Flexible Solar Panels .. any recommendations?

Hello to GingerPod et al. Very new to solar but are going to give it a try since we have the Zamp connector on our 2014 178 and do a lot of non-service camping. Have purchased Renogy 100W panel (just the panel), 2 20 ft. cables 12 AWG with MC4 connectors (to have flexibility in placing the panel), a Sun Force 30amp digital charge controller. Our basic question is how to configure all this to connect to our 2 parallel wired 12volt batteries for charging. More specifically, are there rules about where to place the charge controller relative to the batteries. We have read that the closer to the batteries, the more efficient.  Is this true or can the controller be placed anywhere between the panel and the batteries with no effect on efficiency or performance (we could cut into the Zamp wiring to place the controller anywhere inside the pod for example)? Finally, our cables are 12 AWG. Is there a problem connecting to the 10 ga Zamp wires connector at the back of our pod? Would appreciate any guidance in all this. Thanks for your time.

Paul & Francine

http://forum.solar-electric.com/forum.php

Yup, get a solar panel(s), and solar charge controller.  Don't get something below 100 watts since ultimately you only get about 18 amps per day usable at that level.  On cloudy days, far less.  So if you end up with 3 cloudy cold days and you are running the furnace (the worst electric + propane hog on a camper), you need a way to catch up eventually.

we bought an 80 watt Zamp solar panel from a seller on Ebay. It was new in the box for the same price that Forest River is selling the 40watt panel for. We used it a couple of days dry camping. It never had any problem keeping our single battery fully charged. That said, I have no idea why I would add a second battery. The expense & weight of an extra battery. Plus the upkeep & hooking up the second battery, make the solar panel seem like a no brainer at this point.

I have something very similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/SunGold-Power-Portable-Folding-Module/dp/B00CJLVVB0
The vendor I bought it from is unfortunately no longer carrying them, because it was much cheaper from them.

Just open up the panel, place in the full sun, and attach the alligator-style clips to the battery(ies).  The charge controller is included with the panel.  My panel also has the same connectors as the 'zamp' plug on the newer pods.  It's just a 2-pin SAE connector, zamp doesn't have anything special.