I would say that your usage and the condition of your electrical system are the two things that need answered/verified before even considering which battery.
If the truck sits for long periods, one of the "hybrid" deep cycle batteries would probably fit the bill (these are what are commonly sold as deep cycles, they list the cranking amps, non-starter deep cycles apparently do not) better than a true starting battery.
If it's driven all the time and you aren't asking it to power stuff with the engine off, then a normal starting battery will be appropriate.
I won't get into who makes a "good" battery, plenty of suggestions already, and I don't go through enough batteries to have valid personal experience. The cheapy wal-mart starters I have run lately so far have held up fine over a few years each. It sounds to me like all of the batteries are made by one or two companies, so if nothing else I think it's luck of the draw.
None of this matters though, if your vehicle has a bad parasitic draw. I suspect MANY "bad" battery stories stem from higher than normal parasitic draws that work the battery more than the owner knows. That is an assumption, but I suspect it's valid.
