That all depends on how much power requirements you have. You need to make a list of all your power needs: Fridge/12V cooler has uses how many watts? (Check the sticker).  A coffee pot, or electric hot plate often uses 1100 - 1800 watts, this is HUGE use, but of course a phone or laptop computer doesn't use too much. Most people who run a fridge and computer, a few twinkle lights and a fan can get away with a Jackery or Bluetti type battery.  I have a Jackery 500 that will run a 55 quart 12volt cooler for 3 days before it dies. But if you don't have any sun, that gets critical. 

Come to one of our builds and talk to our solar volunteers about how much power you think you'll need. 

Another source is to watch YouTube videos between now and then, of a guy named Will Prowse III.  He's fabulous at explaining solar power, comparing batteries and solar panels. He is an excellent free resource. 

We have a love/hate relationship with RVs.  We will happily work on them when we are able. We have people who can work on water issues, mechanical issues, and many other things. Some people take out components (cabinets, bankettes, etc. ) and build something new to suit their needs. One lady had a spare tire that fell off the back of her Class C RV and ripped a huge hold in the back of her camper. She could see daylight through the back of her camper! We not only managed to weld on a new bumper and a new bracket to hold the spare tire, we also put new fiberglass on the back of her rig to seal up the hole. Was it beautiful? Not quite, but there is still time to sand it down and for her to paint it to match.  She was just happy to have the hole covered so her stuff didn't fly out as she drove down the road!

Oh, I'm SURE you do!  Not only do we fix and build things, there is a team of people who SEW. They make curtains, they repair torn pants, dresses, shirts, etc. They make bags to hang in cars to hold different things. We also have a team who cook lunch daily for the other workers so that they don't have to stop working, they can just come eat and get back to work. Therefore we need people to gather food items (some will donate onions, potatoes, a ham, etc.) and cut up those items. Others will create a stew or some such item that is hearty for the workers.  If your vehicle is all torn up and you aren't able to cook, we'll also feed YOU TOO! 

We also have dog walkers. They come get dogs twice a day to take them for potty walks, then return them to their rigs and get the next dog.  They literally walk all day long! 

We have bon-fire builders, fire wood "go-getters", trash/dump runners (the dump isn't but a few miles away, someone with a truck will drive around, pick up bags of trash and take it to the dump on free days. 

We also have people who meet those with needs and talk to them about what they need done, then they assign the work to the volunteers. This saves a lot of time and if you need, say, solar work and carpentry, they will try to work the schedule so that you can get both jobs done on different days. 

We even have those who Vacuum vehicles so working is a little cleaner. 

We have those who baby-sit the "Free Pile".  This is a pile where people place usable items that they no longer need. Others visit the free pile daily to look for items they need. We, as carpenters often find discarded cabinet doors that are valuable to our work. 

We are a loose organization, though we are trying to get our "charity" status, 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our motto is work hard, be friendly, try not to complain too much, and above all, be kind to everyone, even nasty people. In my time volunteering, I have only met, truly, one nasty person.  So, about 99% of the people I meet are awesome!  Come, work with us!  We'll adopt you into the Aunt Hill!

Absolutely. Once Van Aid is done, after all the volunteer hours have been spent, we typically take a little time off to recouperate! But we are available for more in-depth builds within reason. We are ameteur builders, not seasoned carpenters. We "scribe" vehicles to get close to the edges, but it's not by any means a perfect fit. BUT we will help you get what you want if we are able. Come to us, show us what you want. One of our Auntz is a designer by trade, being in the Home Design and Drafting business for over 30 years. The use of AutoCAD and Sketchup help us get a good design for your particular vehicle. Once we've discovered what you want, we will schedule a time for your job to begin.  This may mean that we build it in another part of the state as we often travel to cooler climates as the spring begins to warm up in the desert.  Talk to us, we'd like to help if we can. 

The short answer: No. Anything in your vehicle that isn't firmly affixed to your vehicle (by a vehicle engineer) is subject to fly around your vehilce in an accident. But that said, even a can of beans can "bean" you in the back of the head while driving home from the grocery store. Yes there is some risk, but we attempt to anchor your items to your vehicle when possible. Those who remove seats, we often re-use seatbelts to screw into bed platforms to keep them from flying around your car in an accident. But we can make no promises that something won't become dislodged in an accident, just like the car companies can't promise you won't be hurt in an accident. It all depends on the accident, the speed and what you hit. 

We know there are risks, but some people have no choice but to live in their cars. Most don't spend lots of time in busy cities or flying down freeways, they tend to travel down secondary highways where traffic is lighter. 

We do ask that you drive carefully, though.