Batteries

[cliffy49]

Wife and I are thinking about spending a couple of days at Quartzite this Jan and were going to try spending it in the desert. I know the battery that have now is not really the best for this(Interstate 24 SRM Marine/RV) so I was thinking about two of these;






https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sligc110

Would the work for a first attempt at boondocking. I don't really don't want to spend the money on a Trojan battery or something even more expensive since this is our first try at this.

Thanks for all your feedback.

[dirtengineer]

Add me to the list of folks with bad experiences with Costco GC2 batteries. I just had a pair fail in just over a year. I did care for them well, and my last set of Costco Batteries lasted 7 years.

[Gjac]

cliffy49 wrote:

Gjac wrote:

cliffy49 wrote:
Just got back and Costco and the interstate GC2 batteries are on sale for $89.99 each with a $15.00 core charge. At that price they are the same as the Duracell GC2's.

The only problem i have with the interstate is that I havr not yet read a review where the battery has lasted longer than 14 months. Now, I realize that people do not usually post the good stuff but that many bad reviews maakes me a liitle worried. There is some speculation that INterstate may have switched mfg's and that is the reason for the bad life span of the battery. If anyone has any news or comments about this they would be appreciated.

Are the bad reviews for interstate batteries in general oo specifically for the golf cart batteries? The reason I ask is I had problems with their 12 volt starting batteries.

All of the reviews that I read were on the Costco web site. That would make me think that they were all in regards to the golf cart batteries. I would really hate to spend $200 and then find that the batteries only last about 1 year.

Even though I am not a member of Sam's club, I may have to pay the 10% up charge and purchase them there. They do have the best price that I can find on the Duracell GC2.

I am sure more people buy 12v starting batteries rather than 6 volt GC batteries from Costco. I am not a member of Sam's Club either so I had my freind who is buy them for me.

[cliffy49]

vermilye wrote:
I agree with those that suggest a pair of 6V golf cart batteries as a good solution for replacing a single 12V battery for those feeling their way into dry camping.

That said, if you decide that spending an entire winter in the Quartzsite desert is in your plans, and you want most of the comforts of camping with an electrical service without one, converting to lithium is an option. I went from a pair of 6V Interstate 6V batteries to a pair of 100 amp hour 12V Battleborn lithium batteries, and while I still cannot run my air conditioner, with a 1500 watt inverter I have no problem using a toaster, toaster oven, 950 watt microwave, and making a pot of drip coffee every day. I spent 78 days dry camping last winter, and, with 480 watts of solar, never needed a generator. Here is a journal entry on the conversion.

Actually the plan is to spend 1 week at a full hook-up campground and then about a week in the desert. I will be making reservations at the Quartzite c/g soon. As far as what part of the desert we will be in, I have no idea. As it get closer, I will spend more time researching the area both via on-line research and using the forums.

We are planning on spending about 2 months in the Phoenix area and I have already inquired bout reservations there.

[vermilye]

I agree with those that suggest a pair of 6V golf cart batteries as a good solution for replacing a single 12V battery for those feeling their way into dry camping.

That said, if you decide that spending an entire winter in the Quartzsite desert is in your plans, and you want most of the comforts of camping with an electrical service without one, converting to lithium is an option. I went from a pair of 6V Interstate 6V batteries to a pair of 100 amp hour 12V Battleborn lithium batteries, and while I still cannot run my air conditioner, with a 1500 watt inverter I have no problem using a toaster, toaster oven, 950 watt microwave, and making a pot of drip coffee every day. I spent 78 days dry camping last winter, and, with 480 watts of solar, never needed a generator. Here is a journal entry on the conversion.

[cliffy49]

Gottahaveit wrote:
We have had the Interstates (6 of them) from Costco for the past 3 yrs. with no problems. Keep water in them !!

As with any bad review of something, all of the people that wrote a review stated that they took excellent care of the battery.

That being said, all of the reviews were written in the past year or so. I guess it is possible Interstate/Costco got a really large lot of bad batteries. :B Actually , without knowing how many batteries are sold in that time frame, it is impossible to tell if the batteries are actually that bad or not.

[cliffy49]

Gjac wrote:

cliffy49 wrote:
Just got back and Costco and the interstate GC2 batteries are on sale for $89.99 each with a $15.00 core charge. At that price they are the same as the Duracell GC2's.

