Moving On To A Brinkley, But Very Grateful For My Time As A GD Owner

[JeffD68]

We still love our 303, but we are looking for something with room for guests...mostly our 3 1/2 year old grandson. It was narrowed down to the Solitude 378 MBS or the Brinkley Model Z 3610. I really thought we would go full profile with our next rig but the Brinkley is just so beautiful inside and so understated outside. Brinkley will push other manufacturers to raise their game. A friend needs to rid himself of the 3610 he just purchased in November and had towed five miles to a local campground where it still sits. I'm giving him my 303 and cash, and taking the Brinkley off his hands. We are both winners in the deal. Can't wait to hook the Brinkley up to my new to me F450 Platinum (2022, 6500 miles) and hit the road.

Five years in our 303 and we absolutely loved it. We had amazing adventures together. She was our home away from home while exploring the outdoors up and down the West Coast, all through the Mountain West, and throughout the Southwest.

I also really enjoyed this forum. I posted occasionally and kept an eye on it almost daily. I won't be surprised if I find my self back in a GD and on this forum sometime in the future.

Happy camping and safe travels.

[huntr70]

We still love our 303, but we are looking for something with room for guests...mostly our 3 1/2 year old grandson. It was narrowed down to the Solitude 378 MBS or the Brinkley Model Z 3610. I really thought we would go full profile with our next rig but the Brinkley is just so beautiful inside and so understated outside. Brinkley will push other manufacturers to raise their game. A friend needs to rid himself of the 3610 he just purchased in November and had towed five miles to a local campground where it still sits. I'm giving him my 303 and cash, and taking the Brinkley off his hands. We are both winners in the deal. Can't wait to hook the Brinkley up to my new to me F450 Platinum (2022, 6500 miles) and hit the road.

Five years in our 303 and we absolutely loved it. We had amazing adventures together. She was our home away from home while exploring the outdoors up and down the West Coast, all through the Mountain West, and throughout the Southwest.

I also really enjoyed this forum. I posted occasionally and kept an eye on it almost daily. I won't be surprised if I find my self back in a GD and on this forum sometime in the future.

Happy camping and safe travels.

Sounds like a deal that will work out for both of you.

I would be interested to have you stick around here and give reports on how the Brinkley is working out for you.

I just need honest feedback to support the hype.

[WhittleBurner]

I hope you have great things with your Brinkley. Everything I have read and seen at the shows they piqued my interest as well. It would be great if you followed up here as Hunter said.


From what I have seen they have some of the same piddly production issues with trim falling off etc. If you follow closely they have a few issues as well and are just as controlling of what is put / said out there as GD is. After all it was all top GD people who are forming Brinkley. We were early on in the GD life and know the path it took. I am watching Brinkley with skepticism because it is all the same montra that GD started with and here we are today. It is nice to have 2 companies to pick from as far as CS standpoint and they took our favorite GD tech JD. I really see Brinkley as the 2nd coming of GD with a bit of a kick. In the end I see the Fenech bros selling their share off in 2 or 3 years and they sail off into the sunset with even more loaded pockets than they did with GD and Montana before that . All that said we came quite close to buying one last year in Tampa. They were dealing hard and made it difficult to walk away!! Their CCC was a bit dissapointing with their comparable to the 303 being almmos 1,000 lbs less than our 303 and Micha said it is under rated (I got the same response when he was with GD on our 303) . Id like to see real world numbers on the sticker.
I want to see what GD footprints they are following and which they aren't now that their getting out into the market.

[Jason-Texas]

We still love our 303, but we are looking for something with room for guests...mostly our 3 1/2 year old grandson. It was narrowed down to the Solitude 378 MBS or the Brinkley Model Z 3610. I really thought we would go full profile with our next rig but the Brinkley is just so beautiful inside and so understated outside. Brinkley will push other manufacturers to raise their game. A friend needs to rid himself of the 3610 he just purchased in November and had towed five miles to a local campground where it still sits. I'm giving him my 303 and cash, and taking the Brinkley off his hands. We are both winners in the deal. Can't wait to hook the Brinkley up to my new to me F450 Platinum (2022, 6500 miles) and hit the road.

