Battery pack group 24?

[margvv]

Hi there! I'm perusing the options for a new Scamp 13' and was hoping someone could explain the options for a group 24 ($110) and group 27 ($150) battery. Are they worth the extra money? Does it affect longevity of the battery or the capacity? Thanks for any insight you have.

[David B.]

Margaret, the group 27 battery has a larger storage capacity, and in my opinion worth the extra money, because we mostly camp without being hooked up to shore power. If you only camp where there are hook-ups for electricity, then just go with the group 24.
Dave & Paula

[Rich G. and Val F.]

I believe your new Scamp would come with the Group 24 as part of the base price. When we ordered ours we were charged $40 extra for the upgrade to Group 27. To my understanding the advertised prices are for buying replacement batteries.

I'll let someone with battery tech skills explain the difference in the two groups.

[margvv]

Thank you David and Rich. We will likely be doing more camping without access to shore power so will spring for the group 27. The group 24 is included with the option package for the 13 but we are not quite decided on that yet. Thanks again!

[floyd]

I think it really matters what options you ordered and how you use them.
A group 24 battery is generally adequate, but especially so if you have minimal electric options.
If your trailer is loaded with a lot of 12V options such as shower pumps and television etc. then you might consider the larger battery.
Maybe you could just spend the difference on LED lighting to save power?

I have a fully loaded Scamp13 deluxe with lots of options and had no problems with the group24 for several years . I now have a group27 and its still good. You might consider that the larger battery means more tongue weight and a bigger battery box along with a higher replacement cost.
They do make even bigger group# as well.
Maybe this will help Or just confuse the question!...

What You Need To Know About Your RV Batteries - RV Information (RV Maintenance)

[bpfick]

Yes, larger batteries are available, even than the Grp27. Boondocking relies heavily upon battery storage and power. As said earlier, it all depends on your intended use.

[margvv]

Any idea about the weight difference between the group 24 and group 27?

[D Davis]

Margaret, I have a small 13 footer and a AGM 24 group battery also led lights. I boon dock and have been out for 14 days straight and read about 4 hrs a night. Did not even put a dent in the battery power. Have used it for 3 yrs now and the life expectancy is 11 years. 24 is plenty for a 13 footer.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by D Davis

... and the life expectancy is 11 years.

Are you taking bets on that? I will give you good odds.

[Byron Kinnaman]

We've been off the grid (no electricity) for up to 3 months. The battery is a group 24. Lights are LED, no water pump, shower, toilet. I do have a 65 Watt solar panel and full LED lighting. The only thing the battery powers is the lights and the fan in furnace. We could go most of the summer without recharging (have done over 2 weeks). Winter time we head south, early winter we have recharge every 4 to 5 days, as soon as it warms up a bit we're back to not needing recharge very often. Of course the battery gets recharged every time we move to another National Park.

[D Davis]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Are you taking bets on that? I will give you good odds.

Gordon, I am not in these forums to create any disagreements, I research most everything I have bought for my little camper as I do not have money to waste. The 11 years is based on the result of this research, not my opinion, not the manufacturer's marketing. Albeit you have to take care of your batteries. I have read, to never let this battery go below half charge for longer life, and that is what I do. Also recharge to full charge after arriving back home from a camping trip.
Weight is 69 lbs

[margvv]

Thanks for all the input folks, you've all helped with my decision.

[Glenn Baglo]

A battery is capable of a certain number of charge cycles. I suppose if you don't charge it very often ( because you don't draw a lot of power from it ), that it could last that long ( 11 years ).
I rely on the Trojan Battery site for information. They cover every aspect of batteries in words and video.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by D Davis

Gordon, I am not in these forums to create any disagreements, I research most everything I have bought for my little camper as I do not have money to waste. The 11 years is based on the result of this research, not my opinion, not the manufacturer's marketing. Albeit you have to take care of your batteries. I have read, to never let this battery go below half charge for longer life, and that is what I do. Also recharge to full charge after arriving back home from a camping trip.
Weight is 69 lbs

My battery is at a full charge when I get home from a camping trip. I then put it on a trickle charger to keep it that way.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by D Davis

Gordon, I am not in these forums to create any disagreements, I research most everything I have bought for my little camper as I do not have money to waste. The 11 years is based on the result of this research, not my opinion, not the manufacturer's marketing....

Disagreements are inevitable, but we can all share our knowledge, experience and results of research. And I respectfully disagree if you are suggesting that the average RV user can expect eleven years from the house battery. Sure - you might get there with great care and little use, but it will be an outlying case, or it will be so weak by then that most anyone would be replacing it. That is not just my opinion either, its the information I have gleamed from experts in the field.

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by margvv

Hi there! I'm perusing the options for a new Scamp 13' and was hoping someone could explain the options for a group 24 ($110) and group 27 ($150) battery. Are they worth the extra money? Does it affect longevity of the battery or the capacity? Thanks for any insight you have.

While I do not have the long term camping experience with batteries many here have, I have been messing around with batteries in vehicles for several decades and have formed some opinions on them (sorry for the run-on sentence).

Generally, I feel bigger is better. The 27 is not that much bigger or heavier and might just give a little more cushion in electrical capacity so why not? That said, I think the component missing from the discussion so far is what KIND of battery is it? All batteries are not created equal to all tasks. You want a true deep cycle battery. I don't know what Scamp is providing, but they probably have it figured out.

[Flyboyscamp]

Originally Posted by margvv

Hi there! I'm perusing the options for a new Scamp 13' and was hoping someone could explain the options for a group 24 ($110) and group 27 ($150) battery. Are they worth the extra money? Does it affect longevity of the battery or the capacity? Thanks for any insight you have.

OK, wait till spring when the stores and sporting goods stores put them on sale for fishermen. We got a group 27 battery for $84.95!

[OscarD]

Two 24s fit perfectly across the tongue in their boxes w/ handles removed.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Disagreements are inevitable, but we can all share our knowledge, experience and results of research. And I respectfully disagree if you are suggesting that the average RV user can expect eleven years from the house battery. Sure - you might get there with great care and little use, but it will be an outlying case, or it will be so weak by then that most anyone would be replacing it. That is not just my opinion either, its the information I have gleamed from experts in the field.

Diane is talking about an AGM battery. My first one lasted 8 years until someone left the fridge on 12 volts over night ( I blame the dog ). They are rated for up to 1000 charge/discharge cycles (which is about twice the standard wet cell) and have an extremely low self discharge rate. I recharge mine once in the off season. I have one because they are very safe, which makes the very high cost worth it to me. I'm hoping for 10 years. I'll let you know. Raz

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by OscarD

Two 24s fit perfectly across the tongue in their boxes w/ handles removed.

So do two GC2 (golf cart) batteries which are more capacity, but also more tongue weight.