![](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/09\/8326394f-d082-4fdf-9675-c05cfb96de67.jpg\")
\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/09\/i-live-off-grid-i-847835505.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAFTER biking across the country at age 19, an adventure seeker became hooked on the idea of living off grid.<\/p>\n
They now live in the middle of the forest and have gotten used to taking freezing showers and not having access to a conventional toilet.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
Calen Otto (@unruly_traveller) is passionate about connecting with nature and living off grid, revealing that they\u2019ve become accustomed to the small inconveniences that come with their daily routine in the wilderness.<\/p>\n
Life in a tiny home \u2013 made of soil, sand, and straw \u2013\u00a0is one they don\u2019t want to give up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI live in the forest, so I\u2019m removed enough to feel like I have privacy and I don\u2019t have to interact with society,\u201d Calen said in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.<\/p>\n
"But at the same time I can walk to my neighbors or drive my van to the local discount grocery store."<\/p>\n
They live with a friend, who built the \u201ccob house\u201d they now spend their days in together.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not a traditional home, Calen said they have all they need, revealing that, as a freelance writer for nonprofits, they even get enough phone service to work from there.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThe house has solar panels, which is how we get electricity. <\/p>\n
"And I can take work calls from there, but if I need more Wi-Fi I just drive to the library in town.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n As for the bathroom situation, that\u2019s a little quirkier.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a compost toilet, so we don\u2019t need a sewage tank. We don\u2019t need to pay for any of that.\u201d<\/p>\n And what exactly is a compost toilet? Calen called it a \u201cvery simple\u201d setup.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just use a bucket with a toilet seat over it.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you go to the bathroom, and afterwards, you deposit organic materials into it \u2013 so that could be sawdust or leaves or anything like that.<\/p>\n "Eventually you compost your waste and it can be used for your garden to grow things.\u201d<\/p>\n While it may seem a little unrefined, Calen said it\u2019s more wholesome than you think.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a whole process that it goes through to break everything down. So, it\u2019s healthy to use and clean.\u201d<\/p>\n And speaking of the garden, that\u2019s how they get much of their food \u2013 following a fully vegan diet.<\/p>\n Calen said: \u201cWe also have a discount grocery store that we go to a lot. <\/p>\n "And there are a good amount of places that rescue food that is otherwise going to be thrown out in the dumpster, and they give it out for free.\u201d<\/p>\n They also have their own kind of stove and a sink, using fresh mountain water as its source.<\/p>\n They said: \u201cWe cook rice, beans, and veggies a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cBut because I\u2019m not meal prepping, I don\u2019t have to store much of it anyways, so we just keep a couple items that need to stay fresh in our cooler.\u201d<\/p>\n That cooler doesn\u2019t have ice in it, but Calen said the temperature is good enough to keep her food fresh for a couple of days \u2013\u00a0and installing a refrigerator would use up way too much energy.<\/p>\n There are other aspects of living off the grid that took a bit more getting used to.<\/p>\n They said: \u201cYou can\u2019t just turn on the air conditioner when it\u2019s hot or the heat when it\u2019s cold.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you learn to become accustomed the natural elements. <\/p>\n "If it\u2019s chilly, you put on more layers. If it\u2019s hot, you take them off or go for a swim in the river.\u201d<\/p>\n In the same breath, they said the shower situation might deter some.<\/p>\n \u201cOur shower is outdoors, and obviously you can\u2019t just turn the heat on.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a luxurious shower and it\u2019s pretty much always cold.\u201d<\/p>\n That means no warm bath when you\u2019re feeling sick.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a little annoying or inconvenient sometimes, like if I\u2019m on my period and I just want a hot shower, obviously I can\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Calen thinks it\u2019s all worth it and believes others should try it out for themselves in baby steps.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been really good for my mental health, and the benefits far outweigh any troubles.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DD-croydon-v3_COMP.jpg\")
<\/picture>FINAL MOMENTS <\/span><\/p>\nLove note found as girl, 15, knifed to death ‘after rejecting flowers’<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24163022-1695812006464.jpg\")
<\/picture>sex slip up <\/span><\/p>\nThis Morning’s Holly Willoughby left red faced after accidental sex confession<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24159362-1695807080837.jpg\")
<\/picture>BUS STABBING <\/span><\/p>\nGirl, 15, dies after being knifed on bus as cops arrest teen<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GIF-wedding-blaze_V2.gif?strip=all&w=300&h=192&crop=1\"\/)
<\/picture>RAINING FIRE <\/span><\/p>\nHorror moment wedding fireworks spark inferno that kills at least 100 in Iraq<\/h3>\n
READ MORE SUN STORIES<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24156900-1695765162803.jpg\")
<\/picture>![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/initial-tv-productions-reproduced-editorial-843424245-2.jpg\")
<\/picture>![](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/09\/i-live-off-grid-i-847835458.jpg\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/09\/i-live-off-grid-i-847835461.jpg\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/09\/i-live-off-grid-i-847835496.jpg\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/09\/i-live-off-grid-i-847835459.jpg\")