Living off grid - camper van and woodland shelter - winter into spring.

Living off grid - camper van and woodland shelter - winter into spring.

The best place to start is often at the beginning, but where that was is hard to pin point, my adventure in the van and then the woods started in the mid winter of 2012, which incidentally was the coldest winter for many, many years! After finding myself technical homeless, and with a small pack of dogs and a semi feral (white) cat, finding accommodation in quaint West Dorset (where I run most of courses), would prove to be impossible, in expectation of this and also serving as my traveling accommodation, my self converted stealth camper was upgraded and fitted with an 80w solar panel and a state of the art gas heater blower with a thermostat, if I had imagined that the winter would be so cold and indeed last so-long, I would have fitted a wood burner there and then!

As I sit here now cross legged on the floor of my van writing, the weather has just changed from Autumn, to more recently what I have come to expected November to be, cold! But now almost a year later the atmosphere of the van is some what warmer with the newly installed, purpose built bespoke wood burner, merrily and quietly burning away, the gas heater although a saving grace, especially for stealth and urban parking, is venerable to electrical failures and loss of sun for a few days means no 12v power for the heater blower, its also noisy! The gas is obviously a consideration, and on average through the “deep freeze” winter I was using 15k of gas at a cost on average of £25 a week. The amount of sunlight also saw me buying an extra gas bottle, leisure battery, and taking one battery alternately to charge every 3 days or so by mains power at a sympathetic friends house. So a wood burner in my mind, and going into winter in a living vehicle is a must! I now think a small 12v wind generator would have been a good investment.

Being someone who teaches bushcraft and survival skills, which has seen me live more outside than in, for most of adult life and not being a young man theses days, being comfortable in a long-term situation outside, in winter, would be a must.  Having only the van, with no wood burner would see me looking for another option, as only ever having one option is not ideal, a friend told me in a survival situation “2 is 1, and 1 is none” (makes sense if 1 brakes or fails). 
The opportunity arouse in the form of a old coppice of nearly 18 ache’s, untouched virtually, besides the Oak being taken more recently, but the rest, a mixture of Ash, Alder, Willow, Field Maple, Hazel, Holly, Elder, Hawthorn and Blackthorn, all left for almost 60 years, wild tress most covered with Ivy. The head of the wood boasted 3 springs of fresh water and firewood was abundant and close to hand. 
All I needed now was a good site to construct a long term shelter, I was looking for a dry, flat and well sheltered spot from the wind and somewhere with plenty of green cover and out of a sight line, if I was to avoid detection from unwanted visitors (and as not to upset the neighbours) 

I had walked the ground around the woods in mid summer when the vegetation was almost head height in places, making surveying difficult, although now in mid winter only the evergreens were showing cover, a perfect time. I remembered the steep backed old lime quarry at the top of the wood, with a small overgrown meadow above, it was elevated, dry well drained soil, south facing and had a small bank along its front edge, virtual 360 degree line of sight cover with what resembles a small cliff face from the quarry’s effect, that would keep the persistent North East winds well over head, a really good spot, trees all around with a little open mature Elder patch in the middle, plenty of Ivy and a cracking view from the top of the southern bank, stretching towards the coast.  A well-drained site is essential and free from risk of flooding in heavy downpours; damp ground is also cold ground.

I followed my basic survival requirements to get the tasks completed, in order of; shelter, fire, water and food, all is needed but if I make sure the basics for all are covered, implement all at a base level then improve and upgrade as required, by this I mean, have all the equipment and tools needed for all requirement, and then start to build the shelter, get it waterproof, get the fire wood in, get the fire lite, get the kettle on open the biscuits and think about what’s next whilst warm and out the elements.

The shelter was made the best way I know how with the materials available to me. a tried and tested design, tarpaulins draped over a hazel pole structure, called a “bender” or "sapling shelter" taking its slang name from the way you bend the poles over and joining them in a weaving pattern and bringing them together to form a tunnel shape, steep sided and pitched, the tarps shed the water efficiently.  

