Two Battleborn batteries and a charger run about $2,000 for 200 useable ah's. We're not going there!
We have a perfectly good set of 6v Crown AGM batteries in our 5.0, but have had lack of solar enough times to need more electrical storage. We're thinking of adding a lithium battery in the back and am not worried about weight, since we have easily lightened our load by 30-50 pounds under the back bench. We started by carrying to many kitchen sinks on our first couple of trips. Our truck is easily 100-200 pounds lighter too and we now have room in the back that we won't be filling!
Our rule is: "If after 300+ nights we haven't used the item we probably don't need it!"
I would add either one of the cheaper lithiums recommended by Will Prowse or purchase a 100 amp SiO2 silicon dioxide lead crystal battery from
Azimuth Solar, that can be charged using the lithium profile. I've talked extensively to Azimuth twice and am confident in their product.
The main battery would still be our 220 ah Crown AGMs hooked to our GoPower 170 watt panel and controller. The lithium (or SiO2) would be hooked to our 100 watt portable and Victron 100/20 controller.
When with 110v services we could charge the lithium with a
NOCO Genius 5 smart battery charger if needed. I'm very familiar with NOCO products since I own one, and they are used by many fishermen to charge their trolling motor batteries.
I would install a battery switch to choose which bank to use.
Cost for the system:
$450 for the SiO2
$90 for the Genius 5
$40 for Blue Seas battery selector
$100 for items I forgot
The total would be $680 and that would give us an additional 70-100 ah's. We don't have or desire a microwave, nor do we carry any 110v appliances. We mainly camp in winter, spring, and fall when the furnace is nice, watch movies on our portable DVD player, and charge our phones, laptops. We camp without services as much as possible.
The cost difference would be $1,320 ($2,000 -680). That's significant.
I'm not here to argue about battery choices. I consider Battleborn to be in the same overpriced league as Lifeline. YMMV. Of our 16 campers, the longest ownership is the Scamp at six years, with the Casita at five. When these batteries die, lithium prices would have come down or capacity gone up for the dollar.
OK, what am I missing here?
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