Hi to all recently retired have been following the forum and have learned a lot. have a jayco poptop and terracan 4wd and am getting setup for free camping and have found a product called thumper battery system has anyone got one or used one are they any good or am i better to go with a duel battery system love the banter and good humour on the forum thaks joet

G'day Joe and welcome to the forum
I like the thumper too but I reckon you wouldn't beat a dual battery system in your van for ease of charging, carrying around, convenience etc etc. - just plug in the outside fridge.

Irrespective, you will still have the weight of an additional battery (in some form)

This may open another can of worms for you - how do you charge them?

This is still the question if you go with the Thumper option and single battery in your van. Personally, I like the dual battery system with solar and 240v charger (which is up to the task of charging 2 batteries) back-up.

good luck with your choice

regards

Gday adrian thanks for for your advice it helps me make up my mind will go with dual battery setup cheers JoeT

Hi JoeT,

I agree that a dual battery system is preferable, however, in some cases a portable battery setup can be very handy.

Have a look at Sidewinder as an option. I have dealt with Derek Bester (as a customer) and found him extremely helpful and friendly. This setup allows you to buy a full size battery (the Thumper have much smaller batteries in them, although they are a good unit - but very expensive!) and there is a mounting bracket available for them to allow you to mount in the vehicle if that's what you wish to do. Just seems a very flexible and cost effective option worth considering.

Cheers
Gerry

Hello Joe T,

We have a 100 series Cruiser with 2 batteries in parallel. We were going to have dual system put in but while getting a price, I saw the Topin Super power mini jump-starter on the counter.

Quote from owner's manual "adopted with the spiral wound battery (cyclone battery) Topin new product Super power Mini Jump-starter is only about 40% of size and weight of a conventional jump-starter. The starting current of the spiral would battery is 3 to 5 times than that of a normal BRLA battery. Longer service forward-cycle light 30-40% longer than using SLA battery. Fast recharge ability.
USB 5 volt output. It can be connected directly to mobile phones, mp3, digital camera and other portable electronic products. Charging input. 100v to 240v AC (using external adaptor). Can be charged directly through cigarette plug in car. LED Lamp - 6 pieces of bright LED light. With special design clamp the battery will not short circuit when the ploarities are touched by accident.

We bought ours from Battery World for $120.00 and have used it with our new 12v jack(which has failed and been returned) and also air compressor.

Hope this helps.

congratulations on your retirement. Happy travels.

Regards, Dave & Jen (old?ringer van).

After being quoted $900 to fit a duel battery system in my 4x4. I went for a Thumper , cost me $250 & has never missed a beat.

My only regret is that I didn't buy the next size up , that would have given me 48 hours of charge to run my Engel. My current Thumper battery gives me 24 hours of charge, but we manage.

See you 'round my campfire

Geoff & Bev

2.8 TD Patrol + Millard Horizon pop top

We've had a 105AH Thumper for a couple of years now - no problems. Bought it when we had our Dove to run the Engel. Now it gets used as the second 12V source in our van. Not cheap, but as the saying goes, price you pay once and cost you live with forever.

Cheers