Helped my dad clear land and build a house in Sterling when I was a teenager. Had the big garden and salmon from the River. Hope to do the same for myself soon.
Congrats! On becoming a land owner. My son and i are looking into Alaska, high desert of Arizona or both (seasonal living) "The goal is to build a life that you don't need a vacation from". That should be the mindset for all. New Sub!
Birch make great lumber as well, I have a sawmill and birch and spruce my main go too, but then outside of cotton wood there’s not much to mill here, you’re doing great and have an awesome attitude I’ll subscribe and watch your progress I’ve been in Alaska 56 years and I’m almost off grid but take care of my mother so I have fuel heat but I’ll be totally off grid in time, keep pushing before you know it you’ll have a home, good job brother
I like your wood stove setup. I like your location. Having an approved road next to you allows better access in case of an emergency. Nice place, you have a new subscriber.
well i dunno why you want to build, you have a perfectly good system going. Seriously i know you want a house once you have winterised the trailer you will be warm and toasty. In New Zealand where I live we would call that a NO 8 mentality, which is a good thing, it means you are thinking outside the square and making the most of your resources and recycling.
With the exception of trying to get a couple more acres you are doing everything right. Infrastructure is first. You have a place to sleep, water, electricity a septic tank. Now you can concentrate on the building of your house. Good luck and keep on keeping on.
I have lived off grid over 20 years. It takes time and money to buy the components to live off-grid with solar. I have one kilowatt of power which is a thousand watts in panels. I don't need any more than that to run a very small refrigerator and my lights. I don't have all the Comforts of a home with electricity. But that's okay this is my choice. I have saved by living this way.
I grew up in Alaska, lived there 55 years before retiring from the state. Lived in Anchorage as a kid (70's) & then spent 18 years on the Kenai peninsula. My parents came to Alaska in the late 40's where my dad started out as a school teacher for BIA on the island of Chenega. My father & mother did TOO many things to go into detail right now. Also, I think u should check out "Simple Living Alaska" (I think that's right-if I'm wrong I'll send u another comment including their correct name). But they came to Alaska 4 years ago from Alaska & they don't have as many nice amenities as u do & they do just fine. If I took the time to describe to u some of the many difficulties my parents endured when they first moved to Alaska (and they had 4 Rug Rats at the time) u would not be making any apologies in this video to anyone!!!! U r doing it & that's what counts!! So u keep on plugging away & do what u can when u can. I've subscribed to your channel & I will be looking forward to new vlogs. Good luck & be proud of what u have accomplished so far. My father believed that Alaska was the land of greater/many opportunitie, more so than anywhere else & he right. Patti
Going to be keeping a close eye on your videos I recently purchased ten acres outside of Glen Allen and looking to head up there next year and start some homesteading or at least living off-grid Alaska is the last bastion of freedom
Liked your video, just wish you would have done more during your process of your property. Keep us updated. You will get a lot of views I’m sure if you do more. I started watching when you were giving updates on the fishing on the Kenai. Thanks.
Just the word of warning you best get another tarp to put over your makeshift garage cuz the sun has a tendency of deteriorating the top. You're definitely going to need bigger logs to build a cabin
I remember being in a camper with a heater going when it was -20 and it didn't heat worth nothing. I'd be worried if I were him, place would cool down in 30 minutes probably.
Nice setup! Hey, don't you just need to run the generator long enough to charge your batteries each day (when there's no solar)? If you can afford them, Lithium batteries might be better (they do make 24 volt ones) since they can take a charge much more quickly which would equal shorter charging times.
Are you near the coast or is it mostly inland rivers that you’re fishing. I’ve been following since the beginning videos of the Wild West trail and am glad to see you making content again and inspiring young men to be independent. Thanks.
I live within 10 minutes of two massive salmon rivers and 15 minutes from the beach. I catch both salmon and halibut :) Happy for your comment. I can only hope some viewers escape the lie and commit to free lives
@@WildWestTrail Hah, well this channel could get popular, but you'll need a sexy exhibitionist girlfriend to share the homestead with, like Jake and Nicolle.
Hey man just came across your channel. You're definitely living with an awesome setup! Just curious, what is your solar setup like for AH storage (24 volt still?) and wattage coming in from the panels? Also I'd love to hear about this second hand market for panels if it's possible to share. Last question, what's your AH consumption for your well pump? I really want to start moving towards this kind of life and would love to hear the details of your power consumption. Thanks, and keep doing what you're doing, it truly is the best life you can live!
