Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this for our tent trailer as we frequently dry camp (no power/water hookups) and plan on doing so for about 2-3 weeks this summer. I contemplated getting the 45W kit from Harbor Freight Tools, but was steered away from it by many other RV'ers due to the HF kit's comparative inefficiency considering its size (3 large sections), weight (described by many as VERY HEAVY), and price (about $140, depending on whether or not you score it on sale). For $165, I figured I couldn't go wrong with this kit, considering it's 100W, and only a few bucks more than the HF kit. Free shipping didn't hurt either. I knew 100W was kind of unnecessary and overkill for us, but I'm planning on longer-term use for an even larger travel trailer in the next year or two. Renogy called me a day or two after the order was placed to apologize for a delay in shipping it out. I didn't expect free 2-day shipping as it wasn't Prime, and figured it would take over a week anyway. It still arrived within 1 week, and their customer service call was above and beyond anything I expected. If 1st impressions count for much, then Renogy is on to something. The kit arrived in perfect condition. I ended up needing to buy two separate extension cords to help with ease of set up on the temporary use platform of our tent trailer. I bought a 30 foot section of wire with MC4 connectors on Amazon which I snipped in half (effective now a 15 foot extension). This allows me to set the panel up on the back of the roof and run the wiring either along the roof or down the side of the trailer to the front where the battery is located. It then plugs into the charge controller which I will set up under the front bunk of our trailer near the battery. I then purchased a 6 foot section of cord with MC4 connectors which I snipped in half (effective a 3 foot extension) which run from the controller to the battery. I connected the wiring to make sure polarity is consistent and with male-to-female connected properly the whole way. The panel array came with small extensions for the battery already. This allows me to keep the small extensions permanently connected to the battery, roll up the wirng with the charge controller separately, and then store this with the solar array under one of the bunk mattresses when the trailer is closed up. Some day when we get a full size travel trailer I anticipate permanently mounting the panel to the roof with a permanent wiring setup. I first set up and tested it on an overcast and cloudy 60 degree day in the Pacific NW. No sun was shining, but there was plenty of bright light through the cloud cover. I was blown away by the panel pulling in 14.2V right away! I knew a 100W panel was kind of overkill for a fairly simple tent trailer setup, but this gave me complete confidence that we'll be able to stay completely and fully charged even when it gets cloudy and even rainy here when we camp during the summer on the ocean. One thing I didn't realize the 30 amp charge controller came with were plugins for exterior 12V lights. Not only that, but with a timer! In other words, I'll be able to hook up a string or two of 12V LED Christmas-style lights or rope lights along our awning now and run it right off the charge controller. It can even turn on and off automatically. I may or may not do that right away, but even just having the possibility of a small utility light setup near the battery and propane tank for repairs or maintenance when it's dark out is a cool bonus I didn't realize it would come with. The only issue I have at all is that the charge controller pictured comes with a small plastic window covering the LED digital readout. Mine didn't have that. I had an unrelated question about setup and chatted with Renogy on their website's online chat customer service setup. I asked about the plastic window and they offered to switch out the entire charge controller. I declined as it works great and is only cosmetic. Still though, their customer service left me VERY impressed again! I'm very excited about the panel and know that with care and proper storage, it'll last a good long while for us. I can't recommend it highly enough!