I purchased the original 100w Renogy Solar Suitcase with controller a few years ago. I have used it many times for camping in my small van RV. It has been a very valuable resource in my trips. I have been able to camp in crowded areas without having to turn on my noisy generator. I built an extra battery bank with a 1500 watt inverter to power my microwave, computer and other AC electronics. The suitcase has been an excellent source of alternate power for my trips. I can easily keep my battery bank fully charged with regular use of my RV. But size and weight of any item in my van matters to me so I recently purchased the newer smaller model 100w Eclipse Solar Suitcase with controller. I have included a few statistics below to show the difference between the two. The weight includes suitcase, protective case, and all included cables. I tested both out to see amps and voltage produced. The battery I used was maybe 90% charged, and there was some slight sun haze, so I would assume that the amps produced would be a little higher with a lower charged battery and better sun. I know that my original solar suitcase performs well, so this was just a test to see if the new Eclipse model could perform equally, and I think it did, when accounting for possible variations (angles, actual charge of battery, sun haze, etc.). This information is as of time of purchase, 6/2017. See photos.Eclipse Solar Suitcase• Weight - 23.5 lbs.• Size open - 42” x 21” x 1.5”• Size closed - 21” x 21” x 3”• Latches - good• Connecting wire - 10’• Connecting wire - 14 gauge• Voltage - 14.2• Amps produced - 5.2• Connector - MC4• Type - Monocrystalline• Efficiency – 18.35%• Case – Excellent, semi hard• 30A Adventurer PWM Controller, NOT waterproof (see edit below)• Edit 8/2018, it now comes with the Voyager Waterproof 30 amp controller• Battery type = sealed lead-acid, flooded, or gel batteries which must be deep cycleOriginal Solar Suitcase• Weight - 29 lbs.• Size open - 40" x 27" x 1.5"• Size closed - 20” x 27” x 3”• Latches - poor• Connecting wire- 15’• Connecting wire- 14 gauge• Voltage - 13.9• Amps produced - 5.4• Connector - SAE (varies by time purchased)• Type - Monocrystalline• Efficiency – 15.47%• Case – Excellent, semi hard• 10A ViewStar PWM Controller (varies by time purchased) NOT waterproof• Battery type = Gel, Sealed (AGM), and FloodedOne thing I really do not like is how they set up the new Eclipse connecting cable. The old model came with a SAE connector at the end, so I set up all my RV batteries with quick connectors (see photo) in order that I could easily plug the suitcase into my various systems. The new cable is 5 feet shorter (mistake) and does NOT have a quick connector, the alligator clips are permanently attached to the cable. So now you either have to cut the wires and attach the connector you need, or build/order a new cable. I have different setups of several batteries that I put SAE quick connectors on for convenience. I really do not want to have to change everything now, why Renogy insists on constantly changing their connecters I do not understand. They have used SAE, Anderson Pole, and now they come with MC4 connectors. In the past you did not always know what type they were going to send you, I know this by reading and answering many Q & A and reviews. I am also confused why they always have these attached to alligator clips, all you have to do is read a few Q & A to see most users want a direct connection. For me it takes about 2 hours (with a motorcycle jack and other specialized equipment) just to get to my RV battery so alligator clips are worthless.I noticed that the metal legs are now connected to the frame with plastic block attachments where the original suitcase used metal. If I have a problem with them, I will update this review appropriately. I see another reviewer did have an issue with them.Mine arrived in good condition, includes 2-50 watt solar panels, controller, frame, 10’ cable with MC4 connectors, controller manual (suitcase manual is online), and a nice case. I was missing some parts; the temperature sensor, and the battery voltage sensor.My setup is an 60 ah AGM battery that runs the RV, then a separate 2-81 ah deep cycle battery hookup I created that run individual items. Both setups have an SAE quick connector for easy hookup. My old suitcase can easily produce close to 6 amps with full sunlight and a low battery.Sorry to write so much, I know most people do not like detailed reviews (I never get much feedback, lol), but I always write what I would want to know about an item before I make a purchase.For me this Eclipse model is the one to buy, but space in my van RV is precious. You might find the original to be just fine, they are both quality products that work to specifications. The better latches on the new one are a plus too. The latches on the original are close to worthless.If you have any questions just ask and I will try to answer them. I will update this review as neededEdit 8/14/2017…I just used this for the first time (two week trip) and here are my first impressions, nothing major, all are minor points:The new Adventurer controller seems to work differently than the original ViewStar. The ViewStar and Adventurer both have a high Amp charge in the beginning, but the ViewStar slowly lowered it as the battery became fully charged. The Adventurer seems to keep the Amps high throughout the charging, and then shuts off once the battery became fully charged. The ViewStar never shuts off, always shows that it is charging.The new Eclipse is much more of a pain to close up due to its smaller size. It is much harder to store the larger cables in the smaller space provided by the interior of the suitcase. The new cables are not as nice as the ones included in the original suitcase. I had to purchase an extension to make up for the shorter size, and the cables are much thicker and stiffer, and there are two of them instead of just one (the original has both wires in one cable). I assume the original cable wire was more braided making for a much nicer overall cable. I also really dislike the MC4 connectors, they are more of a home style connector; they are not a quick style connector, in fact you need a tool to open them. They