(Part 2) Best car battery chargers & accessories according to redditors

In the long run they're all dead. 😁 However, these packs tend to have a few weak cells and the rest will last a long time. There are 28 cells in the second-gen Prius for example, and you can buy a cell for about $40 on Amazon. It takes about 2 hours to test all the cells to find the weak ones, and if only two cells are weak it's $80 in parts. The question is labor and warranty. If you're a shade-tree mechanic replacing cells is a huge win since labor costs are low.

I've got one of these in my jeep. It does everything this "solar" "generator" does, plus it will jump start your car, fill your tires, and it's got a somewhat useful little area light. Oh, and it's about half the price.

Here's what I got, though I was going to consolidate it in another post this week.

So I posted this on Reddit last month after I finally got around to getting the gear we needed. There are many non-emergency items that go in the emergency kit. This guy's post really made an impact on my way of thinking. I see the car kit as not exclusively for EMERGENCIES but for all situations where you need something that you would normally have at home and you simply just don't have it, like a pair of socks or knife and fork. There are two parts to the car kit, the Emergency Car Kit (which goes in a pack in the back of the car) and the Supplemental Car Kit which goes in between the front seats which is for a specific emergency where there's an accident and you need to get out and help someone asap. Some of the stuff is duplicated, because I like redundancy and they're needed in both scenarios: asap (supplemental) and general purpose (main car kit).

Supplemental Car Kit:

• Road flares (electric and olden fire type kind)
  
• Small first aid kit
  
• High visibility reflector vest - for when you need to cross the highway and not get hit by other cars, especially at night.
  
• Car Jumper - This needs to be charged and ready to go.
  
• Hand crank flashlight - Not very bright, but it's for dire emergency where you don't need to worry about batteries.
  
• Inverter for AC power - I just happen to have one of these that I got a while back. I think it's more of a luxury item but can still be handy in a pinch. You can charge a laptop on it along with phones or whatever.
  
• Garbage bag - Not for emergencies, but for picking up garbage when you're in a place that has trash all over and humans suck. This makes picking up garbage easy, so there's no excuses.
  
• Gloves - For picking up garbage, doing car work, getting in fight (I'm serious) and pulling someone out of a broken window.
  
• Parachute cord - An impulse item. I always need the stuff when I don't have it.
  
• Knife - You can never have too many knives
  
• Tire pressure gauge
  
  Here are the additions to the Emergency Car Kit:
  
  Emergency Car Kit:
  
  
• Small back pack - My thinking is that this is better than a big plastic tub. In the event of a true emergency it's ideal to be able to grab & go, which you can't do with a tub.
  
• Windproof matches - Because.
  
• Knife & Fork Kit - You need utensils (for each person) in the event that you need to eat. There are many non-emergency items that go in the emergency kit.
  
• Steel tweezers - because the plastic ones in first aid kits suck ass.
  
• Extra AA & AAA batteries
  
• 2 Garbage bags

This sort of laptop is quite cumbersome and will require external batteries. I recommend purchasing several heavy duty batteries such as this one. You will also need to purchase something like this. Best of luck with your mobile gaming experience.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010GKJ8F6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you dont mind ordering online replaced my 12v on my 2005 with this, took about 15min.

$148.56 with tax and coupon applied.

Thanks! Everything went fine until the last 500 miles when the transmission seemed to be acting up. Hard shifting between gears through the mountain passes. I noticed it wasn't until we hit Utah were the speeds are 80 MPH, so I think working it pretty hard had a lot to do with it. What you bring is going to be entirely dependent on what you want to do on the trip. I will say that if you're planning to camp, like we were, once you're done packing, setup camp in your parking lot and see how fast you can do it. Some days we just wanted to sleep, and with it being late and both of us being grumpy, setting up camp and finding out your missing something in another bin packed away really sucks.

We were moving so we had a lot of stuff and our stock leaf springs were really saggy. I added some leaf helper springs that were life savers and kept us from having to take the trip on a brand new set.

Travel with a battery jumper, compressor, and as many tools as you can bring, just in case you do need to work on something. I was fully prepared to pull over to whatever parts store I could find and fix most issues right there in the parking lot. Check out the Dewalt Jumper Compressor (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XD6XBCM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yR1GzbRN9709Z)to knock out two birds with one stones. The compressor is slow, but the portability and functionality of it was nice since we had neither of those things before.

