I paid $180 CDN + tax (on sale) for the two 40W panels. I hadn't done much research before now. I liked the idea of having the two 40W panels as they're about 14" wide and when traveling I can put them face to face (maybe with a soft cloth between) and strap them together - easy to transport around. I want to keep them portable instead of mounting, or else I would have looked into larger options for roof mounting.
I hadn't thought of the solar panel idea of maintaining the batteries while in storage. With them sitting in my garage I would have to figure out a way to mount the panels outside. I don't mind keeping the trickle charger connected inside the garage though.
Thanks for the link. I may also look for a similar connector to leave permanently connected to the battery and leave one end of the SAE connector (capped) dangling outside the battery box so I don't have to unstrap the boxes every time I want to charge the batteries with the solar charge controller.
