The Life Rustic Journey

Hello! Welcome to the Life Rustic Journey. This journey includes one little vintage Shasta, a few acres of untamed Colorado ranchland, and lots of trial and error as my husband Sean and I learn all about off-grid life. I want to use this space to document the ups, downs, celebrations, and defeats that will accompany this endeavor. I hope to share this journey with humor and gratitude, and maybe even some unseen inspiration along the way.

Speaking of Inspiration

What inspired Life Rustic? Well, a few things.

Fall of 2016, Sean and I were living in a tiny apartment in the heart of Denver — along with our two extremely spoiled dogs — and longed for more room to roam. But with the housing market in the city and other factors and reasons considered, we weren’t in a position to buy a home or property with substantial space in that area.

So, after lots of daydreaming and researching (Pinterest-browsing), we were the proud owners and inhabitants of a tiny vintage travel trailer, originally built in 1962.

The housing market wasn’t the only reason we jumped on the journey, though. We wanted to go on this adventure because…. well, because why not? We felt an urge to channel the frontiersmen of old and part out into the wilderness.

Thus, the Life Rustic blog was born.

These days the vintage tiny house resides on five acres we own and (attempt to) cultivate in southwestern Colorado, after some time spent on the road in the Shasta.

And I’ll tell you about it here on the blog.

Our Tiny House on Wheels

Before anchoring down on our southwestern acreage, we were traveling all the time, and we needed something small and light enough for us to tow with our Jeep. So weighing around 2,000 pounds.

Our somewhat low towing capacity, plus my want/need for a bathroom in the travel trailer, are the major factors that led to us settling on the Shasta — even with it needing a little TLC. This size of travel camper usually includes a small table + booth which doubles as a bed, and also has a half-sized refrigerator, a two or three- burner cooktop, a little sink, and an itty-bitty bathroom stall of sorts.

Since we were feeling glamorous when shopping for our small and ligh pull-behind trailer, we splurged on one that contained a designated shower space instead of a wet bath, and it even had an actual flushing toilet. Yay for plumbing! That said, though, I’m looking forward to telling you all about replacing it with a composting toilet.

Weird, right? Wrong! In my opinion. At the moment. I think. I’ll explain later… 

Of course the off-grid tiny house lifestyle requires sacrifices, but if we’re willing to spend days on end in a home that is literally referred to as “canned ham,” then we are obviously optimistic that every two-minute shower or bumped elbow will be worth it.

So what goes into living a Life Rustic?

Life Rustic is really just a mindset — it’s all about living simply, in a not so simple world. And I guess that can mean different things to different of people.

For us, this journey began with lots of life-prioritizing. We parted with about 90% of our material things to move into the tiny house, and have learned how to spend multiple days at a time without piped in water and traditional power. Early days in the little vintage Shasta were spent bouncing around RV sites and state parks, while traveling deep into the mountains whenever we could.

As such, time spent on the Life Rustic journey has meant giving up luxuries such as the dishwasher, microwave, and long showers — among other creature comforts — but has come with the reward of amazing wildlife just inches from our front door, the most awe-inspiring landscapes I’ve ever seen, and a whole new appreciation for the land and resources that support life.

We have completely embraced a totally new, literally rustic lifestyle that forces us to get out and live, and we encourage anyone who’s willing to do the same.

But if consistently dirty fingernails and campfire-smelling hair isn’t your thing (understandably), then we invite you to live vicariously through our “life rustic” — with all of the adventures and mishaps that accompany it.

What you’ll find on the Life Rustic blog

Here on the Life Rustic blog you’ll find posts about off grid living tips, tiny house appreciation, my favorite home apothecary ideas, and inspiration to be found in the daily life rustic.

I invite you to follow the journey and join the discussion about all things simple living.

Welcome, once again — I’m so glad to have you here in my tiny space!

Updated January 2025