We carried 10 gallons of gas with us through Canada and only used it once we started parking in cities, to avoid potential theft. I would imagine you won't need nearly that much for the east coast, but it will be a good idea to bring some.

We didn't have a single flat tire on the road, but we had the patches to repair most flats ourselves and also had the full size spare.

Make sure your A/C works, and works WELL. Before we left I tried getting mine to work with an A/C charge kit, but noticed my compressor wasn't even engaging. I had to take it apart brush the plates of with a Dremel and remove a shim and it blew cold for the whole trip.

I'll probably think of more, but that's the stuff that comes to mind right away. Don't wait to go do it!

Links for Amazon can actually be shorter! The description can be removed from the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRYBZCR/

You can strip everything from the URL apart from /dp/<string>/ that's all thats needed.

In this case: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01DVSSCG6

If you're lazy there's chrome and firefox extensions to shorten amazon links.

https://www.amazon.com/STANLEY-PPRH5-Professional-Power-Station/dp/B0051SO7JQ

This has been a lifesaver
My BIL left it here a few months ago. Harvey started coming so I charged it up.
It's great because it has an inverter so we can plug in appliances. It's not going to last forever but it's helped us get by without power.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01D42TYFC/ref=psdcmw_318336011_t3_B005IU28AW

I also had this sitting in my car.
We're using it to charge our phones.
We've barely made a dent in it's capacity.

I've also got some backup powerpacks for my phones.
Also two backup batteries for the internet modern that we use intermittently to check the weather.
It's weird that the power is out but internet still works.

With as advanced as battery technology has gotten, I'd recommend investing in a lot.
Our neighbor down the street has power and is letting us charge what we need to.
I think it's getting near the point where it money wise to buy batteries instead of a generator.
A good generator needs a steady supply of gas and my personal experience shows that gas is one of the first resources to run out.
It also needs to run outside but under cover which isn't really an option with this damn monsoon that's moved in.

I didn't really plan on using backup power. We just couldn't get our hands on a generator.
I'm glad we had this powerpack.
I'm going to buy a few more with higher capacities. Enough to run a fridge off of.

i prefer the Odyssey brand personally. I have an old bmw, and this batter is like half the size of the stock battery so i can fit some more small tools into the battery tray and NEVER dies. its amazing.

http://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-PC680-PC680-P-Battery/dp/B0002ILK6I?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

First thing I would do is take out the brake lamp bulbs and see if it's still draining. If that fixes it, add them back in one-by-one until the vampiric drain comes back -- at least that will narrow where the problem is.

If that doesn't fix it (and I would guess that it won't, honestly -- I don't see how a bulb could trigger a vampiric drain, but I'd still want to test it because it's easy to check off), you're unfortunately looking for a short somewhere (which is going to suck tracking down).

The possibly-easier-but-maybe-a-terrible-idea (and honestly what I'd probably do in an older car, though this will be harder in a more modern car) would be to move the electric feed for that circuit from always-hot to ignition-on. That's not ideal (because now your brake lights don't work with the car turned off, which is how they are supposed to work) but its better than the battery dying all the time.

Other, less invasive/janky options: plug it in nightly. You can get a quick-disconnect battery tender (http://products.batterytender.com/Automotive/Battery-TenderR-5A-Power-Tender-Series-High-Efficiency.html) but you (obviously) need one that can cover the 5A draw, so the cheaper (low-amp) ones won't save you.

But the easiest and cheapest option is get a battery disconnect (like https://smile.amazon.com/Ampper-Battery-Disconnect-Isolator-Vehicle/dp/B07413JWLD/ref=sr_1_4), but if you have stuff that depends on a constant feed (like radio settings or whatever), that could be annoying. And, of course, you have to remember to switch it off when you park it.

Or some god damn post shims!

Power from an RV post is typically referred to as 'shore power'. This instructible is about adding shore power to a vehicle, however he doesn't add an inverter to connect it up to his car battery. If you took one of the power lines and ran it to an ac to dc inverter you could then run it to charge the car battery. You could also add in a deep cycle marine battery to store power when no shore power is available. You would want to add the battery in the circuit so it's before the internal power plugs.

