Have you heard of Brinkley RV? If you haven’t, it’s time to read up on this new brand that’s breaking into the RV industry. Although it’s too soon to predict the durability and longevity of the units, Brinkley RV seems to be going about the production phase with precision and focus. Let’s dive in and learn more about what Brinkley RV has to offer and what makes this company different from the others.
Where Is Brinkley RV?
Residing in the RV Capital of the World, the Brinkley RV headquarters is in Indiana where many other RV manufacturers planted roots. There are three 175,000-square-foot production facilities and they’re expecting a fourth in the future.
The physical address is 2948 Hackberry Drive in Goshen, IN. Brinkley RV is about three miles from the Keystone RV facility and approximately a mile from a Forest River plant.
Who Owns Brinkley RV?
All five co-owners of Brinkley RV own personal RVs. They started the company in 2022 and bring decades of experience to the RV industry. Ryan Thwaits is a former executive of Red Rock Supply and Indiana Transport. Bill and Ron Fenech, Micah Staley, and Nate Goldenberg all came from Grand Design RV. The Fenech brothers were co-founders while Micah Staley and Nate Goldenberg were general managers of Grand Design RV.
These five men joined together in 2022 to form an executive team that claims to understand the RV industry; the good and the bad. One of their primary focus points has been to listen to customer feedback. For example, Micah Staley took his family on a 30-day road trip with one of the prototypes. At each location, he talked with RVers and returned with over 200 changes to make the Brinkley RV prototype better.
This is very cool and exciting to hear, as a common complaint of RVers is a feeling that manufacturers don’t get out and use their own products. We hope they continue to seek and pull in this end-user feedback to continually improve their products.
What Types of RVs Does Brinkley RV Make?
Brinkley RV manufactures fifth wheel and toy hauler towable RVs. The team started with the Model Z fifth wheel and has now added the Model G toy hauler to the lineup. The Model G isn’t yet available for purchase, but they expect it will be available mid-year 2023.
The first thing you will notice about these RVs is the new modern exterior look. These campers are flashy, with cool angles, minimal and modern paint jobs that do away with the swooshes of the past, and sleek styling around the windows. When we caught our first glimpse of one going down the road, it was obviously something new and different.
The Model Z Fifth Wheels
Model Z luxury mid-sized fifth wheels aim to fit the needs of weekend warriors and full-time RVers. Both floorplans feature 7,000-pound axles, 17.5-inch H-rated Cooper tires, flush floor slides, huge exterior cargo spaces, a 370W solar panel, upgraded holding tank capacities, residential finishes, and more.
The Brinkley RV fifth wheels come with a 1-year bumper-to-bumper transferrable warranty and a 3-year structural warranty. They’re also warranted for full-time use, which is frankly uncommon among RV manufacturers. Finally, the Model Z units have a 20-year roof membrane warranty and a 25-year seal warranty. We’ll dive into the floorplan options more in just a moment.
The Model G Toy Haulers
The Model G toy haulers are new to the Brinkley RV lineup. Their Model G 3500 is the only floorplan currently in production. Like the Model Z fifth wheels, the Model G toy hauler has 7,000-pound axles with the option to upgrade to 8,000-pound axles. A 30,000-pound Gen-Y executive torsion flex pin-box, SumoSprings, commercial grade H-rated Cooper 16-ply tires, and MORryde CRE3000 equalizer system all come standard.
The 11-foot garage features an insulated floor with a heated thermal cavity, a lockable dovetail storage box, an adjustable tie-down system, and a gray tough-ply floor. The same warranties for the Model Z fifth wheels come with the Model G 3500 toy hauler.
Pro Tip: You’ll love these Top 10 Fun and Impressive Features You’ll Find in Luxury RVs.
Source: Brinkley RV
The Brinkley RV Lineup
Let’s take a closer look at the floorplans in the Brinkley RV lineup. Although all three models have the same warranties, residential finishes, and quality craftsmanship, each is unique. It may sound silly, but we’re particularly excited about the interior styling choice of frames around the windows. We can’t tell you how much that changes the feel of the inside when you can’t see the RV window frames and there are not bulky valence boxes!
But there’s obviously more to these RVs than window frames. Let’s dive in!
Model Z 2900
The Model Z 2900 fifth wheel features a front queen bed with a wardrobe slide-out. The bathroom has a large 30-inch by 42-inch shower with a residential shower head. This floorplan includes a roomy living space with a tri-fold sofa, reclining theater seating, a huge kitchen island, a telescoping entertainment center, an electric fireplace, and a dinette with two free-standing chairs on one side and a storage ottoman bench on the other.
The kitchen has many storage options with an 84-inch pantry, a hutch with overhead cabinetry, and overhead cabinetry that extends around the entire living area. The appliances are residential with a 30-inch microwave, a 16-cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, and a 3-burner cooktop. All countertops have solid surfaces.
