I've been using the same 600A power pack for three years now. I discharge it completely on a regular basis beacause I use it to power a small 12v lunch box. It has started my truck (barely), inflated my tires (slowly...) boosted stranded motorists... It is loosing its staying power so I plan to replace it with a 800A unit. During the cold winter months you need all the cranking power you can get to start a cold engine.

Make sure it comes with booster cables, AC charger, 12V charger.

You can also purchase a separate solar panel to keep it topped up, but that should not be an issue if you use it regularly.

See my next purchase here: PowerBox800

Expect to pay for quality and I doubt anything under 600A can start your pick-up !

Just a mention:

If the primary concern is being stuck with a dead battery in a single vehicle, one can add a second battery under the hood (best to have a bracket welded in place with a hold-down clamp). The second battery can be connected to the electrical system with a single diode (Digikey has the MBR4045WT-ND 40 amp diode with only a .4V drop for about 2 bucks, it will need some heatsinking). When the primary battery dies, you've got a "hot spare" for roughly the cost of the battery, bracket, and diode.

No light, no airpump, no inverter, and you can't move it between vehicles though.

BreathingMeat,

Yah, that was what I was trying to suggest in the first reply. I think it is a good way to go if you are serious about the problem.

-john

A lot of cars these days don't have the space. But, the resistance of wire running from the front to the back, and back to the front, is low enough that trunk mount should be fine as well. I haven't done it, but I've thought about it for a few my past cars.

Just one more thing to have break loose and slam into your kidneys in an accident. :P

Sorry, John. Didn't mean to step on your post there... Must've overlooked it when I scanned the thread. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Not at all. You described it much better than I.

-john

I love the concept and carried one in my trunk for a long time. Problem was that it kept losing its ability to hold a charge, even though I was meticulous about discharging & recharging it. It worked fine in a few instances but then wouldn't hold a charge well enought to be of use. Of course I always have a good set of jumper cables on board but that's no use when you don't have a second vehicle.

Part of the value of these devices to me (and especially my wife) is the security factor: you don't have to be stuck on the side of the road or in a dark parking lot depending on the mercy of strangers.

I have searched all over the 'net and haven't found a brand of these things that is consistently reliable. If anyone here has better info I'm all ears!

Don't put a battery in the trunk unless you vent the trunk to the outside somehow. Since the trunk is sealed to the outside all the toxic gas from the battery charging will pass thorough the back seat and into the passenger compartment.
The f150 most likely had a factory dual battery option (usually for a Diesel) so you can puck up the second factory battery tray and bolt it in easily. Then isolate it with an isolator, which is available for under $50 from most automotive stores (mine came from NAPA, is a surepower with Napa's name on it).
The thing to remember about those jump start boxes is they have a battery too so it has a finate lifetime which will be about the same as the vehicles battery so after a few years your jumpstarter needs replaced too. plus they won't help with a really dead battery, they are only good if you left your lights on at the store, they won't help when its 10 below zero in a blizzard.

At 24Watts it will take days to charge a low battert though.

The goods ones that are fairly beefy are not bad, avoid the ones with an air compressor, light, radio and expresso machine. They do none of those well. Please be aware that none of these will jump start a diesel.(Truck at least, don't know about a diesel car) If you do get jumper cables make sure to get the really thick ones ( this has already been said) also try to buy ones that will go from the front of the vehicle to the back plus some ( think busy road jump starts!) also one of the nylon carrying cases will be handy.