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I hope this helps you find an answer you are looking for!

Hope this helps
2 12V Photoelectric relays
12V motor
6mm bore pully to match motor shaft
Project box
2 limit switches
Solar panel
Battery
If not solar powered. Aka no solar panel or battery

If you have any other questions let me know I am at work and I will answer what I can on my phone

Edit: I forgot a pully to run the rope from, but the motor I linked has so much torque you could go direct no problem, and lumbar to build the door. I estimated about 10$ for wood. I used all treated, as that's what I had laying around, but its probably not necessary as most of the door on my design was in the coop. I can make you a wiring diagram as well if you are interested. That reminds me you should use 4 zener diodes (just because you only need 4 doesn't mean you shouldn buy a 100 for future projects :) also if you goto an electronics store you will pay 5-6$ for 6 diodes) to stop flash back through the whole circuit from the reversing of polarity with the motor.

What's the difference between this and the T3 model? The only thing I could find was the T3 has one fewer USB ports and is $10 less.

I put an instant jump start in my wife's car.

1. You don't need another car.
   
2. It won't turn on if it's hooked up backwards.
   
   Here's a cheap one, but you get what you pay for.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-XP400-Instant-Portable-Source/dp/B004EIDD2Q/
   
   

Ran an electrical system in my Subaru with an auxiliary battery charged off the alternator.

80 Amp isolator relay (switches charging on while car is running):
https://www.amazon.com/Stinger-SGP38-80-AMP-Battery-Isolator/dp/B001HC6UJ0

100AH 12V AGM battery: https://www.amazon.com/Universal-UB121000-45978-100AH-Cycle-Battery/dp/B00S1RT58C

2Ga Wire running the length from the Relay in the engine bay to the battery.

Kinda Extra things:
Kill Switch: https://www.amazon.com/Ampper-Battery-Switch-12-Disconnect/dp/B07413JWLD
100A inline Fuse
Multimeter (read current voltage, Amperage, etc): www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-100V-Display-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B013PKYILS/

Cheapest I could find was around $160. That's just criminal to charge that much for a small battery.

I picked it up off Amazon because I had gift cards.
Link

Not too far off.

Really good write up, very helpful to people just starting out on long trips, like myself. I'd add one thing, a portable jump starter. Ever ran your battery flat before realising your kill switch is on? Ever come across a motorcycle brother laid up on the side of the road with a dead battery? These things are a fucking godsend, and they'll slot into you inner jacket pocket, or just chuck them in the box.

URLs don't have to be that long: https://www.amazon.com/RG1000-Safety-INTELLIBOOST-Flashlight-Charging/dp/B07HRYBZCR/

ref= onward can be deleted.

Schumacher BAF-2 Battery Post Shims
Lynx Battery Terminal End and Adapter

They're soft enough to easily conform as the terminal is tightened and they're barely noticeable once installed. I put one on my car last year and haven't had a problem.

>I trust these guys a lot

And here you are.

-Lower ball joints seeping grease: They can do that for a while. Your shop doesn't seem to want to replace them though, so.

-Leaking pan gasket: You can afford to have a lot of oil leaking for $350. Are you leaking enough to have to add oil because of the leak between oil changes? No? Then unless you are a Rockefeller (or are damaging the surfaces you park it on) I'd leave it alone.


-Struts and mounts--Because they are 'weak' and the boots are torn. Don't care about the 'torn', but weak? Maybe. Does it drive and handle ok? Are your tires wearing funny?

-Alignment: Yeah, if you do the struts, you might want to align it.

-Battery service: For $50, you can probably disconnect the battery, clean the terminals yourself. Oh, don't forget the corrosion protectors

Try getting a battery terminal brush and scrub the daylights out of the bolts and posts and everything, then reassemble. Get everything really tight. See if that helps

Write yourself a reminder of how to start a fire with the items within your car:

How to start a fire with your car battery

You know, in case you do not have a cigarette lighter working in your car.


