7 hours ago
I've been getting more and more into overlanding and desert camping over the past couple of years, and I've slowly been building up my 2015 Toyota FJ Cruiser to handle longer trips away from civilization. I've got a decent fridge that I use to keep food and drinks cold, some LED lighting for the campsite, and I've even installed a small inverter so I can charge my laptop and camera batteries when I'm out for a few days. The problem I'm running into is that all these accessories put a serious strain on my main battery, and I've had a couple of close calls where I was worried the car wouldn't start after a night of running the fridge. I've been reading up on dual battery setups and it seems like the smart solution, but honestly, the more I read, the more confused I get. There are so many different components involved – isolators, solenoid systems, DC-DC chargers, battery monitors – and I'm not sure what I actually need versus what's just unnecessary extra expense. I came across a website that seems to specialize in this sort of thing and they have details about this auxiliary battery service provider in Abu Dhabi, which might be exactly what I need because I definitely don't trust myself to DIY this kind of electrical work. I've watched a bunch of YouTube videos and some of them make it look straightforward, but I know from experience that messing with a car's electrical system without really knowing what you're doing can lead to all sorts of problems, from fried ECUs to electrical fires, and that's the last thing I want to deal with in the middle of the desert. My main questions are whether I should go for a deep cycle AGM battery or a lithium battery for the auxiliary setup, because I've heard lithium is lighter and has a better discharge depth, but it's also significantly more expensive. Also, I'm not sure whether I need a DC-DC charger or whether a simple solenoid isolator would be sufficient for my needs, especially since I'm not running anything super power-hungry. Another thing I'm curious about is whether I need to upgrade my alternator to handle the extra load, or if the stock alternator on the FJ is up to the task. I've also read that some people just use a portable power station instead of a fixed auxiliary battery, and I'm wondering if that might be a simpler and cheaper solution for my use case. If anyone here has been through this process and can share their experience – what worked, what didn't, what they wish they'd known before they started – I'd be incredibly grateful. I'm planning a big trip in a couple of months and I really want to have this sorted out before I head out, so any advice would be massively helpful. I'm also curious about costs and installation time, because I need to budget for this and figure out when I can get it done. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.