UKH

I'm looking to get a battery for my van to power LED lighting for the evenings and charge phones etc when parked up rather than using the vans own.

It's only a small partner van so I won't be looking to power anything like a fridge etc but I'm unsure what I'd need.

Would something like this be suitable? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Streetwize-SWPP5-Power-Pack/dp/B004ITAF72

Or is a leisure battery set-up better? (I haven't looked into this to know how it works)

It would be used on 1-2 week trips and I'd prefer to charge it as few times as possible. Lighting would obviously only be used in the evenings and would only be enough LED's to light up the rear. I may look to add a slightly larger light on the back to light outside also.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Also, any advice on the actual lighting would also be appreciated as I'm unsure what to go for at the moment.

Thanks,
James

In reply to James Malloch:


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This looks a bit over the top to me. When I put the lighting in my VW T4, I was about to replace the battery so I kept the old one and fixed it in a plastic battery box behind the seats. I bought two LED units from a local caravan suppliers (expensive but worth it) and wired them in, I have very little electrical knowledge so I took the van to an Auto Electrical specialist and he wired up the relay to the main battery. It works a treat and I've not had to replace the old battery 5 years later having been on several foreign trips and many weekends away.


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In reply to James Malloch:

I have a campervan and use the main battery for all the lighting etc. I keeped it topped up with one of these permanently attached to the battery. I've used it for 3 years wiith no problem.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solar-Battery-Charger-ideal-Caravans/dp/B000R0UBT8

In reply to James Malloch: Ikea's Ledberg or Dioder LED strip lights are worth a look. Hard to beat at the price, they use hardly any power, and the light's not harsh unlike some. I removed the transformer and wired them straight to the leisure battery which seems to have worked fine in my Renault Master for the last few years.

In reply to James Malloch:

Im just using AAA powered stick on LEDs - theyre really bright and last ages, and for my phone Iv got a small guidebook sized ravpower recharger that gives 8 full phone recharges per charge cycle, which easily outlasted my 9 days stay in cornwall. Could recharge my phone or any usb rechargeable device from it too. The charger itself takes 13 hours for a full recharge back at home.