Regular or Full Size Fish Finder Installation Package?

Trying to decide between the regular fish finder installation package or the full size for my Elite 4 DSI. I plan to use the Lowrance Scupper Mounts so I don't really need the whole installation package, just the battery and the through hull mount for the battery cord. I want to be cheap and just buy the regular installation package with the AA batteries but was wondering if it would be worth it to buy the full size instead. Any suggestions??

I am not sure what the differences are between the regular and full-size packages but personally I would not consider running my GPS/FF on a set of AAs. I have been using an Eagle Cuda sMap 250 for a number of years and I find with a lead acid motorcycle battery I can get almost a full week's use out of it without recharge (important if power for recharging is not available which is often the case for me).

The salt has finally got to the unit & I am about to replace with an Elite 4 DSI like yours. I suspect that the power consumption will be more than the old unit but don't have any proof (suppose I could look up the specs). It is colour & has proper mapping and a dual frequency transducer so it seems to be more advanced all round hence my suspicion of higher power consumption. So I will be sticking with the lead acid battery for now but have also been thinking of investing in a smaller lead acid battery (lighter weight) for day to day use with the larger one for longer trips.

I stow the battery in foam rubber fitted padding I cut for it inside a plastic clip-top food container and stand this on one of those non-slip rubberised mats inside the kayak. It doesn't slip around much & while my boat is definitely heavier it doesn't seem to affect my pedalling performance much (guess my legs just got correspondingly stronger).

I wouldn't run the Elite on the AA system. I run a low spec Cuda on them and find the batteries are good for about 6-8 hours use - remember this is with a black and white screen and no GPS. I have also had to solder a new terminal onto the battery end of the wires as the original wires corroded after about 18 months use. This was despite being sprayed regularly with Tackle Guard, a silicone based product. I wouldn't reccomend the AA battery pack, I feel it is a bit too flimsy. I am replacing my sounder soon and will go for a motorcycle battery system and install it in the rear hatch as others on this forum have done. - Hope this helps.