Battery Advice

+1  Offgrid.  We normally look for national parks or forest areas where electricity is not available.  In fact when we go to Glacier or RMNP (Colorado) in September we expect 3-4 days out of each of our group size 24 deep cycle 12 volt batteries for a total of 6 - 8 days in one location.  Temps when we go to Glacier (MT) or RMNP (CO) are normally 45 or lower in the evenings so the furnace runs quite a bit. 

Currently we are in the hibernation mode and both batteries are stored on the concrete floor in an unheated garage.  In November a 2 amp trickle charge is given to both, takes 24 - 36 hours to bring each to a full charge.  Nothing is done until the following April when the same protocol is followed.  Been doing this for 8 years, batteries are still performing well.  Important thing is to keep an eye on the electrolyte/water level in each cell, keep them topped off.

The deciding factor for me in going with dual 6V batteries was that I use a CPAP machine. We also travel with our R-Pod and while we are on the road, we spend the night in truck stops, Walmarts, etc. without hookups. The last thing I want is to run out of power in the middle of the night. Since cold nights use the furnace, the added capacity of the setup I have makes sure that does not happen even if the furnace is running a lot. The lights use insignificant amounts of power since they are LED. The 12V fan and/or the vent fan use somewhat more power but the fans help move the air around which makes my wife more comfortable. The fan also helps distribute the heat from the furnace, pulling heated air from under the bed (furnace location on the 179) and moving it out into the main cabin area.

We do take advantage of connections if they are available, but we do need the higher power storage of the dual 6V batteries. One of these days when the price drops sufficiently, I would like to switch to a LiFePo4 battery as it would save significant weight for the same capacity but the price is way too high to consider now.