It is REALLY. IMPORTANT. To stay dry. Get a slicker for each member of your family, as well as sturdy, water proof foot gear. If you can get a combo snow coat/water proof whatchmacallit, that is perfect. I personally take all items, and vacuum seal them in ziplock Space bags (including first aid, flashlights, flares, everything, to ensure they are protected from moisture before being placed into the duffle bag)

Handwarmers. A buttload of handwarmers. The can last up to 10 hours!


first aid kits, -40 degree sleeping bags, solar rechargeable/hand cranking latterns/flashlights, a simple manual on field survival (scavenging for food, simple traps, signaling for help, a small sum of money in case you need to purchase gas/towing/food, flares, freeze dried, high calorie foods (nuts work amazing))

Water. I am a bit miffed at the person that said he does not store water, but carries a water filter. ALWAYS. CARRY. WATER. A 24 pack of water bottles in the trunk with the tire is good, or a few liter bottles with some air space for expansion. Having a water filter does nothing if you do not have a source for water, or the means to melt snow/ice. Get a water filter as something supplementary. Pack a cheap multi tool and a good knife as well.

A fire starter (flint) and some simple kindling(a sandwich baggie of cotton balls) added tip--coat your cotton balls partially in vaseline, it will increase the flammability of the cotton, and help repel water.


Something I also include, is a pair of foot long 2x4 pieces. I name them the 'clackers'. Smacking 2x4's together is akin to a gun shot, and will get the attention of someone if you do the typical SOS morse code pattern. They also scare away wildlife. Although I always travel armed.

A typical portable jump starting battery
You can often find these little systems with ports which can charge your phone.

A tarp or tent in case your car is compromised and cannot provide adequate shelter

Maps, both local and national (in case you travel) and a compass.

A simple dig out kit for getting your car free (shovel, kitty litter, or a tin can and candle trick, ropes, tire chains, etc)

You can buy a battery jumper from Amazon for $40-70.

It's basically a big USB power block with alligator clips. It also doubles as a big phone/tablet charger when you're not using it to jump cars

Here's one I've been happily using often for about 4 months (I have an electrical issue with my car and need to jump it repeatedly per week):

aickar 800A Peak 19800mAh Car Jump Starter (All Gas & 4.5L Diesel Engine) Portable Car Battery Jump Starter, Power Bank, Built-in LED Flashlight with Car Jumper Cables Heavy Duty

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J5G8PF6/

Everyone seems to be recommending rather small batteries, and its a decent size case, so it can fit quite a lot of watt/hrs.

For the price you cant beat SLA, so I would recommend a small car/motorcycle battery. I run an Odyssey PC680 in my "race car", and I think that battery would fit perfectly, with enough room for wiring in charging ports. The battery is 7 1/16" in length, 3" wide, and
6 9/16" tall.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01DVSSCG6

Edit: Fixed link

https://smile.amazon.com/Hybrid-Battery-Module-Toyota-Chrysler/dp/B01M2X2ZXF?sa-no-redirect=1

Slightly more complicated, but you can also just replace some or all of the bad cells. There are about 28 of them in a 2nd generation, selling for about $36 each.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5ey4QX6L_8

https://www.amazon.com/HYBRID-PARTS-Hybrid-Battery-Module/dp/B01M2X2ZXF

Put a split charge relay on the out put of your controller

This thing

> You state that your batteries are in series but that would make this a 24V system and you only have a 12V inverter. I think you meant they are parallel. They appear to be parallel in the photo as well.

Thank you for the observation. I've updated the page.

> Also though you have sealed batteries, they should be isolated from the other electronics incase they burst leaking acid and hydrogen gas.

I was under the impression that AGM batteries did not leak unless punctured or dropped. Would putting each battery in a container like this and let the airflow push the air out of the main container be enough?

> ...the inverter should be a larger fuse though, likely more like 60a if not 80a.

While I was testing the inverter capacity I blew its internal 40 am fuse, So i figured using a 40 am breaker would be enough. if I increase the breaker to 60 or 80 as you described, wouldn't that allow the internal inverter fuse to blow again?

> The wire you have appears to be too small for the inverter amp draw.

I am using AWG10 for these connections. Others have also mentioned that this may not be think enough. Would going to a size 6 be enough?

Thanks very much for your feedback, by the way! I'm still learning but all the comments and suggestions help a lot!