are also too bulky for this system.The new Eclipse suitcase is ‘pinchy’, I caught my fingers a few times.As stated in the original review, the latches are much nicer on the new suitcase, they actually work.System overall performed very well. All these points are minor.Edit 8/12/2018: Renogy does have a model with a waterproof controller now, see listings.Edit 1/11/2019: I finally gave up on the Renogy extension cord that I ranted about previously in this review. It was horrible in this application. As I mentioned before, they are two cables (one for the negative and one for the positive) vs the original Renogy suitcase of just having one cable with two wires in it. Plus these were stiff and hard to roll up each day. Plus they have those worthless MC4 connectors. So I finally just went to a hardware store and found 14 gauge wire (two wires in one cable, just like a typical heavy duty extension cord). The guy said they were low voltage for your exterior yard. I bought 20’ and it works PERFECT!!!! I can finally easily put the cables back into the suitcase without a fight, I really disliked the Renogy extension cord. I guess I will lose a little gauge but it will be worth it (12 gauge vs 14 gauge).Edit 4/1/2019: Renogy now sells chargers that can charge lithium batteries. I would love to convert to li ion batteries for their several bonuses (cost is not one of them although).https://www.renogy.com/renogy-adventurer-li-30a-pwm-flush-mount-charge-controller-w-lcd-display/Edit 10/23/2019 Both of my controllers on my two suitcases have been acting up so I called Renogy Tech help. I have had poor service from them in the past but today was very good, my wait time was about 20 minutes and all my questions were answered. My ViewStar controller stopped working most of the time and he said it is usually due to a bad connection. But since I had already checked the connections he thought it was probably going bad. The Adventurer was locking up but he said that was normal. I told him it had not done this in the past but just recently. I will further test this and wait but for the other one I will purchase a new controller.Edit 1/7/2020 One of the plastic blocks that connect the legs to the suitcase has broken. I called Renogy and they told me I had to contact sales (I was talking to tech) and that they only carried the plastic ones. So instead of purchasing another inferior plastic one I went to the hardware store and bought some heavy duty metal L brackets and made my own “blocks” to connect the legs to (see new photo labeled ‘bracket’). I think this will be much sturdier in the future, it seems to work very well. I also had a bad solar controller, Renogy wanted me to do more tests, you can see my new review under “Renogy Wanderer 10 Amp solar controller”.Again, if you have any questions just ask and I will try to answer them. I will update this review as needed.Edit 2/2022 Problems:The Renogy solar suitcase along with a separate battery bank that I built were the greatest upgrades I have made to my RV. The suitcase has worked flawlessly for 4 years. I liked it so much I purchased 2 more Renogy suitcases. But about 2 years ago the controller started to act up on my first unit. No problem I thought, I will just replace it. The new controller worked for only one month and it had to be replaced, I just figured it was a fluke and I purchased a slightly better controller (the water proof Voyager 20 amp controller). This controller worked for about 6 months and then died. So I contacted Renogy and they asked for videos and photos which I sent to them. They determined the controller was defective and replaced it with a new controller but that one did not last a day. Again I called Renogy and again I sent them numerous videos and photos, returned the controller for testing, and again they sent another new controller and again, that one did not last a day. Now I am pretty sure the controllers are not the problem and I checked the solar panels and wiring as best I could, but the voltage was correct and my continuity checks were all good. So instead of just calling Renogy and sending them more photos, I brought the unit directly to them to have it checked. Renogy called me a month later to tell me the controller was bad and could I send in my receipts for warranty verification. I explained the history of replacing the original controller 4 times and I was sure that the problem was something else (not the controller). Now I am thinking the original controller probably was also affected by whatever the problem is. My theory was the panels must be giving a large voltage surge periodically thereby destroying the controllers. He agreed to further check it out and I think a different technician actually checked out the whole unit the second time, but this time I was told everything was working correctly and they wanted to verify my shipping address to send back the unit. I explained that the unit IS BAD and that in the last two years I have used this suitcase over a hundred times and it has worked correctly less than 25% of the time, and in the last year it has almost never worked right. I would get flickering screens, several error codes, rapidly changing numbers and even totally blank screens. I cannot keep traveling into remote areas only to find out I have no reliable source of power.That was the end of my dealings with Renogy on this particular unit. My other two Renogy suitcases and a Battery Tender work perfectly in charging the battery bank (I was thinking the possibility that something was wrong with the batteries, but they work fine). The battery bank also runs my refrigerator, fan, lights, computer, TV etc. with no problems.I was going to remove my original review of the first controller (the Renogy Wanderer) since I was sure there was something wrong with the solar panels and not the controller. But since the technicians tell me it is working fine, I will leave the review alone and also write another review for the Renogy Voyager 20 amp unit that I tried to use 3 times as a replacement for this suitcase.I hate to downgrade my reviews for a product that has been so useful for me over the years, but a panel that only last 4 years that should last 25 years is not right.