The only problem i have with the interstate is that I havr not yet read a review where the battery has lasted longer than 14 months. Now, I realize that people do not usually post the good stuff but that many bad reviews maakes me a liitle worried. There is some speculation that INterstate may have switched mfg's and that is the reason for the bad life span of the battery. If anyone has any news or comments about this they would be appreciated.

Are the bad reviews for interstate batteries in general oo specifically for the golf cart batteries? The reason I ask is I had problems with their 12 volt starting batteries.

All of the reviews that I read were on the Costco web site. That would make me think that they were all in regards to the golf cart batteries. I would really hate to spend $200 and then find that the batteries only last about 1 year.

Even though I am not a member of Sam's club, I may have to pay the 10% up charge and purchase them there. They do have the best price that I can find on the Duracell GC2.

[Gottahaveit]

We have had the Interstates (6 of them) from Costco for the past 3 yrs. with no problems. Keep water in them !!

[Gjac]

cliffy49 wrote:
Just got back and Costco and the interstate GC2 batteries are on sale for $89.99 each with a $15.00 core charge. At that price they are the same as the Duracell GC2's.

The only problem i have with the interstate is that I havr not yet read a review where the battery has lasted longer than 14 months. Now, I realize that people do not usually post the good stuff but that many bad reviews maakes me a liitle worried. There is some speculation that INterstate may have switched mfg's and that is the reason for the bad life span of the battery. If anyone has any news or comments about this they would be appreciated.

Are the bad reviews for interstate batteries in general oo specifically for the golf cart batteries? The reason I ask is I had problems with their 12 volt starting batteries.

[cliffy49]

Just got back and Costco and the interstate GC2 batteries are on sale for $89.99 each with a $15.00 core charge. At that price they are the same as the Duracell GC2's.

The only problem i have with the interstate is that I havr not yet read a review where the battery has lasted longer than 14 months. Now, I realize that people do not usually post the good stuff but that many bad reviews maakes me a liitle worried. There is some speculation that INterstate may have switched mfg's and that is the reason for the bad life span of the battery. If anyone has any news or comments about this they would be appreciated.

[Gjac]

cliffy49 wrote:
I appreciate all the help and suggestions I have received. As stated in my op. we have never done this type of camping before so I dont want to get into an expensive solution to this. I agree that solar would be nice and lithium or agm bateries would be better than the lead ones.

If we decide this is somoething we would like to pursue, I can then look into the other options.

For what you are trying to do the 2 6 v GC batteries will be your best option. You don't need solar, agm or Li to dry camp if you are a casual camper as you describe. Full timers or folks that like to watch TV, run toasters or have greater energy requirements may need more. I dry camp for a week with my 2 Sam's Club 6v GC batteries and they never get below 50% SOC, but I just camp and don't watch TV or have high energy requirements. I don't need to run genset to recharge the batteries for a weeks worth of camping. In a week I am out of water and have to wash clothes and bedding anyways. These batteries will last a long time if you properly maintain them, mine are going on 13 years old.

[cliffy49]

I appreciate all the help and suggestions I have received. As stated in my op. we have never done this type of camping before so I dont want to get into an expensive solution to this. I agree that solar would be nice and lithium or agm bateries would be better than the lead ones.

If we decide this is somoething we would like to pursue, I can then look into the other options.

[2oldman]

cliffy49 wrote:
I would not have a problem but the wife may be more comfortable with all the comforts. That is why we will be taking the 3100Champion genny.

I don't know if wifey will like listening to a generator run, or what your electrical requirement are, but modest solar and an inverter will make dry camping a quieter, cleaner and more pleasant experience.

[Boon_Docker]

$150 for a pair of Group 24 hybrid lead acid batteries at 160 ah that will need replacing in 3-4 years.
Or $240 for a pair of GC2 deep cycle batteries at 215 AH that will last 7-8 years or longer.
I would take the GC2 batteries any day.

[RickLight]

And 50% (or better) the price. I've seen the Trojans go for $400+ each, though $300 is more common.

For long term boondocking total capacity is a marginal issue. The genny picks up after the first draining, 3-5 days. Then it is just how long vs how often the genny runs.

At $75 each another battery will give you even greater capacity and still cost less. So as I first said, it comes down to your goals. Do you want to spend the cash now for battery life in 5+ years that you might not ever use?