Hi Jennifer, this is our second coach with solar panels. The first had one 110W panel which served our needs well for lights and several hours of TV/vcr flickering away a day. We ran the generator for making coffee and microwave use several times a day perhaps totalling 1 hr per day. That system charged 4 - 6V golf car batteries and we never ran short of power unless the weather closed in and there was no sun. That was an older vintage panel and when we were located in the same place for some time I tilted the panel to maximize 90 degree sun exposure.
On our present coach we have 2 - 130W Sharp panels, and thanks to this forum the Blue Sky Boost controller. These have served us very well. They are charging 2 8D's (labeled deep cycle). During the winter we would typically dry camp on the desert 10 to 14 days between trips to civilization and hook ups.
We used lights, TV/satellite (4 - 6 hours) and charged our laptop and phone. We ran the generator about and hour a day to make coffee, use the microwave and add to the charge. The vendor of these panels was emphatic that the newer panels do not need to be tipped as they have the ability to gather the sun more effectively than previous panels. I have not tipped them. We would not go without panels for our type of camping. We bought this set up in Canada and as I looked around Quartzsite and Yuma I saw much better prices. SolarBill.com may have some useful information.
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