First time camper purchase - Thoughts on Brinkley?

[Dawg Water]

Hey Gang, was lucky enough to finally join the group with my 2026 F250 Tremor purchase last week. My wife, two young kids, and two pups are looking to get a camper in the next few months. Seems like Brinkleys are highly thought of and we are looking at purchasing their new 2027 I 290 Model from Bish. Brinkley I 290 MSRP is $95k but Bish price is considerably less. We really have to have a King bed and bunkhouse for the kids and my wife and I. Other than that we’ve been pretty open to layouts.

Does anyone have a Brinkley or similar cost camper that could provide a perspective on what they’ve enjoyed or what they wish they did differently?

 

[mrmag00]

Have a buddy with a Brinkley had it about a year, they’ve had a couple of little issues a tank valve issue and a water leak. All of these rigs have issues it’s a house on wheels you pull down the road.

 

[Hatbox]

We purchased an I275 in April. This is our first travel trailer and we had put a lot of research and company reviews into our determination.

I'll be straight forward, 90% of the trailers out there are Lippert frames with various different names. They are all going to have issues, just some have less than others. Brinkley appears to be in the "less than others" category, but they aren't flawless.

Pricing I"ve found is a made up number. We got about $25k off ours and that was in the spring. I would think with us entering fall, you could do even better.

We have towed about 3,000 miles this year to Acadia National Park, Alleghany National Forest, Mammoth Cave National Park, and hitting Shenandoah National Park later this month.

We have been lucky enough to have no current issues. The tankless water heater gets finicky, but often thats due to the lack of water pressure at campgrounds. The roof caulking split after some really bad bumpy roads in Rhode Island, but that was considered a "maintenance item" and was easily fixed. While Brinkley has rain sensing vent covers, get yourself some maxxair covers or else you'll be screwed when it rains but need air movement. I did have a screw shear off on the slide, likely due to vibration as well in Rhode Island, just looks to be a high stress point. After talking to some mobile RV techs, the recommendation was to seal that one off and just drill another in. Brinkley sent me like 20 screws, and that was fixed.

The F350 6.7HO doesn't even notice the trailer is back there. I do tend to go heavy on tongue weight because the I275 is a rear kitchen model, so it does love to tail wag if you don't have weight up front. With your F250, the I290 is going to take a decent amount of your payload, thats actually why I went with the F350 instead. You'll have to consider that depending on how much you load the truck up as well. I personally throw everything including the kitchen sink in the bed, so the extra payload works.

Feel free to DM me if you have any Brinkley specific questions.

 

[soulezoo]

Hello!
As it happens, I bought a Brinkley I275 a year ago. Overall, I have been very happy with it. (As an aside, I purchased through Bish's as well, they treated me very well through the process- so I am happy with them. It's really hard for me to praise dealerships at all, but they deserve it)
As with anything, there's going to be plusses and minuses.
That said, as with any RV, they all use industry suppliers that are common. For example, Dometic, Suburban, Norcold, BAL, Lippert, and ect. Brinkley uses a lot of Lippert and Furrion in their builds. So I will allow the reader to decide the merits and quality of those items and I'll speak to just Brinkley specific.
One thing though, that Furrion chill cube 18k btu air conditioner is terrific! From soft start and variable output to quiet and able to run through the inverter on battery, it's the best on the market IMO.
Plumbing is about as good as it gets. Many RV manufacturers have substandard to miserable plumbing. My last coach was a Montana 5th wheel. It developed several leaks from bad plumbing practices. Live and learn.
Slide styles. Brinkley uses a through frame rack and pinion style slide mechanism. This is what you want. Always avoid cable driven or Swintech. Total garbage. I won’t go into why.
Brinkley will give you 30lb propane tanks. Many are just 20.
Inside build quality is about a 8.5/10. Solid surface counters in the kitchen are great, but the thermofoil tops in the bathroom merit a down thumb. I wish for more clothes closet space in the bedroom. The underneath the bed storage is more novelty than practical.
I have a projector for a TV. Hate it. Brinkley has moved away from that due to all the complaints. If you're tech savvy you can make it work and it does have some upside, but I still think it's not user friendly. If you have Wi-Fi, it works best with that connection.
The memory foam mattress they provided is great. On the firm side but far better than the standard RV mattresses that put springs in your back.
Suspension is Road Armor shackles on leaf springs. Not the best, not the worst.
Much of the other furniture and cabinets are good, not the best, not the worst.
There's much to praise about Brinkley and they are innovative, but they are not life changing either.
Negatives: I mentioned the projector. I believe the I295 now uses a regular TV, so less an issue. The industry has mostly moved to tankless water heater away from tanks. I do not like tankless. They waste a lot of water. Not a good thing if you're dry camping/boondocking.
The refrigerator is 12v Furrion. Some prefer the 3 way fridge for boondocking, but with the solar and a big lithium battery, I have no issues.

