Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

The combined  Harvest Hosts  & Boondockers Welcome  route planner has been a great addition to our app tool kit for finding quiet and safe overnight stays along our journey through the U.S. and Canada...and you can now integrate with RV LIFE Trip Wizard app !   G et 20% off your first year membership  with   this link   and code CANLIFE20! From Washington wineries to Nova Scotia cideries to scallop aquaculture farms at the end of the road in coastal Quebec, we've stayed overnight at a wide range of fun and fascinating places around the U.S. and Canada.  Since we use  solar power at these Host locations, we don't need electrical hook-ups and don't bother anyone with the incessant noise of a gas generator. Every single host has been incredibly welcoming -- giving us personal tours and encouraging us to make ourselves at home and enjoy their property!  We even stayed at a vertical, hyrdroponic farm in New Brunswick, Canada. ...

Our Dream...Differed Hang on to your dreams, y'all!  And, put them on the calendar.  Sometimes we have to change plans and hope upon hope we'll get a second chance to return to bucket list adventures at another time.  In 2019, we had plans to paddle the entirety of the famous 92-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway in the Maine North Woods.  Hutch partially tore his rotator cuff and we had to cancel at the last minute.  Then, in 2021, just before we returned to seasonal work on the Maine coast for the summer, Hutch broke his wrist...badly.  He was able to work that summer as a sea kayak guide, but didn't want to chance a very long distance wilderness paddle trip with a healing wrist; once again, plans were delayed.  Two takeaways, have patience, and Hutch needs to stop hurting himself - c'mon man!  We've traveled in western America for the past 3 years, having some other incredible adventures, but that trip on the Allagash remained high on the bucke...

  How many watts do you have?  What type of solar panels are on the roof?    We can't tell you how many times we've answered these questions over the past 13 years. RVers are solar curious! There are about as many different types of solar panel styles and sizes available as there are styles of rigs out there, so it's important to choose what is best for YOUR rig, YOUR lifestyle, YOUR energy needs, and YOUR situation. See the pattern here?  It's not about what WE need, it's about what YOU need. But, who has time to do all of the necessary research?  To help out, we've tried to simplify this decision making for you by highlighting a few key features and summarizing many of the latest styles.  Check out these blogs for more details: N-Type Panels:  Great Fit for Smaller Rigs Bifacial Panels:  P roduce Energy from Both Sides 400W Portable Solar Suitcase:  Add Solar Surface Area for Any Season ShadowFlux Panels:  Awesome for Partially-Sh...

Happy Birthday RENOGY! This innovative solar company celebrates 15 years strong with a Huge Birthday Sale...use our CANLIFE promo code for extra savings! Our promo code is valid in the United States , Australia , Canada , and the UK . Founded by a very smart woman who was awarded a grant for a solar panel design while completing her PhD at LSU, RENOGY is celebrating their 15th year...and has expanded to 6 other countries! We rely on Renogy solar components to live, travel, and run our off-grid mobile business...EVERY SINGLE DAY. And have saved over $200K in camping fees since 2012! This California-based solar company has taken the off-grid industry by storm by making high quality, reliable components that work together seamlessly. Even with the huge tariffs as of late, RENOGY has managed to keep their prices affordable -- their motto of "Solar for All" still rings true! As solar educators, we've taught thousands of RV, boat, and off-grid cabin owners how to size and ...

We often tease that Canlife Correspondence is an Almost Monthly Newsletter. Sometimes we just have too much going on, too much to share, or are simply having too much fun to get it done by the end of the month -- and these past few weeks have been a combination of all 3!  Between helping Shari's parents and old friends with projects, diving into Hamlet maintenance projects while in "dry dock," and hanging out with good friends in our old stomping grounds in the Blue Ridge Mountains, we've had a whole lot going on this past month.  All of this to say, we finally sat down and got to writing.  We hope you enjoy this April-May issue... Stehekin: A Way Through Our friends, Jacob & Kara, run a beautiful farm near our "hometown" of Boone, NC.  Jacob has recently converted an old school bus into an adventure rig for his parents so that they can retire and have comfortable accommodations while traveling to and enjoying music festivals.  He reached out seeking our...

Scroll directly to the bottom if you are seeking tangible ways to make a difference!  If you are new to this information, please read the entire blog. If you've been following us for awhile, you know that educating and inspiring others to enjoy and learn about the natural world, living and traveling more sustainably, sharing our own story about making a huge life change , and bringing joy to others through visual imagery and storytelling are what keeps Freedom in a Can rolling down the road.   We try to keep negative news out of our posts as there is so much of that in other places. But, after the abuse of federal power that's been ravaging our democracy for the past couple of months AND flies in the face of nearly everything we stand for and value, we simply had to speak out about the random acts of reckless UN-kindness that are happening across our country right now!   The sweeping changes enacted by our current federal government are NOT acts of efficiency, t...

Nearly 25 years ago, we spent our short honeymoon on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, the southernmost inhabited island along what most people consider the "Outer Banks."  Disembarking from the ferry, we were immediately welcomed by a wooden sign on Howard Street imploring us to "Drive Real, Real SLOW!"  It seemed to capture both our vacation goals after the frenetic pace of our wedding week, and the essence of this village post Labor Day.  We spent a few days with our rented 1-speed beach cruiser bikes (complete with handlebar basket) taking in what this small, sleepy island had to offer -- miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach, a few restaurants, the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, an amazing coffee shop & bakery and the lowest of low-key vibes anywhere between Cape Cod and Biscayne Bay.  It was perfect.  Returning this spring, after such a long hiatus, we feared that perhaps change had swung its wrecking ball.  But, to our great joy, the small c...