You can pick one up from Amazon for $156

https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-ACDB24R-Advantage-Automotive-Battery/dp/B010GKJ8F6

Installation is fairly easy. What the other guy said is true that the CCA's doesn't mean anything in a Prius as it is only used to power electronics and not to start the ICE itself like a normal car.

nice work! I have been using my DC out port on this to charge my OMNI in times of need. I love the versatility of this thing!

https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-PC680-Battery/dp/B0002ILK6I/ref=br_lf_m_ju3cfaks72py6fu_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=automotive

Can't loose it. Only weighs 15 pounds. Fits in backpack. A fraction of cost. Tripple the battery life.

I havent posted a link before so bear with me. The one i have will start your car, inflate your tire, and also has a couple AC outlets. But there are cheaper simpler versions on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051SO7JQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1527098086&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=car+battery+jump+starter+outlet+inflator&dpPl=1&dpID=418GaaN1YDL&ref=plSrch

I got a good jump starter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013AI1FJI/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

You can use a breaker fuse, but I’m always worried that the lever arm will wear out. I would use a high amp battery switch like this: Ampper Battery Switch, 12-48 V Battery Power Cut Master Switch Disconnect Isolator for Car, Vehicle, RV and Boat (On/Off) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07413JWLD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Y5LzDbHDH0EDK

Amazon has some. This one has 3 USB ports for charging . And, this one charges rechargable batteries

What kinda charger you want?

I do AAs and AAAs in this http://www.amazon.com/C-Crane-SBC-11-in-1-Battery-Charger/dp/B001BKS3Z2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1394830367&sr=8-4&keywords=solar+aa+charger

works great, usually 3 hrs of direct sun will do er, even in winter. rain snow and ice don't affect it

Leaching onto parent question:
Say i had a 12V car battery like this

and a blower fan like this or more simply an oscilating fan like this

How do I figure out how long the battery would let the fan run on a single charge? As in not hooked up to solar or the car battery.

Any help with how to calculate this would be very appreciated, a fan seems very crucial

Here is one from Amazon at $68. Suggest you check Sam's Club and Costco website as both usually have other brands and for less money.

https://smile.amazon.com/RG1000-Safety-INTELLIBOOST-Flashlight-Charging/dp/B07HRYBZCR/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=31U01JU7TPIKL&keywords=liion+battery+jumper&qid=1569166854&s=gateway&smid=A38OXV6NWPEVPR&sprefix=li-ion+jumper%2Caps%2C1136&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFLNFVURE5LMjI5S1AmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NTcwODYyRlBHTjlaRFBVVEtXJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwMTM0NzVIUDAwN0RZVkgzNDgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Sure.
Lots of people use this one which is nice because it's got all you need built in plus some fancier features out of the box.

What I use and was talking about previous is something like this and this

For the longest while, I was bitten by the Car Audio bug. I used to to run a 900 watt inverter in my Camry, with two 7 inch LED screens and a 1500 watts of amplifiers.

When I first started, I'd get an hour or two before the low voltage warning, but this was on the vehicle battery which was at that point several years old.

Later, I added a trunk mounted second battery with an isolator, which ran all of the auxiliary electronics when the engine wasn't running. With a fresh deep cycle battery, I'd get 4 or 5 hours before the warning.

A sealed lead acid battery can still leak, especially if you overcharge it. For what you want, it sounds like you want a Deep Cycle AGM battery, like an Optima Blue Top. Clearly the battery isn't going to be cheap, so don't skimp on the charger either. A bad charger will kill your new $200+ battery faster than anything else.

problem solved

Great idea with the fan. I used a battery powered one before, but it’s so weak and you have to constantly get new batteries.. see if you can find a portable “usb powered” one or something like that—assuming your car has a always on port where it could keep it on even if the car is turned off. Otherwise you can hook it up to a good battery pack of some sort.


I had a battery pack that was SUPER handy. It was one of those “car jumper” batteries—which you should own anyway so you can jump your own car and not get stranded somewhere. Anyway we would charge it every time we were over at a park with electrical hookup, and it would last us at least two or three days of charging small electronic devices (such as laptops, cameras, etc) when needed. I def recommend you get one if you don’t already have it.


We also had a mini cooler/fridge that hooks up to the cigarette lighter. Saved us some money from eating out all the time.

Use the yellow top optima Prius battery.

