Go to Wal-Mart and get their Champion Battery for $40. If it goes bad in
less than a year, get the free replacement. If it goes bad in two years
go for the pro rated warranty or just et another one for the = of two
tanks of gas. I usually get 2, sometimes 3 seasons out of this battery
as an auxiliary.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Royston, Jerry
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2002 1:28 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Simple auxillary battery question

Here's my dilemma.  I will be installing a 2nd battery next week in my
camper and still can't get myself to spend $160 on an Optima.  All I
want to
do is wire my power converter to it and be able to watch a 2 hour movie
in
the middle of nowhere on my 13" TV/VCR combo (rated at about 65 watts)
and
maybe run a small light or fan for a while.  And I don't plan to live in
the
van for extended periods so this would be only a once in a while need.
What
I need to know is whether a regular starting battery would suffice and
how
long would it last.  Are there cheaper deep cycle batteries that would
fit
under the driver's seat?  If a regular battery is all I need, is there
one
particular kind/model/power rating that I should look for.  Thanks.

Gerry Royston
'87 Westy