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I took a look around and a lot of comments mentioned to get one that uses 'LiFePO4 Batteries', and that seemed like a reasonable requirement.
They're supposed to have a longer life span, be safer, light weight, and better charge/discharge efficiency which is in line with what I'd be looking for.
Some brands/models that I saw recommended:
BLUETTIcame up in more recent postsEcoflow(specifically theRIVER 2) came up a lotAnkerwas suggested a few times, but the comments weren't that detailed
edit, added an image of what I'm referring to
This is only applicable if you drain them all the way repeatedly (over draining of the battery leads to sulfate forming on the plates which is)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378775303009340
I combat this by over sizing my batteries. I have a lead one in a tool box I use for camping and I recharge with a solar panel, It's a standard car battery that for my use lasts 6 hours or so. Normally I use it for a couple hours (between dusk and time to go to bed) to use a laptop, maybe a speaker and an LED light and then I charge it during the day while I go hiking via solar panels.
If you care for them they can last a long time. There's also charge controllers you can install to keep it between 20 and 80% charge (for best life) but that's kind of overkill for my purposes.
Having said that, yes ... deep cycle batteries are a lot better, and even more so are Li Ion and solid state ... but they are also significantly more expensive, and I like to use whatever I have at hand.
Thanks for explaining. I think the people I knew who tried this didn't take any precautions to protect their battery so that would explain why theirs failed so quickly.