My storage system is 24 volt, in direct sun I'm making well over 2,000 watts but - that's direct sun - usually i'm bringing in between 200w-800w. Craigslist and Facebook marketplace always have a bunch of panels for sale, and if you're patient, something you want will come on the market. There's a lot of people up here with solar setups - which helps keep the market fluid. The pump pulls a little too much power than I like. I need full sun to run it off solar - and unfortunately it's been a rainy year. This means I need to fill my water tanks on the trailer every 3 days, and I generally turn on the generator. But it's not all bad, I usually need to turn on the generator anyway if it's been raining for 3 days and I burn a couple gallons of gas and top everything off. It's still less money to burn gas than it is to join the electric company where I am. Also, the fridge in my trailer runs on propane, or A.C. - which is nice and it's actually more efficient with propane. I spend about $50 on propane every 2.5 months.
Depends where you're looking. There's land for less than $10k an acre but no road accesess. For raw land, you're looking between $10-$15k an acre. Anything with river access or ocean views is going to skyrocket prices. But there's plenty for sale up here. Found mine on Craigslist
I spend while I make it. Once I had enough saved to buy the land, I moved onto it and now I build one piece at a time. This year (2023) I'm putting in the foundation. After I stopped spending money on utilities and rent, my savings rate skyrocketed. Having no expenses allows me to invest in the property. I recommend making the leap immediately and then worry about money for the rest of it in real time. You'll make more. Analysis paralysis will keep you a slave in the system forever
Don’t want to get to personal but what are homesteaders source of income? Takes tremendous time to do all this. Wondering when one would have time to earn a living.
I work online, kind of like a digital handyman. I fix websites and make digital ads work better. I don't have an employer, instead I'm earning money from dozens of companies throughout the month for jobs that take 1-5hrs. You have to think this way if you want to be free
One of the reasons people move to the wilderness of Alaska is the tree's and wildlife and the trees support it .. that environment is fragile and needs to be persevered, My first thought when I clicked on your vlog was this guy needs to plant a lot of trees ... then I heard you say you just cut them down ? How big of a house and garden do you think you need ? .. You almost clear cut an acre of land in the middle of the forest .. ?
Hmm. I don't think you understand how farms are made. Alaska is bigger than two states of Texas combined. There is no shortage of trees. Spruce trees kill all other plants around them. If you want to plant food, you need to remove the trees. The environment is not fragile here. The environment is fine
I just need Elon to launch more polar satellites. Highly considering somewhere on the Kenai for myself but I don't feel comfortable relying on cellular internet alone as I need good internet for my job. Any worries about the stove causing any damage to the trailer wood around it there?
You can do it. I run a successful marketing agency and I video call all day. The ATT towers provide better low-latency wi-fi than any satellite could ever manage. The peninsula is flat as a pancake and I get better cell phone reception here than I did in Idaho. The whole idea of satellites is actually kind of stupid because a physical tower provides faster internet and has less points of failure. I've been burning wood non-stop since September! No problems.
Haven't had the water line ran yet. But the well cost $60/ft and the septic around $8k. Remember, if you actually want to be free, you need to buy land in a place where permitting doesn't exist. Too many people move to Alaska and want to be close to the Costco, and then complain about how expensive it is to build up here. Smh. Buy a rifle and get a moose instead.
@@WildWestTrail we have spent the last few summers in the talkeetna area. I’m a back country white water/ fishing guide. The best part of Alaska is being free to do what you want on your land for sure
Not enough land try buying 30 acres don’t waste money putting any money into it just camp with a trailer and look for something else maybe you can sell it to someone who just wants to use it as an excuse to collect the PDF.
I think my use of a popular keyword to garner UA-cam views while accurately describing my lifestyle in as few words as possible works with the phrase "off-grid". I'm not connected to water or electricity. I think your point is more of a semantic argument but I've never claimed to be independent of human civilization. The term "off-grid" is a modern day definition of my lifestyle.
Helped my dad clear land and build a house in Sterling when I was a teenager. Had the big garden and salmon from the River. Hope to do the same for myself soon.
You’ve got it together you’ve accomplished a lot in one year!
Congrats. Love to see guys like you work hard and prove yourselves. Best wishes.
Looking good Joel. Excellent progress for phase 1 and the fishing is excellent in Alaska. Let the adventure continue!