Optima Batteries 8171-767 (DS46B24R) YellowTop Prius Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VFEJJQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-3r5AbW7FJ68P

It isn't small. But it's not like I'm trying to carry it in my pocket.

Aickar 800A Peak 19800mAh Car Jump Starter

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J5G8PF6?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

This is the correct answer, OP. Get one of these.

Yes, I just had this happen to me and it's the 12V battery. Somewhat easy to change on your own. You can test the charge using the tutorial that was posted by /u/youmustlikeit. If you're doing it yourself, get the Optima battery. It's better both in quality and in price than the OEM.

My current battery is an odyssey that I got off amazon. I ride year around, but in Seattle the cold days are only around 40F, so not super cold. It has worked great for me, can be found here; http://amzn.com/B0002ILK6I

absorbant glass mat, which was in my 07 and seems to be in most, but not sure about Gen 1, if that's what you have. I used this for my 07

https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-BAF-B1-Terminal-Cleaning-Brush/dp/B0060YHP62/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502441119&sr=8-2&keywords=battery+terminal+brush+cleaner

I have this VSR battery idolater, which states it has 'surge protection.' Do I still need to add fuses on either side of it?

I bought one of these when my car battery started to go and it has saved so much headache/hassle. bringing it to weekend 1

https://www.amazon.com/Arteck-External-Automotive-Motorcycle-Flashlight/dp/B01DVSSCG6/ref=sr_1_7?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1522163425&sr=1-7&keywords=external+battery+car+jumper

Hmmm... this is pretty cool: Schumacher XP400 Instant Portable Power Source

And this looks incredibly fun (in an evil way): Gloom

Quick question regarding battery storage - what sort of containers are ideal for storing lithium ion/"lipo" batteries? I am currently forced to store them in my living space and it makes me a little nervous since I have no protective bin of any sort.

​

These battery boxes would do nothing for a li-ion battery fire, right? What is the correct alternative?

I want to create a light curtain by twisting, wire wrapping, or somehow connecting various light strings to use on our canopy. They're be battery powered, so stocking up on a solar powered battery chargers is going to be important. Not only will it be great to help up notice our campsite in those dark woods, but it'll also create a really nice chill vibe if anyone wants to work on changing out their gloving batteries, make some grub, or just sit and talk after their mind's been blown all day. I also want to create with EL wire a sign that says "WELCOME HOME".
Same goes for if we bring a totem! Rechargeable batteries with a solar power charger will be great for our EL wire that would be decorating our possible-totem.
Using a couple of chargers (such as this http://www.amazon.com/C-Crane-SBC-11-in-1-Battery-Charger/dp/B001BKS3Z2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426689084&sr=8-2&keywords=solar+battery+charger) will help us cut down on how many batteries we use. Also hoping it works with my current hoop's batteries as well!

In my group we have some huge "earth nerds" (marine biology majors, some people interested in setting up co-op work farms, some general lovers of nature and the earth), so not being wasteful is one of our top priorities.

And of course, as a hooper, I will be lighting up the night with my hoops! My soon-to-come-in "smart" hoops run on rechargeable batteries!

Here is a link to my hooping channel: http://www.youtube.com/amethystlor

(but here's a link to my fave flow lately lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSErFBQLaBY)

Thanks so much for this opportunity! Astral Hoops has always been creating BEAUTIFUL light equipment.

-moxie

I bought this one on Amazon last week. I installed it in my 2010 myself in 45 minutes and I'm a shitty mechanic. $168

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B010GKJ8F6?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I own this one. I jumped my vette when the battery was dead (couldn't even open door, had to pop door open from trunk), you just have to hook it up and let it charge the battery a while before trying to start.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J5G8PF6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

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I really don't want to spend a lot. A hundred bucks is pushing it. I really don't even know if I need one. If my battery is fine after I put distilled water in it and measured the voltage (which I'll do on the weekend) do I even need one?

I saw one at a local store that was 400 Watts. https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-XP400-Instant-Portable-Source/dp/B004EIDD2Q

Some questions:

1. If you didn't have the solar panel setup, would this force you to use a battery tender to top off your 155Ah AGM battery or does the DC-to-DC charger charge the second battery fully?
   
