A few lessons from the trailer in the woods.

      Went and checked on my son today to make sure he wasn't frozen, hurt or anything else. I put him so far out in the woods he has to walk a half mile to use his cell phone .To make it worst it is like the old joke uphill both ways :) .
     He is doing fine but the camper doesn't hold heat for long once the stove is off . He has had 4 nites of 20 to 25 degrees this week but hasn't had to use the sleeping bag yet .One day was rainy and the roof we had added kept it dry. The sewer pipe and hole is working but the gravity fed water proved to be more work than it was worth. I tried to tell him to just use a bucket and the barrel to store the water close in .

     The power situation was a problem ,seems the way I had him set it up wasn't working very well . I reset the solar panel and checked the wires found why it wasn't working , I had a connector that was letting power drain out of the power pack bypassing the blocking diode . I charged the power pack, dvd player and his phone with my jeep before I left. Gave him a to-do list and told him to call me Wednesday before I come back Thursday .

     Even though I am not the one living there I have learned a few things.
1 Insulation is very important
2 the simplest way is best
3 A little power is better than none
4 music or radio will keep you sane
5 knowledge of alternative  ways to do things is a must !
    Now if I was to have to fall back to the  Bison plan like I had to for my son . I would have a better insulated camper with a working heater . As far as power 4 100 watt panels would probable do for power and entertainment. I would have my jeep and inverter for backup power. In 2 months the county he lives in will be having a tax sell and I think I will be attending. The lady that holds my sons property bought 6 parcels for 900$ three have been reclaimed and she got her money plus interest at 12% back. She still has 2 1 acre lots and one 3 acres with a pole barn that she gets title on come October. I think I will take a chance on a few  say 600$ or 3 parcels if nothing else I may get a lot for storage and a MAN CABIN !!!