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pizzadude
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 01:27am
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Just curious.. we all have different levels of needs when it comes to living "off the grid". What is the one(or two, or three..) greatest invention(s) you're most thankful for, or that you can't live without?
If I had to pick one, I'd have to go with the oil lamp. I love them too much. I've fallen in love with the color/style of light they produce, and I can rely on them whenever I am without electricity.
So what's your's?
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Jim in NB
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 06:16am
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Fire LOL!
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:13am
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greatest invention of all time =electricity
at both my camps I got it....the northern camp they did not want me to have electricity in a environmental sensitive area...( natural lake shore behind camp).....I asked at the meeting at town hall what caused the most disturbance a noisy generator or flipping on the light switch...I got my electricity 
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woodrow03
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:34am
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Quoting: turkeyhunter greatest invention of all time =electricity
Agree.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:58am
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So far, it's the bed.
I may or may not need to explain this, but when one progresses in age, one tends to appreciate comfort when horizontal.
For me, it makes a huge difference in how the next day goes.
I-I-I-I cannot wait to take our pillowtop bed to our cabin home.
Something I posted Aug 24, 2010:
Towards the end our our cabin building last summer, we purchased a futon (saves room in the day) for $25 on Craigs list. It was a must purchase as the double high air mattress we'd just bought was no better than the undulating single high one. Yes, we were going to rise to meet the day like most humans, not (as we've become accustomed) roll out and crawl to the nearest wall.
As a matter of fact, the last event that helped sway us toward a more bed like structure was early one morning when the wife tried to do her customary roll out and got her head stuck between the mattress and the wall.
Arms flailing, legs thrashing, sending tsunamis thru my aching lower back, causing me to scream like a school girl.
It seems that when rolling off, her posterior remained in the mattress, trapped in the swale, pinning her into a helpless position.
After several seconds of this, I did a power roll to save myself, ending up on all fours.
Glancing back at my panic filled thrashing woman, I began to laugh uncontrollably.
She never really has ever found any humor in any of this.....breakfast was cold that morning.........
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creeky
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 08:48am
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the one thing that I have always appreciated is the solar system.
electricity rules.
says the guy who did a "high temp wash" in his full sized dishwasher yesterday. and who's clean up chore today is laundry.
you can keep your plunger washing machine. i've got a winters worth of sheets to do. it's Haier time.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 08:52am
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The item I like the most or most valuable would be fire, be it a fire in the woodstove (wood) or cooktop (gas) but second is electricity, be it in the form of local utility or Honda generator. The inverter generators was a great invention IMHO. Oh, air nailers too. I couldn't imagine hand banging all those nails, especially the nailing schedule for sheeting, ie floor or roof.
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 10:24am
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Of all time: the match- safe, manageable, portable, instant fire (I didn't say fire because we really didn't event that).
Of the modern era: have to agree with electricity.
Of the last 30 years: the internet- a world of knowledge and expertise only clicks away.
Honorable mention:
air nailers- can't imaging building a cabin without it
beer- can't imagine life without that either.
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rmak
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 11:18am
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Wow! there are so many!
Batteries
Internal combustion engine.
electric motors
pumps
plastics (yeah, probably not popular with everyone, but picture your life without it)
the wheel
steel
aspirin
antibiotics
the coffee maker
language and a standardized alphabet
printing
interchangeable parts
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 12:29pm
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The on/OFF Switch !
Then of course:
Before Social Media (I found this and is appropriate)
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Gary O
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:53pm - Edited by: Gary O
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Quoting: pizzadude If I had to pick one, I'd have to go with the oil lamp
I'm gonna take a fleeting serious moment here.
I think sir pizzadude is hitting on something a bit less tangible than, oh, say 'fire' or 'electricity'.
I think the word may be ambiance.
Let's consider;
The oil lamp is the epitome of cabinry (I just made a new word).
It casts the warmest of light throughout the humblest of abodes, and observing the tidy little flame, housed in it's curved glass, settles the mind, calms the spirit.
Now if you are given to reading by that sweet flame, not long down the road you'll be tapping your way around with a white cane.
However, when the big star eases over the hill, cozyin' up in a soft chair and lettin' the day diminish with a bit of grace, well, how can that be beat.