I made it tall enough (with a pallet floor) to stand up straight in the dimensions of the floor 2 x 4 standard square packing pallets size, the tarp was fitted over an old parachute, a hessian tarp and a space blanket tarp, used previously to mask heat signatures of tank (apparently) so 4 layers with the exterior tarp being a good heavy waterproof cotton ex military one. There’s a door at one end made from plywood, which sits in a frame, with the wall made from pallet wood. A small double plate of aluminum sheet is bolted together around a hole in the tarp to hold the chimney of the frontier stove inside, to be fueled with readily available fire wood, cut and slit using the newly service chain saw, spare fuel and chain oil, new log splitting axe, hatchet and Chris Caine survival knife.

With shelter and fire sorted, water would be a springhead, with a double pit dug in line, one to catch sediment and the lower one to take water from. The spring is only a few hundred meters away from the camp around the hill. I use old shop brought 5lt spring water bottles, usually taking two at a time, giving me 10lt of water, which usually lasts a few days for cooking and drinking etc. Off the side of the Bender a small tarp covers my wood pile, also doubles up as a rain catcher, where I run a cord off the lowest corner into a bucket, this can be used for washing or the dogs and cat to drink as needed. After a good down pour the sediment trap would need empting, by means of the bottom half of a plastic bottle, scooped out and piled down hill from the spring well.

Food in brief was a new metal dustbin full of dried goods, with a few sacs of salt, sugar and a dozen jars of honey, together with a selection of tinned meat and fish, 10lt of veg oil, this would see me through the winter alone, I intended making regular trips to the near by town for day to day supplies but always knowing there is a good 2/3month supply of food. This could be supplemented when possible by wild game and seafood, all possible with the range of tools and equipment I have in store, including an air riffle with plenty of pellets, fishing nets, traps and fishing tackle etc. Together with some basic cooking utensils and a  few pots and pans.

Other essentials include a few good paraffin storm lanterns, candles, matches, firelighters, plus the power unit for a led strip light and something to charge my phone and laptop a 50w solar panel and leisure battery.

The essentials covered, a descent wood pile included, it was time to “dig in” and ride out the winter, once you get in a rhythm with the seasons as best you can (these days in the ever changing climates), you get a system sorted where during the fair weather times you constantly upgrade and maintain your shelter, fire wood, water supply and food stores with cooking and eating, the day is almost done! During the bad weather, tools are repaired, axe and saw sharpened, and the making of wines and preserves etc. also a time to rest and relax. Although you may not have the modern comforts such as electricity, tap water and a front door, you also don’t receive any bills or demands for payment for the services, if tap water was drinkable it still would be to expensive in my opinion.

I may be living away from the midst of society, with out common luxury’s and modern option to hand, and to many this would be un thinkable and uncomfortable, but what I do have is a world of wildlife living all around me. Baggers over the hill keeping to their side, rabbits, squires, pigeons, black birds, blue tits, families of long tail tits, etc. etc. but the real surprise to me was the amount of Owls, Tawny owls are prolific and fully vocal, every evening an hour or so before dusk and just as dawn breaks.  
For me as a modern western man, I am an outsider into this world of nature, but hope that by observing the habits and intent of the creatures I share my space with, that I may also learn to fit in and hopefully pose not threat to this wild habitat,  take only what I need and learn the rhythm of the wild. 
Whilst gathering fire wood I will always leave as much self standing dead seasoned wood around the camp and while I’m fit and able venture as far as physically sensible in my quests for resources, I use the theory that if I’m injured or sick, I can easily gather wood if needed close to hand, that also goes for every thing else as well, for this I brought a new metal builders type wheel barrow, a simple "pack horse" and one of my most used tools.

The winter went on so long that spring would be squashed together between the cold and then quickly hot dry day’s, a good summer was well needed after such a long winter. Winter days are short and nights are long, ensuring you have a good supply of dry split wood and kindling to hand, with a trusty box of fire lighter and a lighter of course, you can wake up maybe with the wood burner burnt out and quickly rekindle a fire and get the kettle on, have a brew and if needed go back to bed warm again, for the first week or two this short sleep cycle of maybe 3/4 hours when its really cold, is a bit hard to get used to but then a rhythm takes over again and it becomes second nature. As time passes the days start to become noticeably longer and each morning lighter earlier, a welcome sign mentally and physically, light is important, we are like the plants and respond well when we are deep in the green mix of time.