On edit: I actually really like the 12v fridge over the three way. Temps are more consistent, more room inside for same floor space and I like solar over propane and no issues having to turn off fridge when traveling. I know many people keep the propane on when traveling, but you're not supposed to for fire safety reasons. When it's hot outside, evaporative systems sometimes can't keep up and you don't maintain temperature. And 12v doesn't take 24-36 hours to reach temp. Also, on the water heater with tanks, if you're plugged into shore power, electric heat is better than using your propane.

 

[Hatbox]

Hello!
As it happens, I bought a Brinkley I275 a year ago. Overall, I have been very happy with it. (As an aside, I purchased through Bish's as well, they treated me very well through the process- so I am happy with them. It's really hard for me to praise dealerships at all, but they deserve it)
As with anything, there's going to be plusses and minuses.
That said, as with any RV, they all use industry suppliers that are common. For example, Dometic, Suburban, Norcold, BAL, Lippert, and ect. Brinkley uses a lot of Lippert and Furrion in their builds. So I will allow the reader to decide the merits and quality of those items and I'll speak to just Brinkley specific.
One thing though, that Furrion chill cube 18k btu air conditioner is terrific! From soft start and variable output to quiet and able to run through the inverter on battery, it's the best on the market IMO.
Plumbing is about as good as it gets. Many RV manufacturers have substandard to miserable plumbing. My last coach was a Montana 5th wheel. It developed several leaks from bad plumbing practices. Live and learn.
Slide styles. Brinkley uses a through frame rack and pinion style slide mechanism. This is what you want. Always avoid cable driven or Swintech. Total garbage. I won’t go into why.
Brinkley will give you 30lb propane tanks. Many are just 20.
Inside build quality is about a 8.5/10. Solid surface counters in the kitchen are great, but the foil tops in the bathroom merit a down thumb. I wish for more clothes closet space in the bedroom. The underneath the bed storage is more novelty than practical.
I have a projector for a TV. Hate it. Brinkley has moved away from that due to all the complaints. If you're tech savvy you can make it work and it does have some upside, but I still think it's not user friendly. If you have Wi-Fi, it works best with that connection.
The memory foam mattress they provided is great. On the firm side but far better than the standard RV mattresses that put springs in your back.
Suspension is Road Armor shackles on leaf springs. Not the best, not the worst.
Much of the other furniture and cabinets are good, not the best, not the worst.
There's much to praise about Brinkley and they are innovative, but they are not life changing either.
Negatives: I mentioned the projector. I believe the I295 now uses a regular TV, so less an issue. The industry has mostly moved to tankless water heater away from tanks. I do not like tankless. They waste a lot of water. Not a good thing if you're dry camping/boondocking.
The refrigerator is 12v Furrion. Some prefer the 3 way fridge for boondocking, but with the solar and a big lithium battery, I have no issues.

I intentionally got the 2026 to get the TV and fireplace standard haha.

I agree with pretty much everything you have here. I will say I do not like greasing wet bolts. haha. I will also say that the under bed storage can work, once you get rid of those chairs that come with the trailer, my goodness do they take up too much space. We got little stools and that opened that entire area up.

2027 got self leveling...really unhappy to have missed that.

 

[soulezoo]