We pride ourselves in flicking a switch, turning light to darkness in an instant, when nature continues daily to show us a gentler, softer way.
The oil lamp, turned down, resembles this, giving even our pupils a moment to adjust.
We bought a couple LED lanterns.
A cold light they are. Bright, efficient, intense...cold.
I do believe pizzadude hit it square on.
Keep a fire
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pizzadude
Member
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:38pm
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Thanks GaryO. That was kind.
There are a lot of things we rely on daily, many of which we take for granted. I was reminded of that today, opening a can of pork and beans,, behold- the mighty can opener!
I like the way you worded your post. I couldn't agree more. Why, I love oil lamps so much, I just might marry one
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 08:17pm - Edited by: MtnDon
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Notwithstanding Garys poetic words, from my practical minded eye, electricity and the inventions made possible by by both AC and DC current is what I consider "greatest" invention. I can dim them down to a glimmer if I want; even the LED's when the correct dimmable ones are purchased .
We have a semi antique, also just known as "old", oil lamp in our cabin, plus a brass lamp I built as a sheet metal project some 35+ years ago. We have not lit them in years and have no plans to do so. The reservoirs are dry but I have fuel on hand.
As we said back in the 60's... different strokes for different folks.
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Salty Craig
Member
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 08:20pm
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Skoal Straight, cabins, and sailboats
Salty Craig
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rmak
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 08:38pm
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I don't want to sound like an old school teacher (which I am), but electricity as such was a discovery, not an invention.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 09:20pm - Edited by: MtnDon
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Quoting: rmak .... electricity as such was a discovery, not an invention
Very true. But the electric devices we use were inventions
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AK Seabee
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 09:40pm
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indoor plumbing.
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w8n4rut
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 10:18pm
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Chainsaw.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2015 10:54pm
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The loom, Tesla would have never had the leisure if he had been shivering in his lab trying to keep his bare tukas warm.
The plow, eating is good
The chisel, all cutting tools are just a variation on that theme and a roof over one's head is a nice thing in a storm.
And I'll agree, beer. I wonder who the first person was that decided to go ahead and eat his foaming and burbling porridge.
Refrigeration, I like mold and worms as much as the next man, and how it improves burbling porridge after a hot day wielding the chisel.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2015 02:12pm
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Internal combustion engine.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2015 08:48pm
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love oil lamps.so useful and beautiful.i just have three.sure pretty.
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Jason Markin
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2015 12:26am
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There are so many actually:
1) Internal Combustion Engine
2) Magazines
3) Rain Harvesting Tools
4) Solar Energy
and yes, I do agree that apart from all, electricity is the biggest invention of time.
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:12am
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Water is the biggest invention of all time!
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suburbancowboy
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:03am
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glass
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2015 11:07am - Edited by: Just
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In school we were told it was the "wheel" but as far as small cabins go i'd say the solar panel , it gives us all the modern convenience's without a sound to ruin the solitude .
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beachman
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2015 05:45pm
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The storage and transmission of electricity has been great. The new applications with solar power, lithium batteries for storage and now aluminum battery technology is really amazing. But, it's funny with all the talk about electricity, many are trying to live off the grid. Yah, beer is good too.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2015 02:53pm - Edited by: bldginsp
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Cheap oil. Every product you can lay your eyes on was produced and/or transported with oil. One barrel of oil does the work of 20 men laboring for one year. Cheap oil is the greatest boon to our prosperity that has ever occurred, and makes it possible for us to afford all the gadgets we have. It's nearly free energy, it just comes out of the ground. Fracking will cause this pattern to continue well into the future, long past the point where we have put so much carbon into the atmosphere that the ensuing weather disruption will probably kill most of us off. But at least we will go out in style, in a convertible eating cheap beef and sugar, going home to all our precious oil-produced toys.
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bobrok
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# Posted: 19 Apr 2015 08:36am
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C'mon, it's gotta be duct tape. Can't believe no one said it yet.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 19 Apr 2015 01:38pm
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My grandfather used stucco and baling wire. Doesn't taste anywheres near as good as cheap Chinese duct tape
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 19 Apr 2015 01:48pm
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Quoting: bldginsp My grandfather used stucco and baling wire. Doesn't taste anywheres near as good as cheap Chinese duct tape
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