Five years in our 303 and we absolutely loved it. We had amazing adventures together. She was our home away from home while exploring the outdoors up and down the West Coast, all through the Mountain West, and throughout the Southwest.

I also really enjoyed this forum. I posted occasionally and kept an eye on it almost daily. I won't be surprised if I find my self back in a GD and on this forum sometime in the future.

Happy camping and safe travels.

Congratulations on the Brinkley. My wife and I have been watching them for a while. I second that you keep us informed of likes and dislikes of the Brinkley. We are jealous. Happy trails.

[JeffD68]

I will stick around and report back. My wife and I have been to numerous dealers that carry Brinkley and other major brands. We have walked directly from Solitudes, Montanas, Pinnacles, etc., right into the Brinkley, and the reaction was always the same. No matter how nice the others are, the Brinkley always feels like a home. This is despite of the fact that we are comparing it to wide body, full profile units. I can't image trim falling off, because there really isn't any. You can't find a staple anywhere. Drawers are dovetailed and the boxes are smooth. The color palette, fixtures, and finishes are modern, if a bit cool. We will liven it up with accessories. I'm not saying they're flawless, but they appear to be discernably better than anything else. For 2024, GD added fully cased windows, soft close cabinet doors, standard solar, and 8000 lbs. axles to the Solitude line. I suspect that is 100% due to Brinkley. A luxury mid-profile brand is driving change on full profile competitors. That can only benefit all of us. Hopefully they continue to prioritize quality and innovation.

[traveldawg]

Probably the nice thing about buying used is some if not most of the bugs are worked out. It sure sounds like a win-win for all.

Safe travels. Stay in touch.

[huntr70]

I will stick around and report back. My wife and I have been to numerous dealers that carry Brinkley and other major brands. We have walked directly from Solitudes, Montanas, Pinnacles, etc., right into the Brinkley, and the reaction was always the same. No matter how nice the others are, the Brinkley always feels like a home. This is despite of the fact that we are comparing it to wide body, full profile units. I can't image trim falling off, because there really isn't any. You can't find a staple anywhere. Drawers are dovetailed and the boxes are smooth. The color palette, fixtures, and finishes are modern, if a bit cool. We will liven it up with accessories. I'm not saying they're flawless, but they appear to be discernably better than anything else. For 2024, GD added fully cased windows, soft close cabinet doors, standard solar, and 8000 lbs. axles to the Solitude line. I suspect that is 100% due to Brinkley. A luxury mid-profile brand is driving change on full profile competitors. That can only benefit all of us. Hopefully they continue to prioritize quality and innovation.

I personally appreciate the honesty, and can only appreciate how everyone has their own interpretation of what they like and dislike.

I walked my wife into a Brinkley at a local show and she hated it, as I did. We simply do not like the sterile white/gray interior and non matching furniture. There certainly are a number of nice features also.

Being in this industry, it sure opens eyes to what is current and trendy decor.

[cottonakin]

and they took our favorite GD tech JD.

Yea, I still remember the exact spot I was at when I learned that "JD was no longer with the company"

[JeffD68]

I personally appreciate the honesty, and can only appreciate how everyone has their own interpretation of what they like and dislike.

I walked my wife into a Brinkley at a local show and she hated it, as I did. We simply do not like the sterile white/gray interior and non matching furniture. There certainly are a number of nice features also.

Being in this industry, it sure opens eyes to what is current and trendy decor.

I agree that the colors are a bit sterile. I used the term cool, but we're saying the same thing. To us, one of the worst aspect of RV interiors is the matching furniture! We have treated all of our trailers like homes. We decorate in a style that is pleasing to us. Most treat their trailers like their cars. You get the interior you get and that's how it stays until you get the next one. Here are a few pictures of our 303. These were taken in June of 2023 in Yellowstone. Not staged for a photo shoot, this is how we camp.






We will apply our personal style to the Brinkley as well, and it will feel warm and inviting.

[dryfly]

Regardless of the terms used "cool or sterile" you have got to agree there has been a vast improvement both interior and exterior from the nineties. I remember when the interior colors and patterns would scare small children, and the exterior had to have a large picture of some kind of disturbed animal. I like the Brinkley designs.

I would bet they will continue to prioritize quality and innovation until they are ultimately bought by one of the major manuacturers.