Spring sprung and once again “sitting quietly doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows all by its self” a quotation I remember, but not sure where from, that sums things up quite well! 

The Cleavers, Nettles and Hairy bitter cress where amongst the first to show up, with the other Nettle look a like’s, Black horehound and Arch Angel, with Ground ivy amongst it. The Ferns start to wake up from their long winter slumber and again the wood bursts into life. When the Primroses appear and the wood garlic is giving me tasty greens, you can sigh a breath of relief, for you have made it through the winter! The vale of green continues with the leaves appearing and completing the safe feeling of green camouflage, like a safety blanket the return of the trees growing completes the story of spring.

The sea was still cold unfortunately, a result of the prolonged extremely cold winter that followed a less than perfect summer. The previous spring had seen the mackerel return by mid March, but not this year, it would be June before the dependable “chicken of the sea” would return and not in the usual numbers I have come to expect, but the first Mackerel of the year was a welcome treat, during mid summer one can easily become complaisant and even bored of eating mackerel, the first catch of the year how ever is something to savor, I scouted about and scavenged some drift wood for a small fire on a big flat (non exploding) stone, gut the mackerel, shove it on a stick and roast it in the flames before letting it sizzle on the stone, deconstructed and eaten, truly delicious!

From here on in the weather was set to brighten up so quickly and see sunny days and clear sky’s, that the winter before it was banished in an instant! Unbeknown to me then was the fact that this summer was set to be hot and dry, reaching well into late autumn.  This is when being under the protective canopy of the woodland is a welcome relief from the heat, as the trees breath they cool the air somewhat beneath them. After a disappointing and low attendance on the courses at the start of the year, due to the bad weather no doubt, the sun had finally thawed the souls of the would be foragers and coast hunters, this was to be the first year every single scheduled course was run with no weather cancelations. 

The woodland base for the courses was ideal and spending most of my time here or on the local coast really gave me the upper hand in knowing what was growing, hatching, and turning up, my own rhythm now more accustomed to my wild surroundings and the seasons, this hopefully allowed for a much more focused and relaxed approach in my teaching style, something I hope that was reflected in the knowledge and enjoyment I was able to share with the groups and individuals.

Before I could blink it seemed, the elder was flowering and wine making was on the offering. There is rarely a moment to stop and do nothing in the woods, all be it with a relaxed and focused approach, but when I do stop, sit down and try to relax! It’s often in the most idyllic of spots, bathed in sunshine, with a glass of something healthy and homemade, from wine to wild plant tea, the choice is extensive, but my all time favorite is the elder, both the flowers and the berries make the most delicate and delicious of wines. This is a busy, but relaxing at the same time period. The shorter warmer nights and longer days with bright sunny morning, bring with them a noticeable change in the combined and complex voice of the wood, the bird song is busy and productive, the plants are in full speed ahead reaching for the returning life giving light, and again tuning into the change in rhythm is essential! Rubbing the last of the winters sleep from my eyes, its time to sort out the bags and baskets ready for foraging and harvesting the wild vegetables that grace the seashore, our wild relatives of the modern cultivars are a season behind or in front of what we have to come to know as far as when vegetables are available in the shops.

The warmer nights give way to the short 3 to 4 hour sleeps of winter where I train my self to wake up as the temperature drops and the wood burner is asking for attention and more wood, although warm enough in my sleeping bag, an ex-MOD artic one, the ambient temperature is easier to maintain as a constant, rather than having to re kindle the fire if you choose to sleep for longer. 

I am up in one of the rekindling periods now, and have the wood burner reloaded, the temperature rising to a comfortable plus 15 degrees Celsius and rising, the kettle on and a hot mug of coffee in front of me, with outside early 3am morning temperatures at a refreshing 4 degrees.

The story so far.......

By Fraser Christian

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