A solid 12V backup system is smart. You can power a whole bunch of stuff directly from 12V, you can charge 12V with solar, wind, wall chargers, other vehicles, more.

You can harvest a 12V, large capacity battery from a lawn tractor or vehicle. If you have an inverter you can power it from a 12V battery and keep lots of things running.

If you can't have a generator, you can still use a silent 12V system like a Xantrex to keep some basic loads running at least part time.

just finished attaching a 12v cigarette plug socket directly to the (-) terminal of a deep discharge battery, inline fuse....could have used a marine unit for more water resistance, but didn't... the OEM handle works well... didn't need a battery box

When this thread came up, I just smiled, put my feet up, and thought - "How fortunate to live in southern California, where there are no hurricanes (nearly - one is reported to have reached Los Angelesin 1928, I believe).

But anyway, a tropical depression in the eastern Pacific is spinning northward, pumping moisture into our atmosphere, resulting an a 20% probability of rain tonight and tomorrow morning, with a chance of thunderstorms!

And it isn't even earthquake season, yet.....

hikermor,
I'm happy that you're happy in socal. I'm even happier that I'm NOT!

Lack of hurricanes is a plus living in SoCal, and there are other advantages. There are drawbacks, as well. It is fair to say that the region is overpopulated, for instance.

It is ironic that, once being a professional Arizonan, who used to dis "Calidamfornians," I came to the state, went native, married a local, and settled down. If she's happy, I'm happy. And I still get back to Arizona once in a while.

I don't think there is anyplace that doesn't have advantages - and drawbacks.

There are lots of overpopulated places, but they don't have the natural beauty of SoCal. I went to the Channel Islands recently. What a wonderful place! From the madness of the cities you can get to a place like this to be utterly alone with nature, within hours. I am also particularly fond of the ocean, and I just could not get over the vastness of the waters and the heavens, surrounding me from all sides. Of course, I also liked the sea lions, the pelicans, and the little unidentified furry critter that dashed away from the bush when I got a little too close unknowingly. Too bad the dolphins and the whales forgot to pay me a visit on this trip.

To make this ETS-relevant, of course I had my little kit with me. I didn't get to use any of it, fortunately. I do think my strategy of using one pair of shoes for all the varied activities on a trip probably doesn't work so well. I'll have to make room for proper boots next time.

Which island did you visit? I worked there for sixteen (mostly great) years and I still get out occasionally. A very special spot.

If small enough, your furry critter was probably a mouse - not too may terrestrial mammals on the islands

I went to Santa Cruz! I got on shore at Scorpion Harbor & slowly wandered toward Potato Harbor, just me and my camera. It's such a beautiful place. I recall you're an archeologist. Perhaps because the place was so isolated, it seemed unfathomable that I could share the experience of being on that island with the ancient people who have long since vanished, yet there was also a deep sense of connection. There were other contradictions: the island was both barren and rich, both gentle and harsh. When I was there the weather was quite mild, but on an island so exposed to the elements, I can imagine feeling the full force of a storm. I have a picture to show JPickett what he's missing!

In the future I'd like to spend more time and see more islands. I may get a chance this winter to visit SoCal again. For us day visitors the Channel Islands are very enchanting. I wonder what they look like after a decade and a half...

I wasn't sure of the size of the critter, as I was focused on taking a macro picture of a bug. I saw a blur and was startled by the breeze. It was big enough to scare me a little, actually. Was I lucky enough to have an encounter with a fox?

LesSnyder, A neat installation, but:

I would be tempted to insulate one of the terminals on that battery.

A friend dropped a spanner and it bridged the terminals on a battery by him. Big bang and a large spanner was melted into two with droplets of molten metal everywhere.

This seems an appropriate place to ask those of you with better electrical knowlege than I; what's the best type of battery for a 12 volt system? I'm interested in low-no maintanence (ie no water to add), deep cycle and high amp hours per dollar. Don't need a brand so much as difference between SLAB, aqueous gel, etc.