2022.08.11 RV Life / Indian Life
[Thoughts on 2022.08.11]
It is now a little more than 1 year of living the “RV life”.
One view could focus on what we left behind - the house, the city where our family grew up, church community, friends/family visits and mostly the stability of “a place to call home”. Most days (95%) - these are NOT what I think about each morning when I wake up in my RV for my "cafecito" time.
We’re currently in Swan Valley, ID at an RV park across from the Snake River but we’ve been across Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico – waking up to amazing landscapes, rivers, creeks, and wondrous sights.
This morning I contemplated the American Indians and the RV life.
I’ve been sharing with Amy how amazing it is what we have done in the past year. Especially in managing the logistics of finding campgrounds and dealing with “off-grid” campsites. We are constantly managing basic utilities needs: water, electricity, temperature, sewer and food. On this anniversary I can say we’ve done it right (so far)!
We carry a small generator (2400Watt) sufficient for basic electrical utilities.
Our RV has 1 solar panel/2 battery (AGM) pack that is sufficient to carry us without AC.
We have a quiet electric generator (1500W) for the evening CPAP device.
Our RV has a fresh water tank and several sewer tanks that sustain us for 3-4 days.
I have a message for modern families. In living in the RV life and spending a lot of time thinking about energy efficiency I spend some time analyzing investments in Solar energy. And today,
I wonder if stationary life reinforces efficient living.
Best advice: start small and grow into bigger solutions — BUT MAKE A MOVE.
This is where thoughts of the American Indians come in and indirectly my message about modern 21st century living. Granted, it is about my illusions of nomadic Indian life intertwined with our RV life. And in my humble opinion, I believe one of the greatest injuries of our modern society has been the shift from nomadic life to stationary life.
Regardless of “WHY RV LIFE”, we now try to live what I call a “minimalist life”. Space has a way to shape all aspects of one’s life. Which reminds me of a motto I was taught:
No matter what size house you build - you will fill it with stuff; and space will be scarce
Which extends to political / theological concepts:
No matter what size country we start - we will fill it with people; and natural resources will be scarce
Amy and I constantly check in with each other and so far I can say we LOVE our RV life - because it has been constructed consciously and deliberately. Our lives are richer in each moment because tomorrow we will see new sights: a new body of water, a new way of life, the sights of old friends and family.
Let me return to my message on energy efficiency. After one year of studying Solar energy systems I can safely say I am more confused than ever before. Not on the component/technology but determining the ROI (return on investment). I am certainly clear about the choices we have made and the choices we will make on energy efficiency. Let me explain the ROI (return on investment) using this table:
* = leverage of renewable energy
$ = cost
The “seasonal nomadic” column represents living in “south” in the winter and living in the “north” during summer. The key phrase is “living”, ie. investing in a living space that leverages climate to maximize a comfortable life for the season.
Our understanding of “most” American Indians was that they migrated south for the winter and then migrated north for the summer. This was not a singular action of a single family/individual. This was the collective action of the whole community. This was a lifestyle, a culture that emphasizes a nomadic culture of 2 things: A) home is where you are and B) energy efficiency is tied to living with nature.
So I leave you with this:
- The nomadic life is neither better nor worse than a stationary life.
- In my opinion the nomadic life enforces a more disciplined life made of conscious and deliberate choices on what is important and what is not.
- A nomadic life necessitates a minimalist life.
- Finally, a life with fewer attachments provides a richer experience because one is embracing the few important attachments one keeps.
Energy efficiency in an RV can be measured at a scale that the mind can simplify: battery pack, panels, and inverter. Yes, the model is the same for a home as it is for an RV. But the consumption models (ie. attachments of one's life) have a LOT less variables. And the “seasonal nomadic” life has major benefits we are only beginning to find.
So, joy and happiness to you - no matter what choices you make. Just MAKE A MOVE towards more energy efficiency.
Peace and safe travels, from the minimalist thinking RV’er!
A friend asked to spend time understanding the Solar energy ROI table. Some points:
ReplyDelete1. **Home/On-Grid **: This represents the baseline for most families. A single star represents today's baseline of renewable energy. While much is being done (wind, solar, hydro, etc.) we are still too dependent on non-renewable sources.
2. **Home/Off-Grid**: This represents the ideal world which would be 100% dependent on renewable energy. The cost ($) represent a 3X investment that one would have to make.
3. **RV/On-Grid**: This represent the majority of RV as of 2021 : a move to DC power, a single Solar panel + ~80-100Ah which can only drive minimal amount of devices: ie. Refrig, LED and water pump. Most RV depend on the GRID via 30/50 amp hook-up. Sewer systems are NOT reusing water. Because of minimal lifestyle, the consumption of energy is less thus an improvement on renewable energy consumption.
4. **RV/Off-Grid**: This represent RV's fully decked out with renewable energy which is what I have been studying. The key is what is the amount of battery pack/panels/inverter needed to sustain 24x7 energy consumption w/o an electric generator. AirConditioner and heaters are the big hitters here. For most part, this assume RV'ers that are stationary for 80% of time; and usually reside in the southern latitudes.
This leaves the **RV/Seasonal Nomadic** lifestyle. I say 'most' full time RVer's live a majority in the south, just look at RV parks population (this should be verified via a survey). But, this demands a lot of AirCond energy. Thus , the conscious decision to move north during the summer is not about a "vacation visit". It is to spend a continuous time living where the climate does not need lots of energy. A YouTube video on Solar summed it well at the end of explaining all that is needed to run one's AirConditioner via solar: Off-Grid is VERY expensive, we just choose to move to cooler climates.