Congrats! On becoming a land owner. My son and i are looking into Alaska, high desert of Arizona or both (seasonal living) "The goal is to build a life that you don't need a vacation from". That should be the mindset for all. New Sub!
Livin the dream! Pretty awesome setup even in the early stages, looking forward to seeing the house stuff too!
Birch make great lumber as well, I have a sawmill and birch and spruce my main go too, but then outside of cotton wood there’s not much to mill here, you’re doing great and have an awesome attitude I’ll subscribe and watch your progress I’ve been in Alaska 56 years and I’m almost off grid but take care of my mother so I have fuel heat but I’ll be totally off grid in time, keep pushing before you know it you’ll have a home, good job brother
Congrats!! Place looks great, and you got a lot accomplished! You are doing it right!
You are living my dream brother. Love it!
I like your wood stove setup. I like your location. Having an approved road next to you allows better access in case of an emergency.
Nice place, you have a new subscriber.
Gotta start somewhere! Looks like you got a great plan, rock on!!
Looking good for first year, for sure.
Ok buddy, I'm committed to this with you! Just an awesome setup you have there. Feel free to bounce any questions off us :)
Just a great blog. Very interesting and I actually watched and listened to the whole thing!.
Best of luck with all of your dreams.
Right on! Well done! Oh and good going burying the stumps and stuff instead of days of burning and pollution.
well i dunno why you want to build, you have a perfectly good system going. Seriously i know you want a house once you have winterised the trailer you will be warm and toasty. In New Zealand where I live we would call that a NO 8 mentality, which is a good thing, it means you are thinking outside the square and making the most of your resources and recycling.
My first winter in Alaska, the ocean froze. That made me determined to have a house.
I think you got it going on,keep up the hard work!
Kudos from South Florida. You seem like a pretty cool guy enjoyed your video.
Hopefully in about 2 years I'll be up there doing the same thing. Good luck
A lot can change in 24 months. Make the move now.
Looks great!!
With the exception of trying to get a couple more acres you are doing everything right. Infrastructure is first. You have a place to sleep, water, electricity a septic tank. Now you can concentrate on the building of your house. Good luck and keep on keeping on.
I've procured more acreage ;) stay tuned for the news
i really enjoyed watching this video. thank you for sharing your journey.
I have lived off grid over 20 years. It takes time and money to buy the components to live off-grid with solar. I have one kilowatt of power which is a thousand watts in panels. I don't need any more than that to run a very small refrigerator and my lights. I don't have all the Comforts of a home with electricity. But that's okay this is my choice. I have saved by living this way.
Wow you've done very well in one year! Nice set up!
I grew up in Alaska, lived there 55 years before retiring from the state. Lived in Anchorage as a kid (70's) & then spent 18 years on the Kenai peninsula. My parents came to Alaska in the late 40's where my dad started out as a school teacher for BIA on the island of Chenega. My father & mother did TOO many things to go into detail right now. Also, I think u should check out "Simple Living Alaska" (I think that's right-if I'm wrong I'll send u another comment including their correct name). But they came to Alaska 4 years ago from Alaska & they don't have as many nice amenities as u do & they do just fine. If I took the time to describe to u some of the many difficulties my parents endured when they first moved to Alaska (and they had 4 Rug Rats at the time) u would not be making any apologies in this video to anyone!!!! U r doing it & that's what counts!! So u keep on plugging away & do what u can when u can. I've subscribed to your channel & I will be looking forward to new vlogs. Good luck & be proud of what u have accomplished so far. My father believed that Alaska was the land of greater/many opportunitie, more so than anywhere else & he right. Patti
Good on you man! You keep doing what you’re doing! Awesome!
Great job 👍👍
Going to be keeping a close eye on your videos I recently purchased ten acres outside of Glen Allen and looking to head up there next year and start some homesteading or at least living off-grid Alaska is the last bastion of freedom
Killer work man!!! Life in AK can be great. Cheers from Anchor Point :)
Dude gotta put it more video your every man's man dream
Awesome buddy, don't listen to the jealous haters.
Just came across your cannel subscribed and hope to see the building all come together, I been 100% off grid in northern Canada and love it :)
Looks like you have laid a great foundation for your homestead
Liked your video, just wish you would have done more during your process of your property. Keep us updated. You will get a lot of views I’m sure if you do more. I started watching when you were giving updates on the fishing on the Kenai. Thanks.
