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This Couple Challenged Themselves To Live the Whole Winter in Their Off-Grid RVs

Living in an RV can be quite a challenge. This couple wanted to prove that it was possible to do so without moving for three and a half months. To increase the difficulty even more, they are not even connected to shore power. Instead, they have to rely on the off-grid capabilities of their RVs.
Couple attempts to live in the north for the whole winter in two off-grid RVs 21 photos
Photo: Tiny Home Tours / YouTube
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This couple is Chris and Linnea. Chris owns a 2002 Blue Bird All American school bus, while Linnea has a 2016 Dodge Promaster van. Each of them is attempting to do this challenge with their own RVs.

Both of the RVs are customized by themselves. Chris invested around $80,000 (€73,580) in building his school bus. Linnea invested $30,000 (€27,592) in her Dodge van. Their motorhomes have to survive three months of the winter cold.

The school bus has an upgraded off-grid solar system. It is compounded of four Sok rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, two 5,000-watt inverters, a propane generator, eight propane tanks, and 2,100 watts of solar panels on the roof.

Couple attempts to live in the north for the whole winter in two off\-grid RVs
Photo: Tiny Home Tours / YouTube
Cleaning the solar panels is also part of the challenge. Since it snows quite a lot in the place they are currently located, they have to clean the huge solar panels quite often. It can be done by using a long broom and an electric leaf blower.

To keep the vegetables fresh, a root cellar was dug. A trash can is inserted in that hole, and then a few vegetables are added inside it. The vegetables are separated by a few wood straws.

A lot of their food is cooked in the outside fire area, where they arranged a campfire with a Dutch oven. Linnea mostly cooks bread and large steak pieces.

In case of an emergency, they also have a Honda Element. When not used for emergencies, this car is used to store three coolers that keep all of their freezer food.

Couple attempts to live in the north for the whole winter in two off\-grid RVs
Photo: Tiny Home Tours / YouTube
The bus is heated up by a wood stove in the back. This area can be separated with a curtain to keep the heat on this side of the bus, and this is a good thing because here is where the bedroom is located. This wood stove is also used for cooking and heating water.

The bedroom fits a queen-size bed and a few cabinets for clothes. There is extra storage underneath the bed that is used for canned food.

The bathroom is located next to the wood stove and is quite small but has enough utilities. That includes a composting toilet and a shower cabin. For those times when the temperature outside is going too low and the water pump is freezing, they also have a portable pressure camp shower.

This school bus also has a fully equipped kitchen. It comes with a propane stove, a large sink, a fridge, and a water filter. Due to the lack of sun, the fridge is currently not in use. The cabinets have lots of storage for the propane and water tanks.

Couple attempts to live in the north for the whole winter in two off\-grid RVs
Photo: Tiny Home Tours / YouTube
Being in the middle of the forest, water can be difficult to come by. However, there is a river close to the motorhomes. They gather all the water from the frozen river in two large containers and add the water into the water filter system.

The front of the bus has a couch, two chairs, and a table. This area is much colder than the rest of the bus. All of their condiments and leftover food are stored in a tote box in this part of the bus.

Linnea’s camper van is her full-time home when not in the middle of the forest in a cold winter. She built the entire rig all by herself. The camper has a cabin aesthetic due to it being made entirely of wood. It is also pretty cozy with the wood stove being placed right in the middle of the van.

The bedroom is located at the very rear of the vehicle. It hosts a mattress and two sleeping bags designed specifically for the extreme cold. Her van also has a kitchen with a fridge, a freezer, a sink, and a stovetop. All the appliances in the van are turned off for the same reason the fridge is not in use inside the school bus.

Couple attempts to live in the north for the whole winter in two off\-grid RVs
Photo: Tiny Home Tours / YouTube
However, energy saving can only be taken so far. There are some strictly-necessary situations when the bare minimum, like lighting, has to be used. Those times are when Linnea does her work, spends some alone time, or simply wants to sleep alone with her dog.

The couple started this challenge back in December and currently, they are still going on strong in their off-grid RVs in the very northern part of Wisconsin. However, they say it hasn't been a hard challenge until now (except for the absence of the sun).

We cannot wait to see how this journey concludes at the end of winter, and for the couple to share with us all the things they learned from the experience.

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About the author: Angela Balaciu
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Angela has always been attracted to the artsy and quirky sides of the world. When she discovered the automotive world is filled with all kinds of wonders, a new passion was born.
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