For many preppers, living off-grid is simultaneously a dream and something of a top-tier prep. The idea of removing yourself from the trappings of dependency on society is intoxicating, and by making yourself and your family radically self-sufficient, you can be better prepared for whatever disasters and crises might come your way.
For those of us who have lived in the city all our lives, it’s an appealing notion, but we wouldn’t know where to start. Even for those of us who already have experience living in rural areas, deciding to take the plunge is a big decision, one that’s fraught with uncertainty…
Luckily, there are plenty of people who have gone off-grid before us, and they’ve documented their entire journey – the good, the bad, and the ugly! If you need inspiration, motivation, or information, you’ve got to check out these 10 YouTube channels dedicated to off-grid living.
Wranglerstar
The man, the myth, the legend: Cody Crone, the self-proclaimed professional homeowner, documents his journey with his family to become completely self-sufficient off-grid while preparing for the inevitable collapse of society and increasing government corruption.
His channel covers a little bit of everything, from old-school prepper lore to modern, practical skill sets like maintaining tools and improvising solutions to everyday problems.
Sometimes controversial but always entertaining, his channel is a wealth of knowledge and a peek into what is possible while still living completely off-grid.
Kris Harbour Natural Building
One of my very favorite off-grid living channels on YouTube, Kris Harbour is documenting his journey buying a small landholding in the forest near Wales over in the UK.
Since this channel began, he has designed and constructed a traditional roundhouse using old-fashioned techniques, natural materials, and plenty of grit. He also builds just about every single piece of furniture, all of his fixtures, and more!
About a year ago (at the time of this writing), he designed and installed a water wheel capable of generating 1.5 KW of power, completely off-grid! If you want to go totally off-grid but go old school at the same time without giving up every modern amenity, his channel is a must-watch.
Off-Grid with Doug and Stacy
The husband-and-wife team of Doug and Stacy have been living completely off-grid for more than a decade in an old-fashioned log home and documenting their journey for nearly the entire time.
And when I say old, I do mean old: they built their cabin themselves in the same style and with the same technology of the 1800s!
This power-prepping couple is always keen to get closer to their food and back to a simpler way of life—farming, catching rain, raising livestock, cooking from scratch, and relying on herbal remedies. They even compost their waste! And not for nothing, it looks like they have a good time doing it.
Wild Wonderful Off-Grid
A story that’s probably close to the hearts of many of us, Wild Wonderful Off-Grid is a channel dedicated to the story of a couple that just plain got sick of living in the city their entire lives.
Unable to stand it anymore, they sold their home and a lot of their possessions, packed up their three children and an RV, and moved out to a 73-acre property to build their own off-grid A-frame home.
The project was completed last year, and they are officially moved in and carrying on! If you’ve ever thought about roughing it while you develop your dream off-grid property, you can learn a lot from their content—both what you should and should not do!
Bushradical
Another one of my favorite channels, Bushradical isn’t explicitly an off-grid focused channel, but nearly everything he does is indeed off-grid…
Having completed scratch builds of multiple modest but cozy and fully featured cabins, renovations, and tons of DIY projects, if you’ve ever wanted to improve a bug-out location or just start small on your off-grid journey, his videos are some of the best around.
Other projects he covers include the installation and maintenance of hand-pumped wells, power tools, and deep-dive discussions on all sorts of prepper-centric topics.
Appalachia’s Homestead with Patara
Another channel that will resonate with most of our readers, Appalachia’s Homestead with Patara features the eponymous host as she chronicles moving her suburban family to an off-grid, remote rural homestead where they now homeschool their children.
As you watch more of her videos, you’ll pick up on a common thread: she, like many of us, grew increasingly disillusioned with the direction that society was heading in and the hold it has over people’s lives.
Putting all of that behind them, they now raise all kinds of animals, including chickens, geese, quail, ducks, cows, goats, and more while enjoying a much simpler lifestyle.
If you’ve got a bad feeling about where society is heading in the near future, you should listen to what she has to say.
Life Uncontained
When it comes to off-grid living and low-cost housing, container homes are the hottest topic around. But boutique container home kits or outfitting from specialty builders can be nearly as expensive as a stick-built home!
Life Uncontained follows the adventures, successes, and failures of a couple that threw their old lives away to chase their dreams.
Moving from Florida to Texas, they learned as they went, building an adorable, comfortable, and thoroughly modern off-grid container home for their growing family.
They thoroughly covered every single step of the planning, building, and outfitting process from beginning to end, and their channel is an informative but heartwarming look at what’s possible when cutting the cord and going off-grid all at once.
Keeping It Dutch
Keeping It Dutch is a channel focused on a family of five surviving in a self-professed crazy world. Originally dedicated to Dutch oven cooking, the clan has since moved out to a rural parcel and is currently living in a camper while they build their dream off-grid home.
All the while, they are taking care of pet pigs, miniature horses, and a whole lot more. I’ve got to tell you, when it comes to properties, they really are living the dream, as their parcel has caves, a spring that feeds a creek, waterfalls, and more!
The next time you feel overwhelmed by your task schedule, take a look at what they get done every day, and you’ll realize you can do a lot more than you think!
Talasbuan
A strange name for an awesome channel, Talasbuan is the name given to the traditional homestead currently occupied by Tova and Mathias, a couple living a truly beautiful life in the remote but brutal Swedish wilderness.
The property has been in their family for nearly a century and stood empty for eight decades, but since 2017, they’ve been living there and filming their daily life, projects, struggles, and joyous moments.
And they are really, truly living off-grid: they gave birth to their son right there at home! Talk about nerve-racking! Nonetheless, they handle everything with grace, from gardening to the butchering of sheep.
MBF Modern Homesteading
A truly inspirational channel, MBF Modern Homesteading was started by Ashley and Jeremy, a couple that headed out into the Canadian wilderness to build an off-grid cabin and start a working homestead after a medical release from the military nearly sidelined their young family.
With babies on the way and more room needed, they built a second cabin and then planned an extension to connect it to the first one.
If you want detailed, step-by-step instructions on planning, siting, building, and finishing your own off-grid property, you won’t find a channel that has done more to cover the process in such detail.
Tom Marlowe practically grew up with a gun in his hand, and has held all kinds of jobs in the gun industry: range safety, sales, instruction and consulting, Tom has the experience to help civilian shooters figure out what will work best for them.