Great job
My wife and I are currently searching for property in Alaska to start our homestead
Just the word of warning you best get another tarp to put over your makeshift garage cuz the sun has a tendency of deteriorating the top. You're definitely going to need bigger logs to build a cabin
I remember being in a camper with a heater going when it was -20 and it didn't heat worth nothing. I'd be worried if I were him, place would cool down in 30 minutes probably.
You can check out any time you like but you can never leave
Nice setup! Hey, don't you just need to run the generator long enough to charge your batteries each day (when there's no solar)? If you can afford them, Lithium batteries might be better (they do make 24 volt ones) since they can take a charge much more quickly which would equal shorter charging times.
Chase your dreams 😉
New to the channel. Pretty cool. I'm interested.
Road Trip!!!
You're still in my territory
It's a write off. I have two freezers
Thankyou.
Your right anyone can get off grid you just have to go for it.
Exactly!! That's the whole purpose for my videos.
Are you near the coast or is it mostly inland rivers that you’re fishing. I’ve been following since the beginning videos of the Wild West trail and am glad to see you making content again and inspiring young men to be independent. Thanks.
I live within 10 minutes of two massive salmon rivers and 15 minutes from the beach. I catch both salmon and halibut :)
Happy for your comment. I can only hope some viewers escape the lie and commit to free lives
Looks like a nice setup. I'm curious what you do for a living to afford all this.
I work constantly. Kind of like a handyman for websites
And obviously, my UA-cam money/celebrity status
@@WildWestTrail Hah, well this channel could get popular, but you'll need a sexy exhibitionist girlfriend to share the homestead with, like Jake and Nicolle.
Hey man just came across your channel. You're definitely living with an awesome setup! Just curious, what is your solar setup like for AH storage (24 volt still?) and wattage coming in from the panels? Also I'd love to hear about this second hand market for panels if it's possible to share. Last question, what's your AH consumption for your well pump? I really want to start moving towards this kind of life and would love to hear the details of your power consumption. Thanks, and keep doing what you're doing, it truly is the best life you can live!
My storage system is 24 volt, in direct sun I'm making well over 2,000 watts but - that's direct sun - usually i'm bringing in between 200w-800w.
Craigslist and Facebook marketplace always have a bunch of panels for sale, and if you're patient, something you want will come on the market. There's a lot of people up here with solar setups - which helps keep the market fluid.
The pump pulls a little too much power than I like. I need full sun to run it off solar - and unfortunately it's been a rainy year. This means I need to fill my water tanks on the trailer every 3 days, and I generally turn on the generator. But it's not all bad, I usually need to turn on the generator anyway if it's been raining for 3 days and I burn a couple gallons of gas and top everything off. It's still less money to burn gas than it is to join the electric company where I am.
Also, the fridge in my trailer runs on propane, or A.C. - which is nice and it's actually more efficient with propane. I spend about $50 on propane every 2.5 months.
Live your dream !!!! You only live once.❤
You'd see me out there with rigid foam and glue.😆
Can you tell me where that cheap land is? My experience has seen nothing but big $$$ unless you want to purchase a swamp lol. Place looks great.
Depends where you're looking. There's land for less than $10k an acre but no road accesess. For raw land, you're looking between $10-$15k an acre. Anything with river access or ocean views is going to skyrocket prices. But there's plenty for sale up here. Found mine on Craigslist
How much did that 117ft water pump cost you if you don't mind me asking
How much do you recommend to have saved to accomplish what you have done so far and to accomplish you house building goals?
I spend while I make it. Once I had enough saved to buy the land, I moved onto it and now I build one piece at a time. This year (2023) I'm putting in the foundation.
After I stopped spending money on utilities and rent, my savings rate skyrocketed. Having no expenses allows me to invest in the property.
I recommend making the leap immediately and then worry about money for the rest of it in real time. You'll make more.
Analysis paralysis will keep you a slave in the system forever
what part of alaska is this and do u do any gold paning
That is super impressive. Did you say you dug up all the trees in the ground that you didn’t keep?
I buried all of it
Don’t want to get to personal but what are homesteaders source of income? Takes tremendous time to do all this. Wondering when one would have time to earn a living.
I work online, kind of like a digital handyman. I fix websites and make digital ads work better. I don't have an employer, instead I'm earning money from dozens of companies throughout the month for jobs that take 1-5hrs. You have to think this way if you want to be free
How much was the land
Which area of AK? Looks like Willow. I am in big lake if you ever want some help or a new pal. LOL
I'm on the Kenai Peninsula. When you're dipnetting, stop by!
