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Gridlessness: Finding Freedom Off-Grid
The target was simple.
Leave the city. Move up north. Buy land for cash. Build without debt. And raise a family in the wild -- hunting, fishing and raising crops and animals without the tethers of societal norms.
Jeff, Rose and their five girls did exactly that. Almost.
From the frigid grasp of a winter night's death trap, past the untamed majesty of unpredictable mountain plateaus, and into the squalor of an infested hovel, the path proved to be winding, punishing, and more magical than they imagined.
Join their journey into the Canadian forest where they carve out a wildly abundant life of self-sufficiency and freedom.
A cross between Dick Proenneke's 'One Man's Wilderness' and Thoreau's 'Walden' with a side of 'Beverly Hillbillies'. If you love outdoor adventure, want to take back control of your life, and don't mind a good laugh, this book is for you!
Leave the city. Move up north. Buy land for cash. Build without debt. And raise a family in the wild -- hunting, fishing and raising crops and animals without the tethers of societal norms.
Jeff, Rose and their five girls did exactly that. Almost.
From the frigid grasp of a winter night's death trap, past the untamed majesty of unpredictable mountain plateaus, and into the squalor of an infested hovel, the path proved to be winding, punishing, and more magical than they imagined.
Join their journey into the Canadian forest where they carve out a wildly abundant life of self-sufficiency and freedom.
A cross between Dick Proenneke's 'One Man's Wilderness' and Thoreau's 'Walden' with a side of 'Beverly Hillbillies'. If you love outdoor adventure, want to take back control of your life, and don't mind a good laugh, this book is for you!
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2026
Gridlessness by Jeff Burkinshaw completely rearranged my daydreams. Halfway through, I was ready to sell everything I own, move somewhere wildly remote, and learn how to split firewood like my life depended on it.
This memoir follows Jeff and his family over many years as they attempt to live off-grid in Northern Canada and it’s not a romanticized version of homesteading. It’s raw, exhausting, beautiful, and deeply honest. Between failed attempts, harsh winters, land that doesn’t cooperate, and the constant recalibration of what “enough” really means, Burkinshaw shows just how much grit, patience, and humility it takes to live close to the land.
What I loved most was the balance: the ruggedness alongside the tenderness. The awe of wild places paired with the reality of raising five daughters in environments that don’t care about your plans. It made me think hard about modern convenience, resilience, and what we give up and gain when we choose a simpler, more intentional life.
This book didn’t just make me want to live off-grid… it made me want to live more deliberately.
This memoir follows Jeff and his family over many years as they attempt to live off-grid in Northern Canada and it’s not a romanticized version of homesteading. It’s raw, exhausting, beautiful, and deeply honest. Between failed attempts, harsh winters, land that doesn’t cooperate, and the constant recalibration of what “enough” really means, Burkinshaw shows just how much grit, patience, and humility it takes to live close to the land.
What I loved most was the balance: the ruggedness alongside the tenderness. The awe of wild places paired with the reality of raising five daughters in environments that don’t care about your plans. It made me think hard about modern convenience, resilience, and what we give up and gain when we choose a simpler, more intentional life.
This book didn’t just make me want to live off-grid… it made me want to live more deliberately.
July 15, 2026
How to live off grid if you have a lot of money.
Ugh. This guy.
I read the whole thing because I’m interested in off grid living and building. I like hearing ideas about survival and living well in nature. But gees, this guy is preaching his religious and right wing political beliefs throughout. It’s not continuous but come on, I don’t need to hear all of that in a book that is about building and living off grid.
Also there was something odd about this guy… spinning his toddlers and throwing them into the snow… that can be fun for a kid, but the way he described it is that they were terrified and cried. And then later in the book, he couldn’t wait for grandkids so he could burn them with the back of a spoon that was just used to stir hot coffee to cause them to jump out of their seats, like his grandfather used to do. What a strange way to “have fun” with your kids and grandkids.
He barely acknowledges what repeated pregnancies, frequent moves, and caring for five children would have meant for his wife. He even admits that his wife having babies wasn’t really on his radar. As if it wasn’t a big deal. Wow.