   
2. How long would it take in ready mode and/or driving to recharge the battery from its maximum rated Ah? I've read that the 12V Prius starter battery can't sufficiently charge the 2nd deep cycle battery.
   
   
3. I was thinking of getting this: https://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8016-103-BlueTop-Starting/dp/B00075OSCO/ - 55 Ah, 12V, 60 pounds, dual purpose (starting & deep cycle). It's spill proof, and I figured you could put it in the driver side back seat (with the fridge behind the front passenger seat), and also use it to start the Prius if the 12V battery is dead (unless I'm mistaken). I wouldn't be able to put the deep cycle battery in the spare tire trunk space which is why putting a safe battery in the passenger seat floor would be better for me.
   
   Btw, you ever thought about posting a guide on YouTube? It would be really helpful as a lot of people are interested in your setup!

Buy a booster pack for $70, it’s good to have in the car for future anyway. Try starting the car - if it doesn’t work, connect the booster pack and try again.

TACKLIFE T8 800A Peak 18000mAh Car Jump Starter (up to 6.5L Gas, 5.5L Diesel engine) with LCD Screen, USB Quick Charge, 12V Auto Battery Booster, Portable Power Pack with Built-in LED light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGRN4TF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WfakDbVENF4ZM

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Maybe you can see this: Suaoki. Ha ha~

You could get a kit with the cable and terminals included if you don't want to get them crimped or do them yourself.

However, I like this style isolator better where the alternator output goes to one pole and each of the other poles go to the batteries. This way it truly isolates them vs the other which is more of a charging relay and basically connects the batteries in parallel for the purpose of charging because it requires bridging from the battery terminal itself.

Hook some jumper cables to your battery, and run the cables through a window into the passenger compartment. Connect the jumper cables to something like this.

You'll be fine. Just stop at gas stations every 50-100 miles and charge the booster pack.

If you decide to snake the extension cord, you can clean that up by keeping it close to the house and using lawn staples like these to pin it close to the ground. Make sure to use 6-12" ones. The 4 inchers probably won't stay in the ground too well.

Amazon has a lot of listings for LED solar and battery-powered string lights. The solar ones have mixed reviews because they won't stay on for many hours unless the panel gets hit with light for most of the day. I'm looking at possible purchasing these that are battery operated. But if you want maximum brightness, you'll have to use an outlet.

Another option are portable power supplies. You'll see those cost a lot more than an extra long extension cord and can be stolen easily.

I've investigated this problem a little bit too for my backcountry photographing. I think the easiest solution is just to buy several batteries, they are very small and light and last quite awhile (the AW100 manual says 250 shots). I have a camera with a very similar battery (Canon SX260hs) and on a recent overnight trek I took 120 pictures over two days and made hardly a dent in the one battery I had (I think it still showed as 100%).

If you can find a good camera that uses AA batteries numerous solar chargers exists for those, such as this. You could have such a thing on the outside of your pack all day charging and have a couple sets of batteries. I don't know how good of a camera you could get that uses AAs though.

Trying to rig some sort of charger from a panel to a Li-ion battery would be tricky and I wouldn't want to mess with that myself, and I'm an electrical engineer. Li-ions have a tendency to explode.

Do they make usb chargers specifically for that camera battery? A possible unique option would be the biolite campstove which burns plant matter for both cooking food and usb charging. I've never used it though and I don't know how much charging you'd get.

As I said, I think the path of least resistance is just to get like 4 batteries and call it good.

???
http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50013-Motorcycle-Powersports-Battery/dp/B001D6GYLO

A quick search for solar chargers for motorcycles batteries revealed this guy . Although I haven't personally used one, I imagine if you're worried about it - this shouldn't take up much room in a saddlebag. They also probably make ones that are on nylon and roll up. /me also looks up how to kickstart a bike.
edit: found this video

That would work well.

There's also the low-tech version

Turn on when vehicle is running, turn off when vehicle is off.

Is this what you're talking about?

Optima Batteries 8016-103 D34M BlueTop Starting and Deep Cycle Marine Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00075OSCO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nhU7xbPHX62JK

Test your 12v battery, it runs everything but the traction system (power to move the car) and the OEM batteries are notoriously sucky.