@@WildWestTrail will do. My wife and I are hoping to build up past chickaloon in 2024.
@@thatswhatshesaid1 God's country. I don't understand why everyone isn't
homesteading in Alaska
@@WildWestTrail me either but I’m fine with it.
Do you have a job? How close do live to a town? I’m thinking about doing something in a few years
I work online, digital marketing. I do a lot of gig work and contract work. I'm about 15 minutes from the nearest grocery store
One of the reasons people move to the wilderness of Alaska is the tree's and wildlife and the trees support it .. that environment is fragile and needs to be persevered, My first thought when I clicked on your vlog was this guy needs to plant a lot of trees ... then I heard you say you just cut them down ? How big of a house and garden do you think you need ? .. You almost clear cut an acre of land in the middle of the forest .. ?
Hmm. I don't think you understand how farms are made. Alaska is bigger than two states of Texas combined. There is no shortage of trees.
Spruce trees kill all other plants around them. If you want to plant food, you need to remove the trees. The environment is not fragile here. The environment is fine
It needs to be cleared esp around th house.....he did it right
I just need Elon to launch more polar satellites. Highly considering somewhere on the Kenai for myself but I don't feel comfortable relying on cellular internet alone as I need good internet for my job. Any worries about the stove causing any damage to the trailer wood around it there?
You can do it. I run a successful marketing agency and I video call all day. The ATT towers provide better low-latency wi-fi than any satellite could ever manage. The peninsula is flat as a pancake and I get better cell phone reception here than I did in Idaho. The whole idea of satellites is actually kind of stupid because a physical tower provides faster internet and has less points of failure.
I've been burning wood non-stop since September! No problems.
How deep did you have to drill for your well?
117 ft
I live in Estonia and paid 24 000 euros for a property on grid (water, canalisation and electricity)
Are you worried about brown bears or grizzly?I noticed you don't have bear spray on you,or a gun.You don't have a dog or a rifle?
lol. There are some things you show on UA-cam and others you don't. Let's just say, it's the brown bears who are worried
What did it cost to have the water line ran and the septic done?
Haven't had the water line ran yet. But the well cost $60/ft and the septic around $8k. Remember, if you actually want to be free, you need to buy land in a place where permitting doesn't exist. Too many people move to Alaska and want to be close to the Costco, and then complain about how expensive it is to build up here. Smh. Buy a rifle and get a moose instead.
@@WildWestTrail we have spent the last few summers in the talkeetna area. I’m a back country white water/ fishing guide. The best part of Alaska is being free to do what you want on your land for sure
@@shaunlehman9158 hell yeah! I think Talkeetna doesn't have permitting requirements
@@WildWestTrail that is correct!! What area are you in? I binged watched all your videos last night looks like you got your self a great set up
@@shaunlehman9158 I'm in the Kasilof area. I'm partial to the Peninsula :)
What do you do for work?
I have a digital marketing agency. I take every job that comes my way. There are no excuses to not make money in today's world.
Do you think youll regret only buying one acre?
That's a common question I get... Without giving away my location, I recommend buying land that borders millions of acres of wilderness ;)
@@WildWestTrail makes sense, right on
⭐😇💖🌞♥️💗❣️💝❤️
Who cares what it looks like as long as it works.
They came from Oregon, not alaska!!Alaska!!! Sometimes my fingers don't keep up with my brain!!
The last frontier in the 🇺🇸… hopefully Bernie and the left don’t destroy it. With the changing climate Alaska will be the place.
Not enough land try buying 30 acres don’t waste money putting any money into it just camp with a trailer and look for something else maybe you can sell it to someone who just wants to use it as an excuse to collect the PDF.
It's called PFD
Ugh, you lost me at what's up UA-cam
Off-grid means you have No Public Utilities. Yada yada yada.
You need the grid to support your lifestyle. Sorry to burst your bubble. You are not off the grid.
I think my use of a popular keyword to garner UA-cam views while accurately describing my lifestyle in as few words as possible works with the phrase "off-grid".
I'm not connected to water or electricity. I think your point is more of a semantic argument but I've never claimed to be independent of human civilization. The term "off-grid" is a modern day definition of my lifestyle.
you can make cranberry liqueur. use everclear. grandma used to make it. yum
A 1000 dollar natures head composting toilet would have saved a few bucks
Just because I'm off-grid doesn't mean I dislike modern luxuries.
@@WildWestTrail 😄👍🏾
@@ElectronicMusicUnderground no doubt 😂