Great way for an introduction - a great trip report with at least a few pics. Sorry to hear about the heat, you have guts for even thinking about spending a few days in what I'm hearing about.
The repairs are the worse, but at least it's minor. I knocked off a corner jack when I jack-knifed a 5x8 utility trailer but was able to make a quick repair by simply by redrilling the bracket to move the bolts between the holes. With it being on the rear, not nearly the load as on the front so it worked. Then I had someone back into it at the storage yard and rip it off again so had to do a proper repair.
You could get by with a small cordless drill, hand saw, and puddy knife to do the entire job, but power tools would make it easier. To do it right, you will need to remove the two windows, the ladder, and possibly the door. The aluminum siding will allow a certain amount of bending before it kinds so you may not have to remove any more than the window on the side.
Just open it up far enough to cut out and replace the corner 1x2 at least 12" about the jack mount. There should be a metal corner cover in the area of the jack, make sure you replace this as it provides a little strength but more importantly water protection.
Instead of trying to reinstall the staples of the aluminum siding, I was able to remove them. But since I only had to remove them for about 18" up the side, no strength should have been loss.
On sealing the aluminum siding, I find it works best to lay down one continuous bead and the but small sections in the dips and just below the seams. Tends to squeeze out just fine. Work the screws little bit at a time with a few to ten minutes between giving the puddy a chance to ooze out. Repeat until you think you have a good seal and not much movement between rounds.
Good luck. Sounds like you have enough experience to figure it out as you go along. Look forward to the next stage of your trip.