Here is how to test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyNJm1SFS1E

Here is the battery you want http://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8171-767-DS46B24R-YellowTop/dp/B006VFEJJQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415213844&sr=8-3&keywords=replacement+prius+battery

Check out something like this.

Do your research, since I am
Not familiar with your components.

I hadn't said that someone else did. Here is what I currently have...
https://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8016-103-BlueTop-Starting/dp/B00075OSCO/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8L6EFA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UXM6F22/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’ve used this Tacklife car jumper with its 12V output for a cigarette lighter power plug on a GMRS mobile radio:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGRN4TF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZmCyCbB6CMWWB

It has a digital battery % readout. But then I actually measured the voltage output of the battery pack and it was something like 15V when the radio was transmitting and a little higher still when it was just receiving. Weird, right?

Replacing a 12v battery is incredibly easy. Assuming you have a 3rd gen you can get this battery for $150, I'd imagine one for the 2nd gen would be similarly priced and maybe even the same battery. Dealers overcharge like crazy for mechanic service. I'm sure you can find some for the 3rd gen as well, but for the 2nd gen there's this cooling fan assembly for $250. No idea how easy it is to swap that out, but I'd imagine it's not impossible to do on your own, and I think it'd be worth the $490 difference.

A lead collar is a round cylindrical shell made of lead that fits between the battery post and the wire terminals and takes up the slack. A split collar has a slice taken out of the side to let it flex. Something like this or this.

I would try to avoid permanent changes. After all, perhaps you just have a battery with unusually small posts. But if you can make the ID of the terminal smaller, then that will make it tighter.

Take them apart and load the test the cells individually. Individual Prius Cell
. Full 'remanufactured' battery pack

Howdy!

That's the way most of the home made camper van showers work, except we use hula hoops, regular shower curtains & hooks from the dollar store.

There is also a manual pump up version of that sprayer so you're not burning through a set of batteries every week or so.

If you do decide to go with the battery version, they have solar battery chargers that you can just sit in a window.

Example:

http://www.amazon.com/C-Crane-SBC-11-in-1-Battery-Charger/dp/B001BKS3Z2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413631003&sr=8-1&keywords=solar+battery+charger

So you buy a 14$ battery box and pop a fuse on the positive lead.

Weird my link is gone. Oh well here’s the one I and a few friends all use:

TACKLIFE T8 800A Peak 18000mAh... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGRN4TF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Wow, how the heck did you know!?!
https://www.amazon.com/Hybrid-Battery-Module-Toyota-Chrysler/dp/B01M2X2ZXF

That depends a lot on what you're trying to start with it.

Repeatedly draining your battery is going to ruin the battery. With the money for a new battery and a portable jump starter you could just get the car fixed.

If that's just not in the cards right now you could also just put a disconnect switch on the battery and disconnect it when it might rain.

If you do go with a jump starter the small ones seem to work pretty well on a weak battery or a small engine, if you've got a totally flat battery I'd look for someting bigger like this one.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DXAEJ14-Jump-Starter-Compressor/dp/B06XD6XBCM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=LE5QPQVTY51Q&keywords=dewalt+jump+starter&qid=1568917426&s=gateway&sprefix=dewalt+jump%2Cautomotive%2C201&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFLTDBNNDZKT0ZOQzYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2MzkyNDIxNUpCN1ZMNE1RRzBBJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3MTQwMTcxRUJMVkRNSUlTSzVHJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==


This jump pack has jumped my car in 15 degree weather a few times, plus the convenience of having an air compressor to fill up tires, alternator tester, two USB ports and a LED light all come in handy. Keep some jumper cables in your trunk as well, just in case you haven't charged your jump pack in a while/battery is super dead.

Use this thing:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50013-Motorcycle-Powersports-Battery/dp/B001D6GYLO

That is a terrible battery box. The acid will eat the box. They make acid proof plastic battery boxes. With provisions for straps. Just make sure you buy a battery box for the correct size of battery.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-HM318BKS-Snap-Top-Automotive-Batteries/dp/B004W5SG6Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496187688&sr=8-2&keywords=battery%2Bbox&th=1

Even a shim would work, these are crazy cheap and easy, and work! http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-BAF-2-Battery-Post-Shim/dp/B0060YI0YS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BDZMX39Q4B0EX4NYCX6