To add to my irritation, this guy worked at a high paying job for a long time. Then he contracted back to them and built a large crew that he supervised, for which he was paid really well. Okay. Well that’s good for him. But most of us don’t have access to that kind of money to become debt free at 35.
He had multiple properties that he built up. Every time he got a contract to work somewhere else, he bought a new property and built it up to live on. He built all the things and had all the farm animals including several horses. But then he’d bring his family to live in a hotel, which I’m sure was really fun for his wife who was caring for the kids through each move into town then back out to the woods, starting over and over again with 5 kids in tow.
And then there was this story about how the family was living in a hotel in town where he was working and they took a weekend to go hunting. They killed something big, I can’t remember if it was a deer, elk or moose, but they skinned it, cut it up, stuffed it in their suitcases and then managed to sneak it all back into the hotel without enough blood leaking out to get caught. WTH? Am I the only one who doesn’t think that’s funny or cool?
There was a lot more that left a bad taste in my mouth about this book. It had a few practical ideas for a regular person, but it was really all about living and building off-grid if you have a lot of money.
If you’re looking for practical off-grid ideas, there are a few useful nuggets here. But they’re buried beneath political commentary, an oddly unsettling family dynamic, and assumptions about money that make much of the lifestyle unrealistic for the average reader. Three stars.
Ugh. This guy.
I read the whole thing because I’m interested in off grid living and building. I like hearing ideas about survival and living well in nature. But gees, this guy is preaching his religious and right wing political beliefs throughout. It’s not continuous but come on, I don’t need to hear all of that in a book that is about building and living off grid.
Also there was something odd about this guy… spinning his toddlers and throwing them into the snow… that can be fun for a kid, but the way he described it is that they were terrified and cried. And then later in the book, he couldn’t wait for grandkids so he could burn them with the back of a spoon that was just used to stir hot coffee to cause them to jump out of their seats, like his grandfather used to do. What a strange way to “have fun” with your kids and grandkids.
He barely acknowledges what repeated pregnancies, frequent moves, and caring for five children would have meant for his wife. He even admits that his wife having babies wasn’t really on his radar. As if it wasn’t a big deal. Wow.
To add to my irritation, this guy worked at a high paying job for a long time. Then he contracted back to them and built a large crew that he supervised, for which he was paid really well. Okay. Well that’s good for him. But most of us don’t have access to that kind of money to become debt free at 35.
He had multiple properties that he built up. Every time he got a contract to work somewhere else, he bought a new property and built it up to live on. He built all the things and had all the farm animals including several horses. But then he’d bring his family to live in a hotel, which I’m sure was really fun for his wife who was caring for the kids through each move into town then back out to the woods, starting over and over again with 5 kids in tow.
And then there was this story about how the family was living in a hotel in town where he was working and they took a weekend to go hunting. They killed something big, I can’t remember if it was a deer, elk or moose, but they skinned it, cut it up, stuffed it in their suitcases and then managed to sneak it all back into the hotel without enough blood leaking out to get caught. WTH? Am I the only one who doesn’t think that’s funny or cool?
There was a lot more that left a bad taste in my mouth about this book. It had a few practical ideas for a regular person, but it was really all about living and building off-grid if you have a lot of money.
If you’re looking for practical off-grid ideas, there are a few useful nuggets here. But they’re buried beneath political commentary, an oddly unsettling family dynamic, and assumptions about money that make much of the lifestyle unrealistic for the average reader. Three stars.
November 13, 2025
Have followed Jeff, Rose and their amazing daughters for many years. This book is a memory book. It tells some of their stories of carving out homesteads and being self sufficient. It has everything I like in books. A quick 5 star read!
November 10, 2025
Awesomness
This is so entertaining and richly written! A book for anyone with family!😍💕💕💕 Amazing adventure and great fun! Hope to see.more from the author!💕
This is so entertaining and richly written! A book for anyone with family!😍💕💕💕 Amazing adventure and great fun! Hope to see.more from the author!💕
Read
November 21, 2025This was a wonderful life story (to date). Laughed, teared up and really enjoyed the book
March 13, 2026
Fun read! Love the adventures.
June 2, 2026
Nope ..that one was not for me.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews