I am also pretty sure Howard bought Lifeline AGM batteries. They are also what we have. Maintenance free, take a charge really well, take a load really well, and they should last. I will admit that once ours die we are tempted to get Lithium batteries since we could have a lot more usable battery capacity in the same space. The only problem is the price is still fairly high.

Edit: Lithium is what Technomadia, who sometimes post here, have.  

 Thanks guys. WOW,, there are alot of them listed on there web site. So I'll dig in.

Dave,

Yes, those Lifeline's are on my shopping list when we start the solar install in the spring. Glad to hear that your system is working out! Nice to have that freedom, you are now ready for Friday and the forthcoming Apocolypse!!!!

Just curious to the rest of your system set-up if you would not mind sharing?

Les

My current equipment recommendations are on my website. They change over time, and also change somewhat depending on if you are doing MPPT or not.

Before buying ANYTHING you need to do an energy audit and also a complete design. And fully understand possible expansion considerations. I ALWAYS design for expansion. Almost everyone expands their system over time. It is cheap to do during initial installation and a nightmare to do later.

I also use Lifelines in my current system. You really can not beat an AGM battery bank. There is nothing negative to say about them other than the cost. Lithium - IMO - is still at the stage of "early adopters". More of a "hobbiest" type of battery. That said, if you are capable of dealing with them they "may" be a good alternative to AGM if you can bear the cost. They make AGM seem "cheap" - but the cost per amphour over time may be acceptable to you.  I'm not anticipating going to lithium for several years.

On panels, IMO you shop for cost per watt. Unless you have special needs, that drive you to a certain type/density of panel. Most do not have those needs. Take a look at Sun Electronics for good pricing on blemished panels. These have full warranty. These should come in at under $1.50 a watt, and in some configurations/types considerably less. The panels I put on this RV were $1.38/watt at the time. I have 4x205 watt high voltage panels. The issue in some installations is footprint - these are 32"x62" so they will not fit everywhere.