> -Steven Sittser said ..snip...c hop....

> The advantages of the portable battery are:
>     - It's portable - you can use it away from the van.  (I didn't have
>any need for this capability.)

.......this thing is not only a battery that you can have at any
location...It's an inverter & charger... It puts out 120 Volts AC from the
battery...
enough for you to run your laptop w/ CD, or your cell phone/modern, DVC &
portable edit bay, keep you GPS'ed ...it's got more than a few different
plug types, out putting
from it.. it's a battery that you can use as a 120AC source, to recharge
your rechargeables......it'll boost start your van, boat, airplane,
whatever.. and it
will just about store any where... charging away waiting for your next need
of 120AC, 12VDC, a boost, or a multiple battery charger... sounds like it
fills in
for a lot of electrical needs... With all that packed in there... I
wouldn't know how well it would actually crankover my van on a Georgian Bay
morning in January... And lets see how well it's made in terms of
LEAKING...acid... ... which I think has always made these
products end up disappearing from the marketplace......

Cheers
Rob
87 Westy SyncroGL... Cynosure

----------
> From: S Sittservl <Ssittservl@AOL.COM>
> To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Input on Prestone jumpstart battery?
> Date: Wednesday, September 16, 1998 8:12 PM
>
> > Date: 98-09-13 14:11:29 EDT
> > From: maxjoyce@IPA.NET (Max/Joyce Wellhouse)
> >
> > Have any of the list members bought the $95 Prestone "sealed" lead acid
> > battery w/ built in jumpstart cables and charger? ...
>
> I considered getting one of those sealed portable battery packs.
> Since my camper had no auxiliary battery, the camping gear
> (lights, etc.) ran off the starting battery, and I thought it would
> be awfully easy to accidentally run it down and get stuck.  The
> portable battery would solve that problem.  As I thought more
> about it, though, I decided that what I really needed was a true
> auxiliary battery.  It seemed to make more sense, for the following
> reasons:
>     - Cost of aux battery plus wiring, relay, etc. was not a lot
>       more than the portable battery would be.
>     - Aux battery takes less storage space - it's smaller, and tucked
away
>       into otherwise unusable space.
>     - Aux battery has greater capacity - mine's a 31 amp-hour.
>     - Aux battery can be used to jump starting battery, just like
>       portable battery can.
>     - Aux battery runs all the camping equipment, making it much less
>       likely that starting battery would ever be run down.
>     - Aux. battery recharges automatically when engine is running,
>       and (if a charger is installed too) when camper is plugged in.
>
> The advantages of the portable battery are:
>     - It's portable - you can use it away from the van.  (I didn't have
any
>       need for this capability.)
>     - It's much easier to "install" - buy it and you're all done.  The
aux.
>       battery is a fair amount of work.
>     - It's somewhat cheaper.
>
> So, I went with the permanently installed aux. battery.  It was more work
> than I thought, but I'm pleased with the result.  I wonder sometimes
about
> getting one of those portable batteries for my Honda wagon, though - for
> some reason I keep leaving the headlights on.
>
>                                                  -Steven Sittser