Scottishman wrote:

My wife and I have a FR Palonini 132FD. 16' LOA.

We use it for two three-week trips every fall and spring - and occasional camping in between.

We tow it with a Toyota Tacoma, and have a 100W solar panel on the roof, plus a spare 80W 'briefcase' solar panel

I always have problems keeping batteries charged and kill them. So this time I purchased a AmpereTime solid-state 200Ah Nickel/cadmium battery.
It's an awesome battery that is good for 2000cycles and will last many years - but the issue is that it needs 14.6V for charging and neither the tow vehicle, the camper converter on shore power (13.63V) or my solar panels will deliver that kind of oomph.

So I'm faced with spending a bundle on any of the solutions and that just seems like overkill. So I think I should return it and start over again - regrettably.

My question is - what's the best deep-cycle battery for this small camper, considering the type of use. We are VERY careful with power usage - just the fridge control panel; heater fan when in use; and occasional LED lights. Thank you

toedtoes wrote:

If you don't change your converter to a smart one, I would get a good quality trickle charger and make sure you have a battery cutoff switch. That way when it's home, you can isolate the battery and keep it on trickle charge.It is a LiFePO4 battery.That is considered by many to be the best type available A trickle charger is not needed or recommended

Did your prior batteries last the 3-day weekends on one charge? If not, how far short did they fall on your highest and lowest energy output trips?

I would aim for a battery(s) that can handle at least your lowest output weekend without recharging - so no furnace use. If you can get more, great, but set that as your minimum if at all possible.

I personally like the AGMs - it's just one thing I don't have to think about. I had good luck with the Optima Blue Top battery. It lasted in my clipper until the thieves stole it and f'd up everything. The battery was about 7 years old.

This time, because I needed new batteries in the trailer also, I went with the vtechs. Less expensive and same size. We will see how they last in comparison.

Lifeline agm are the most recommended AGM by folks here.

Flooded batteries are cheaper, but you need to remember to check them regularly. Sam's club and Costco batteries seem to get the most reference here.

A lifeline GPL-31T battery will run you about $400. That gives you 105ah. With the other $400, you could get a good trickle charger and pump up your solar a bit.

Scottishman wrote:

I just checked - the converter is manufactured by WFCO. Model No. WF-8735-P. The label says that the output rating (includes charging and load) = 13.6V - which concurs with my own test as above. I suppose, therefore, that this should be enough to charge the battery? It says nothing about two-stage.