Wouldn’t it be nice to travel anywhere with your Tiny House RV without worrying about “plugging-in?” Ariel McGlothin purchased a Tumbleweed 24 Cypress, and she customized her Tiny House RV to be completely off-grid, even in the cold winter climate of mountainous Wyoming.

“The propane heater built into my RV does an excellent job of providing steady, even and comfortable heat,” Ariel explains. “The only thing I would prefer comfort wise is a heated floor as my feet have always tended to be cold, but I chose not to go with that due the the power use and knowing that (my Tiny House RV) would be off-grid.”

Ariel chose the 24 foot Cypress model, and her layout was customized to have a large kitchen for cooking meals from scratch. Some other customizations include: converting her closet into a pantry and adding a double sink and extending her kitchen counter.

“I use my oven and all four burners,” Ariel explains. “So it (the full range appliance) is absolutely worth the space for me.” 

1). Solar & Generator

When it’s sunny out, Ariel is able to provide the electricity for her Tiny Home RV with solar panels. On a cloudy day, she switches on the generator to recharge her batteries. “I take an extra minute in the morning to run up the bank behind my RV to dust the snow off the solar panels,” Ariel explains. “I recharge camera batteries and my laptop, while the generator is running.”

2). Propane Appliances

Ariel’s heater, water heater, stove and oven are all powered by propane rather than electricity. “I need to monitor my propane tanks and fill them as each one gets empty so I’m not suddenly without heat,” Ariel comments.

Her refrigerator is Energy Star rated, meaning it uses less electricity than most models.

3). Water Tanks

Ariel’s Tiny House RV has a 26 gallon water tank hidden under the kitchen sink. She fills this weekly by hauling jugs of fresh water to her RV and pouring them into the exterior water inlet. The tank could also be filled using a garden hose, if she had one nearby, and if it wasn’t frozen.

Consumption wise, Ariel uses about 140 gallons of water a month not including her showers that are usually taken at the gym. “It’s been fun to measure my use of things.” Ariel tells us. Because of this, she has become very conscious of her usage.

4). Composting Toilet

Ariel has a Nature’s Head composting toilet, the fan favorite for manufactured composting toilets in the Tiny House RV world. She dumps her urine container about once a week. The “solids” compartment is rated for 90 uses before dumping.

For more details on Ariel’s tiny house or off-grid living tips, check out her informative website here.

All photos provided by Ariel (who is an excellent photographer)! More of her work on her website.