Hello!
As it happens, I bought a Brinkley I275 a year ago. Overall, I have been very happy with it. (As an aside, I purchased through Bish's as well, they treated me very well through the process- so I am happy with them. It's really hard for me to praise dealerships at all, but they deserve it)
As with anything, there's going to be plusses and minuses.
That said, as with any RV, they all use industry suppliers that are common. For example, Dometic, Suburban, Norcold, BAL, Lippert, and ect. Brinkley uses a lot of Lippert and Furrion in their builds. So I will allow the reader to decide the merits and quality of those items and I'll speak to just Brinkley specific.
One thing though, that Furrion chill cube 18k btu air conditioner is terrific! From soft start and variable output to quiet and able to run through the inverter on battery, it's the best on the market IMO.
Plumbing is about as good as it gets. Many RV manufacturers have substandard to miserable plumbing. My last coach was a Montana 5th wheel. It developed several leaks from bad plumbing practices. Live and learn.
Slide styles. Brinkley uses a through frame rack and pinion style slide mechanism. This is what you want. Always avoid cable driven or Swintech. Total garbage. I won’t go into why.
Brinkley will give you 30lb propane tanks. Many are just 20.
Inside build quality is about a 8.5/10. Solid surface counters in the kitchen are great, but the foil tops in the bathroom merit a down thumb. I wish for more clothes closet space in the bedroom. The underneath the bed storage is more novelty than practical.
I have a projector for a TV. Hate it. Brinkley has moved away from that due to all the complaints. If you're tech savvy you can make it work and it does have some upside, but I still think it's not user friendly. If you have Wi-Fi, it works best with that connection.
The memory foam mattress they provided is great. On the firm side but far better than the standard RV mattresses that put springs in your back.
Suspension is Road Armor shackles on leaf springs. Not the best, not the worst.
Much of the other furniture and cabinets are good, not the best, not the worst.
There's much to praise about Brinkley and they are innovative, but they are not life changing either.
Negatives: I mentioned the projector. I believe the I295 now uses a regular TV, so less an issue. The industry has mostly moved to tankless water heater away from tanks. I do not like tankless. They waste a lot of water. Not a good thing if you're dry camping/boondocking.
The refrigerator is 12v Furrion. Some prefer the 3 way fridge for boondocking, but with the solar and a big lithium battery, I have no issues.

I intentionally got the 2026 to get the TV and fireplace standard haha.

I agree with pretty much everything you have here. I will say I do not like greasing wet bolts. haha. I will also say that the under bed storage can work, once you get rid of those chairs that come with the trailer, my goodness do they take up too much space. We got little stools and that opened that entire area up.

2027 got self leveling...really unhappy to have missed that.

Yeah... me too on self leveling. Jealous on the TV and fireplace... that accordion table is also nice.
At least Brinkley listened to their customers and made the changes. Many companies will not.
I liked the merch though.

 

[Moe32]

We bought the I294 back in March and love it!! So far, zero issues. We were coming from a transcend, so this was a big upgrade for us.

I just saw the other day they came out with the I290 and I’m a little jealous. It’s very similar to the 294, but with some pretty nice upgrades. L shaped sofa, no giant doors for the bunks, etc.

I will say this though, if y’all are not dead set on a 290 I bet you could get a 294 for a steal right now since they are “dealer stock only”. My guess is they will want to move them fast since they are being replaced by the 290. If you go that route I wouldn’t settle on anything less than 40% off msrp. We were able to get 30% off on ours back in March. Either way you go, I would get quotes from multiple dealers and have them fight for your business.

I would also get a pre purchase inspection. These are nice units and built well, but if the inspector does find anything it puts you in the front of their service department line to get it fixed. They want to get that unit sold and out of there. If you don’t, and happen to find a few issues on your first outing, it may be a while before they can fit you in for the work.

Also, they call them king beds, but they aren’t “true” residential king beds in these things. 66x80, and I think a residential is around 75x80.



Overall these are very nice rigs and would not hesitate to buy it again. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

 

[Dawg Water]

We bought the I294 back in March and love it!! So far, zero issues. We were coming from a transcend, so this was a big upgrade for us.

I just saw the other day they came out with the I290 and I’m a little jealous. It’s very similar to the 294, but with some pretty nice upgrades. L shaped sofa, no giant doors for the bunks, etc.

I will say this though, if y’all are not dead set on a 290 I bet you could get a 294 for a steal right now since they are “dealer stock only”. My guess is they will want to move them fast since they are being replaced by the 290. If you go that route I wouldn’t settle on anything less than 40% off msrp. We were able to get 30% off on ours back in March. Either way you go, I would get quotes from multiple dealers and have them fight for your business.

I would also get a pre purchase inspection. These are nice units and built well, but if the inspector does find anything it puts you in the front of their service department line to get it fixed. They want to get that unit sold and out of there. If you don’t, and happen to find a few issues on your first outing, it may be a while before they can fit you in for the work.

Also, they call them king beds, but they aren’t “true” residential king beds in these things. 66x80, and I think a residential is around 75x80.



Overall these are very nice rigs and would not hesitate to buy it again. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Thanks man! Thats good info. I told my wife we should look at the 294s but she’s dead set on the 290 due to the couch. I agree with you though.

