Gel cells are cheep...but so are lipo's...you just have to know where to shop for em.....Ebay is your best friend when it comes to cheepo lipo's.....4 cell's go from 25-100$ 2200mah-8000mah.....i use a 2200 and dont even think about charging it for a weekend of racing....ill check it after but they usually go for at least a couple weekends...and they have 5X more power then any Stick pack could dream of having...THE only thing you have to watch out for is the C rating....DO NOT buy any battery with less then 20C....they will not have the punch and will feel like a 1/2 dead stick pack....if anything get a 25C pack to be extra safe.....just search 14.8V lipo in ebay...should pull up lots.

Item # 260345716573

thats the cheepest good pack that's on the bay currently.