Originally Posted by jessejames46 (Post 4136729)

Long time reader first time writer. Bought a 2014 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport last year and I am adding a lot of electrical components such as light bars, sound system, on-board air compressor, and winch. I'm not sure if my factory battery and alternator will be a reliable source of power. I also do a lot of camping with my roof top tent that taps in to my jeep as well. What should I upgrade or add to handle all these things?

Originally Posted by jessejames46 (Post 4136729)

Long time reader first time writer. Bought a 2014 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport last year and I am adding a lot of electrical components such as light bars, sound system, on-board air compressor, and winch. I'm not sure if my factory battery and alternator will be a reliable source of power. I also do a lot of camping with my roof top tent that taps in to my jeep as well. What should I upgrade or add to handle all these things?

Originally Posted by JimsRubicon (Post 4136751)

Have you thought about going with an Optima Battery. Have been using for years, for all my motorsport toys. The Red Top is a good battery for the money. No problems with the batteries, good power to supply your aux. needs

Originally Posted by Owl (Post 4136743)

Do a search for "dual battery" set-ups / kits / installs. Beyond that, you might consider a 1kw or 2kw Honda EU generator for any extended camping. There are a lot of dual-battery kits out there. One of the more popular seems to be made by Genesis Off-Road. I think they're a sponsor here. My system was a "build-over-the-years", from parts I accumulated. It does bring peace-of-mind to my excursions.

Originally Posted by jessejames46 (Post 4136761)

I thought about that and I wonder if my alternator is good enough for that.. I'd love if I could mount that battery in the back of my jeep but I worry about it being inside the cabin.. Like if it leaked or something happened. I think I read somewhere that they smell bad too. Or maybe run long wires from the second battery and mount remote terminals somewhere safely in the back

Originally Posted by Owl (Post 4136878)

The dual battery "kit" is what you want. I comes with an "isolator", which is nothing more than a high-current relay. The output from the alternator is diverted to whichever battery is in need of charging. There's also a switch / button you can activate to parallel the batteries for winching or jump-starting. Yes, the dual battery set-up is a bit of work, but there's loads of help on the forums if you run into a problem. I've also read that Genesis is a good resource for help if you need it (there are other companies that make kits - MORE and Benchmark I think). I know you can purchase after-market alternators if you really think you need one, but they're pricey (at least from what I've read).

Originally Posted by jessejames46 (Post 4136761)

I thought about that and I wonder if my alternator is good enough for that.. I'd love if I could mount that battery in the back of my jeep but I worry about it being inside the cabin.. Like if it leaked or something happened. I think I read somewhere that they smell bad too. Or maybe run long wires from the second battery and mount remote terminals somewhere safely in the back