I began with the stock FWC 75ah AGM. This provided only 37.5 ah of usable power. This was not nearly enough and would drain down to almost useless in a day. Only form or charging was from the truck alternator and 130 watt solar panel.
Upgraded to 100 ah lithium. This now gave me 100 ah of usable power. Also added a 175 watt solar panel in addition to the 130 watt. this would give me around 4 days of solid power with marginal sun (full sun longer). I disconnected the alternator as a charging option as the stock wiring from truck is too small and you need a DC/DC charger for this option.
I now run a 206 ah lithium. Camping in the fog for 4 days with little to no solar charging left me with 78% battery capacity. I added a smart shunt for accurate SOC tracking. I'm sold on this set up! It even seems to charge quicker than the other batteries when the sun hits the panels. I purchased the DC/DC charger and I will upgrade the wire and instal the next time I take the camper off. I'm in no hurry though because with that much battery storage I don't see having any issues unless I go a week in the rain somewhere.
Tons of information here on this topic if you search. Bottom line is if you need more power and to save a bunch of weight on your rig go lithium. Sounds like you have a habit of draining batteries. Again go lithium as you can pull them down to 0% with no damage (but you most likely wont).
What do you plan to power?
How are you charging?
What are the average hours of sun you plan to camp in?
How much weight can you handle?
How much money you got?
Keep at it and you will learn everything you'll need to know from this group of amazingly knowledgable people!
Good luck! It's a fun and educational journey.
Edited by Cpt Davenport, 16 October 2022 - 04:01 PM.