Dual battery or Goal Zero?

What would you choose?

I am torn between these two however I’m currently
Leaning towards the goal zero as it seems like less hassle. with the goal zero, I can move it to a new vehicle if I ever do upgrade my truck and I won’t have to relocate my ARB compressor. I only plan on running a Dometic cfx75 fridge off of the goal zero.

As of right now I am currently
Running all my lighting and the fridge off of my single
Battery setup (x2power group 27F). I was able to go 40 hours without starting up the truck and I had 80% battery left.

would a smaller group 35 x2power battery give me the same performance and/or be more beneficial to me than a goal zero setup? Is the dual battery setup worth the hassle?

 

The cheapest dual battery setup is an extra battery, seriously. An extra battery and some jumpers will do a lot.

 

Goal Zero is usually at the high side cost-wise, so which product are you considering? It'll be almost certainly cheaper comparing amp-hours to just buy another battery and maybe a charger then just carry the battery along with you like @Grossomotto says.

 

that’s actually not a bad idea.

I have priced out a dual battery kit from off grid engineering with a redarc charger. Total with a group 35 battery would cost about the same as a yeti 1000.

Would I benefit more from a dual battery setup? My concern is losing my ARB air compressor and having to relocate it.

I have no problem dropping the money on the right setup.

 

I am considering a goal zero "like" product. There are others that are better and cheaper. I think the advantage they have over an extra battery is practicality. They will accept several types of plugs and are portable.

With a battery, you still have to find a way to get the power to your stuff. There are power management systems for 2 batteries with lots of accessory outlets but..... cost and wiring (set up).

It's all personal preference obviously.

 

I have been toying with this idea as well.. was thinking a smaller AGM battery behind the rear seat might just do the job.... ?

 

I just went with the Goal Zero , has all the outlets I need and is easily portable around the campsite, plus it charges off a panel and offthe truck when traveling. I upgraded the truck battery to A Northstar 27 AGM and considered the dual battery route but this was more to my needs and I got a great deal on the 400 lithium. With the savings from that and not doing the dual set up I’ll put the funds towards a fridge. The Goal Zero is also handy around the house in power outages.

 

FWIW, if you use a common terminal for all your accessories you can mix-and-match. I use Andersen Power Poles on all my 12V things, ham radios, solar panels, chargers, fridge, etc. This is a roughly 600 watt-hour "Goal Zero" that cost about 1/4 what it would with a brand name on it.