>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?

There are really very few choices for a deep cycle battery that will fit
under the driver's seat. If the above is all you are going to do, get the
best starter battery you can afford, and it will do you just fine for a
long time as long as you keep it charged when you aren't using it. Get a 1
amp boom box PS at the thrift store and use it to re-charge the battery
and keep it there while the van is sitting at home.

Your scenario is using less than 6 amps an hour which is hardly a drain on
the battery. The purists may disagree, but sometimes the purists shoot
flies with elephant guns :-)

John