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Rain guards, also sometimes called wind deflectors, aren't difficult to install. I put a set on my Kia Soul. It took me about 30 minutes. The most complex part of the project was removing the side mirrors, and even that wasn't terribly difficult. It may or may not be necessary for you to remove...

I'm about ten miles south of the Canyon Fire in Orange County. I'm not in any danger and barring a major shift in wind direction, I'm likely to stay out of danger. http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/10/canyon-fire-2-continues-to-burn-today-in-east-anaheim-with-6000-acres-consumed/ Ten years...

I brought a cooler and a two burner camp stove to the last RTR. I had barely even set them down on the free stuff tarp before someone claimed them. The people who took them were grateful and happy to have them. I was happy to see them go to people who had could use them. If I'm able to make it...

This caught me by surprise. I had to cut a notch in my frame assembly so it would fit around the antenna housing. Wiring entry into roof trim through a submersion rated cord grip fitting. Solar charge controller installation complete. It took a few tries to get a photo with the PV light...

I had to soap up the wires to get them through the cord grip fitting. I also had to slightly modify the fitting as it was designed for a smaller gauge wire. The wires rout under this trim piece, then behind the tail light assembly, through the bumper, then up through the floor behind a wall...

Inline 30 amp fuses for the solar charge controller and the battery. Splice blocks for connecting the fuse blocks to the battery and solar panel wiring. Electrical tape to blunt the corners of the splice blocks. Red heat shrink tube to insulate and mark the splice block feeding the...

This one is for Kia girl. Removal of the rear seat. There's one bolt securing the seat cushion. It's dead center at the back of the cushion, just below the seat back. It's a metric bolt, but a 9/16 socket with a 1 ft. extension worked fine for removing it. You may need  a handle extension for...

I drilled and tapped a few holes for some 6-32 screws. I also turned the voltage meter 90 degrees. That was a bit of a pain. I had to modify the mount with a Dremel tool because the meter was not designed with a vertical orientation of the panel in mind. I primed and painted the aluminum...

For about two weeks I'd been trying to figure out where to put my power distribution/switch panel/voltage meter, then I had a flash of inspiration. I cut out a scrap of leftover carpet from the battery box and wedged it between the glass and the wall panel. As for how to attach the thing, I...

I painted everything black and carpeted the outside of the box so that it blends in with the interior of the car. I added a battery tray that was leftover from project from two years ago. Power distribution for the thermostat for the air circulation fans in the battery box. The orange...

Well, I've got a lot of updating to do here. I had to rework my battery box. I made the mistake of pulling the measurements from memory rather than writing them down, so it didn't fit in the space available. Fortunately I was able to simply trim down the ends, top and bottom pieces. For the...

Off hand, I'd say the biggest problem critters are other people's dogs, and they're not much of a problem at all. The only issue I had with this last time was at the camp right next to mine. Once the dog got used to me, he was no longer a problem.

A chart is a good reference, but is no substitute for load calculations. If you either don't understand or don't feel like doing the load calcs, it's a good idea to upsize your conductors on longer runs in order to minimize voltage drop. Another good rule of thumb is to never run more than 80%...

No recommendations here. Perhaps I'm a bit odd, but I have a fondness for stale diner coffee.

A while back I was out at the Mojave National Preserve on a particularly windy evening and I was having trouble keeping my stove lit. I turned my car nose into the wind, set up my stove on the shelf I built at the hatch back and cooked my dinner with no further problems. I do have a question...

I lost a trim piece off of the rear bumper on my old Frontier driving through Texas about ten years ago. Granted, the truck had been rear ended four times in the years leading up to this, each time at a dead stop.

I got the roof rails from SSD Performance. Bear in mind that they're not cheap. The roof rails for the 2010-2013 Soul run $239.00 and the rails for the 2014-2017 run $219.00 while "universal" roof rails go for a lot less. They also carry crossbars, but I got mine elsewhere because I could get...

Partially assembled with thermostat placed on the lid. I pulled these knobs off of some old stage lighting equipment. They were too cool not to use them! :cool: I still have some finishing work to do before the box is ready to install, but it's nice to be making some progress.

The partially assembled battery box. Vent holes. 12 volt fans to move air through. A thermostat to control the fans.

I finally had some time to do a little more work . I put together my battery box. First, here's my battery. I got it for free from my employer. It was used for a power supply on a set on the last show and is no longer needed. After a few measurements I cut up some scrap lumber. I asked...