Finally, the Brinkley RV Model Z 2900 is 32 feet 11 inches long, has a GVWR of 14,495 pounds, and a hitch weight of just over 2,000 pounds. The black tank is 45 gallons, the freshwater tank is 75 gallons, and the gray tank is 90 gallons.
Why a 90-gallon gray tank? Well, in many RVs, there are separate gray tanks for the kitchen and shower. Instead of putting in two 45-gallon tanks, Brinkley opted to just put in one giant combined tank. Ninety gallons might seem a little overkill, but if you’re boondocking and you bring in more freshwater to restock, that extra capacity means you can go a few more days without having to move the rig to dump.
Model Z 3100
The second Brinkley RV fifth wheel is the Model Z 3100. This floorplan features a similar rear-living layout as the 2900 model but in a larger unit. It measures 34 feet 11 inches long, has a GVWR of 14,995 pounds, and has a hitch weight of just over 2,100 pounds. The tank capacities are the same.
This unit’s rear living area is like the 2900’s. The layout of the living area with the sofas, dinette, entertainment center, kitchen island, and appliances is exact. The storage options with the hutch, overhead cabinetry, and large pantry are also similar.
However, the bedroom is quite different from the 2900 model. It features a king bed in a slide-out while a walk-in wardrobe extends the length of the front cap. There’s also a stackable washer and dryer space as well as another dresser at the foot of the bed. The separate bathroom has the same 30-inch by 42-inch shower and residential shower head.
The Model G 3500
The only toy hauler option is the Model G 3500. This unit from Brinkley RV is 40 feet 2 inches long, has a GVWR of 21,000 pounds, and has a hitch weight of 3,320 pounds. It has over 4,000 pounds of cargo-carrying capacity. The garage length is 11 feet, and the patio’s weight capacity is 1,500 pounds.
The Model G 3500 has very large tank capacities with a 104-gallon black tank, a 150-gallon freshwater tank, and a 104-gallon gray tank. These are some of the biggest tank sizes we’ve ever heard of! Additionally, the fuel station tank is 60 gallons. You can enjoy weeks of dry camping and playing with your toys with these tanks.
The floorplan of the Brinkley RV Model G 3500 features dual couches, a fold-and-stow table, a half bathroom, and a loft in the garage. The center of the unit has a huge sofa, electric fireplace, convection microwave with air fryer, a 19 cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, ample overhead storage, and storage drawers. The kitchen island can convert into a peninsula for plenty of meal prep space.
The bathroom and bedroom layout is very similar to the Model Z 3100 with the king bed, large wardrobe, washer and dryer cabinet, dresser, 30-inch by 42-inch shower, and residential showerhead. The front of the unit has three awnings to provide shade during hot summer days.
What Makes Brinkley RV Different From Other Manufacturers?
Overall, Brinkley RV says it’s different because it is listening to RVers to make their products better. If they actually do this, then this will make them pretty different. There are some custom RV manufacturers that do this, but for the most part standard manufacturers often fall short of implementing customer feedback. The Brinkley team says they’re trying to improve the customer experience by building a better design. It seems the RV industry has been interested in mass production only and not building better RVs. Customers have expressed concerns and voiced complaints and companies have done very little to improve their products.
But we’re hoping Brinkley RV is really seeking to change that. By focusing on just the Model Z fifth wheels for so long, the team says they’ve been able to listen to feedback, make changes, and build a better product.
Some of the unique new features and improvements they’ve made have been the result of RVers’ input. The features we particularly like are the electric dump tanks with auto black tank flush, carpetless slides, combined gray tanks, framed windows, telescoping grab handles, pull-out pet dishes, and floating stairs to place shoes under.
Another thing we like so far with Brinkley is the modern website that makes examining and comparing models and features easy. They seem to be pretty transparent about MSRP and upgrade costs, so you better know what to expect when you head to the dealer.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for a new luxury RV, check out these 6 Top Luxury Motorhome RV Brands You Won’t Believe.
Source: Brinkley RV
How Much Is a Brinkley RV?
The Model Z fifth wheels have an MSRP starting at around $102,246. If you’d like to add the second air conditioning unit or upgrade the frameless windows to dual pane, you’ll add to the price. On RVTrader, all the 2023 Brinkley RV Model Z fifth wheels are over $100,000.
They have yet to release the Model G toy hauler, but the starting MSRP is approximately $183,798. There are roughly $12,576 of premium build options as well. You could add slide toppers, dual pane frameless windows, 8,000-pound axles, a FlexPower 5500 dual fuel inverter generator, a Happijac sofa and bed lift system with independent sofa operation, and 3-season patio doors.
