. He is always fighting late payment fines, and usually loses. I pay early, and take advantage of any promotions going. For example, I've made about £30 from a recent Nationwide promotion. All I had to do was to use my debit card instead of my credit card when purchasing groceries in various supermarkets. £30 is not much, but its free money for no effort, and by taking advantage of these and the many other offers around, such as loyalty cards when purchasing petrol and diesel, I would estimate that I pick up an extra £2,000 to £3,000 per year. Even more if you include the current government "cost of living" handouts that the UK is paying pensioners.
I've got a few principles that I have adopted recently.
- Don't fight the sytem, use it
- Keep you freedom, and enjoy it.
- Stay away from doctors and pharmaceuticals, and preserve your health.
- Respect nature and the environment, and avoid environmentally damaging trends like electic vehicles.

There are a load more, such as learning about hedgerow cooking.