I should just like to point out that what you say is almost, but not quite true...

You CAN get a radio that will run on AA batteries, but you will likely get around 1W, if you are lucky. Many HTs feature 5W of transmit power, but those ALL have some sort of rechargable. The down side of this is that rechargable batteries self-discharge over time, so they are far from maintenance-free. If somebody knows of an HT that will pump out 5W an AA batteries, I would love to hear about it.

I carry a Kenwood TH-F6a, and I love it. It does everything. But it is expensive (over $300) and has to be recharged.