Where Can I Buy a Brinkley RV?
The Brinkley RV Model G toy hauler isn’t available yet. However, there are dealerships across the U.S. where you can inquire about the Model Z fifth wheels. For example, there are three dealerships within 100 miles of Houston, three dealerships within 15 miles of Phoenix, three dealerships within 100 miles of Chicago, and two dealerships within 65 miles of Orlando. So no matter where you live, it’s likely you’ll find a dealer with Brinkley RV units within driving distance.
Source: Brinkley RV
What Customers Are Saying
Although it’s still too soon to tell how good the Model Z fifth wheels are and how well they’ll last over time, customers seem to be happy with their Brinkley RV purchases. One customer wrote, “As horror stories of structural failure and poor quality and craftsmanship plague the RV industry, we thought of giving up camping altogether. We decided to look at the Brinkley Model Z in hopes it might live up to the hype. It surpassed our expectations. Amazing attention to every detail and simply structurally sound and beautiful!”
Another customer shared, “I don’t know other executives at companies that RV…It shows in the (Brinkley) quality and all the little things that we see, including the fit and finish on everything.” Let’s hope the positivity and hype for Brinkley RV continues. Perhaps this company will lead the way for change in the RV industry. At the very least, we hope they succeed in their mission and can carve out a place in the market to thrive.
RV Industry Veterans Are Creating An All New Brand At Brinkley RV
Although the leadership team at Brinkley RV isn’t new to the RV industry, they’re building a brand that’s turning heads. They’re seeking to improve the RV lifestyle by listening to customer feedback. RVers pay attention when brands listen and make changes. It will be interesting to see the growth of Brinkley RV over the next couple of years, and see if their product stands up to their claims. We sure hope they do, as it’ll be a refreshing change to an industry that frequently puts profit before customer happiness.
Will they kickstart a change in mass production to focus more on quality and customer suggestions? What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
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Gary Suydam
Tuesday 27th of June 2023
We have been FT for 2.5 years and have developed a first hand experience of features both good and bad we would love to share. While a 32 foot is a bit small compared to our 40 foot fiver we have now we feel that we have a Hugh amount of experience to share with a company that is willing to listen. I love your design and how you have modernized your product. We would love to sit down and discuss our ideas with you. I have 30 years in quality control and product development to share and help the RV industry improve its reputation. This can be done by living full time and continuing documenting performance and improving ideas. This has the ability to change the public’s perception of RV’s and companies that build them. In the 1950’s Japan was known for cheap junk but Deming through QC methods made them a world leader. This is what RV industry needs.
Paul Herbst
Saturday 24th of June 2023
It appears that Brinkley is in fact the new Grand Design. We bought a quality (relatively speaking) GD 5th wheel back in 2017. At that time, GD's executive had all of the same things to say about why they were different, and they were different for a while. As I understand it, GD was sold to Winnebago in recent years. Now buyers of the Winnebago owned GD are complaining of the same poor quality issues that have plagued most affordable brands for many years - cheap components, short-cut designs and above all else pathetic workmanship. It is interesting to hear that these same executives who saved us common folk from the woes of so many inferior brands have simply moved on and repeated that successful business model at Brinkley. Folks, grab a Brinkley before the company proves itself to the investors is sold off for a bundle. This may be the last chance you get to own an RV that offers decent value until the next iteration. Me, I'm keeping my 2017 GD Reflection for as long as I possibly can. It's not perfect, but it is by far the best RV I've ever owned. It's likely to be irreplaceable. Besides, after doing this for 30 years, I'm getting better at fixing things so that I can enjoy glamping instead of parking it until the dealer gets around to doing it next spring.
Happy glamping, everyone!
Mortons on the Move
Wednesday 28th of June 2023
Every so many years a new one comes along and promises great things... Grand Design, Alliance, now Brinkley. Only time will truly tell.
Sheri Walker
Saturday 24th of June 2023
Wohaot ai bout us handicap that need a ramp and other handicap items. In my yard sits a 5-wheel Oweo never been able to use
Tim Ebert
Friday 23rd of June 2023
Tom
You have owned a DRV in the past and I’m wondering how you would compare these two companies and rigs. We are now living in a DRV Elite Suites fulltime. Thank you
Mortons on the Move
Wednesday 28th of June 2023
DRV is still a significant step up in overall quality. I think Brinkley is doing some neat innovative things... but so did grand design and alliance and now they seem to be just like the rest. Time will tell.
Ronnie parlaman
Friday 23rd of June 2023
Seems like a nice rig
But just like Travel Supreme, Carriage , Excel and Nuwa They are expensive. Praying 🙏 they won’t go belly up
Mortons on the Move
Friday 23rd of June 2023
Yea there sure have been alot of them come and go.