[quote name='turls']I quit using the battery packs long ago and just use rechargable AAs, I got crappy battery life out of the packs. I don't see the downside of using regular batteries.[/QUOTE]
This is what I was going doing for some time after the cord shit the bed, and it worked out pretty well. As long as you have four batteries and/or keep an eye out on the charge, you're pretty much set for a long, long time.