Alkaline batteries are sometimes referred to as "alkaleaks" due to their nature of leakage and corrosion. There are several ways to combat the problem
1. Don't use alkaline or zinc carbon batteries. My preferred battery is the AA and AAA Energizer Ultimate Lithiums. These are disposable, not rechargeable, batteries. They are expensive at retail, approximately $10 for 4 batteries. Energizer claims 8-9 times the capacity of alkaline batteries and, in some applications, they definitely live up to that claim. They have a very long shelf life and so are good for standby emergency use. Other benefits are that the lithium batteries are lighter than other types of AA cells and have much better cold temperature performance. Alternately, you can use the Panasonic (formerly Sanyo) made in Japan Eneloop NiMh rechargeable batteries. Unlike ordinary NiMh batteries, these have a low self-discharge so you can leave them in equipment for extended periods of time with some assurance that they will have juice when you need it.
If you have equipment that uses C or D size batteries, you can use AA batteries with adapters. You will lose some capacity but it's nice being able to power a bunch of different things with a single size of battery cell.
2. Next best thing is to never store your equipment with batteries installed. I've seen more than a few Maglites with stuck corroded batteries that have rendered the flashlights unusable.
3. If you're sufficiently organized, routinely replace batteries before they have a chance to go dead. They don't leak unless they're dead
4. Last, use cheap equipment and throw it away when damaged. I'm not fond of throw-away culture but for some things, the economics can make sense.