 

[Dawg Water]

We purchased an I275 in April. This is our first travel trailer and we had put a lot of research and company reviews into our determination.

I'll be straight forward, 90% of the trailers out there are Lippert frames with various different names. They are all going to have issues, just some have less than others. Brinkley appears to be in the "less than others" category, but they aren't flawless.

Pricing I"ve found is a made up number. We got about $25k off ours and that was in the spring. I would think with us entering fall, you could do even better.

We have towed about 3,000 miles this year to Acadia National Park, Alleghany National Forest, Mammoth Cave National Park, and hitting Shenandoah National Park later this month.

We have been lucky enough to have no current issues. The tankless water heater gets finicky, but often thats due to the lack of water pressure at campgrounds. The roof caulking split after some really bad bumpy roads in Rhode Island, but that was considered a "maintenance item" and was easily fixed. While Brinkley has rain sensing vent covers, get yourself some maxxair covers or else you'll be screwed when it rains but need air movement. I did have a screw shear off on the slide, likely due to vibration as well in Rhode Island, just looks to be a high stress point. After talking to some mobile RV techs, the recommendation was to seal that one off and just drill another in. Brinkley sent me like 20 screws, and that was fixed.

The F350 6.7HO doesn't even notice the trailer is back there. I do tend to go heavy on tongue weight because the I275 is a rear kitchen model, so it does love to tail wag if you don't have weight up front. With your F250, the I290 is going to take a decent amount of your payload, thats actually why I went with the F350 instead. You'll have to consider that depending on how much you load the truck up as well. I personally throw everything including the kitchen sink in the bed, so the extra payload works.

Feel free to DM me if you have any Brinkley specific questions.

Quick question on the payload, the 250 tremor and 350 tremor have the same payload capacity. I understand from the legal sticker notice we have to say it’s different but it’s not really right? Just confirming you have the same understanding.

 

[Phillbo]

F250 Tremor rear end is the same as an F350.

 

[mattagc]

There’s a few posts on the are they the same or not, and I believe the consensus is they are functionally the same.

The issue comes in with that little sticker, because it says what you can legally carry. If something goes wrong, and you’re over that sticker, what’s the repercussions, will insurance help you or wash their hands of you, etc.

All depends on your comfort level with that stuff. Hell, look at how much our numbers have been downgraded from a non-Tremor. Seems to be definitely erring on the side of Ford covering their asses.

Would be nice if there was someway to recertify load numbers after upgrades.

 

[71stang99]

I intentionally got the 2026 to get the TV and fireplace standard haha.

I agree with pretty much everything you have here. I will say I do not like greasing wet bolts. haha. I will also say that the under bed storage can work, once you get rid of those chairs that come with the trailer, my goodness do they take up too much space. We got little stools and that opened that entire area up.

2027 got self leveling...really unhappy to have missed that.

Yes, more potential headaches though.

 

[71stang99]

We bought an early production 2025 265 for just the wife and I and our pets. Love the trailer and like with everything Brinkley has added options and taken some away. We optioned our order with insulated windows. Only regret is not naving an additional couch like the 275 and yes the chairs that came with the dinesk are junk so we tossed those. Ive also added a fireplace to ours and moved the original chill cube to the front to replace the junk 8k unit. In the place of the 18k chill cube we added another 18k chill cube with heat pump that I think is now standard. Ive also added another 400 watts of solar and a 460 aH lithium battery and a slide topper. Also upgraded the solar controller and battery charger to Victron. Biggest issue we had was the projector TV window. It was one of the few to come with the frosted/clear window. The window was fine but the control unit to clear/opaque the window failed numerous times. Brinkley shipped us a new window and the dual window shade setup that they switched over to as a replacement for the clear/opaque setup on later models. I did the install myself since they covered the parts as we were out of the one year warranty. We also have some delamination of the front picture window protective film. Ive seen others also post up the same issue on a Brinkley forum I go to which I think is also limited to 2025 models. Suposedly there is a fix to replace the film but I havent pursued Brinkley yet for the fix. I do wish they would have had a shock option to go with the trailer suspension like Lance does.

 

[Dawg Water]

We bought an early production 2025 265 for just the wife and I and our pets. Love the trailer and like with everything Brinkley has added options and taken some away. We optioned our order with insulated windows. Only regret is not naving an additional couch like the 275 and yes the chairs that came with the dinesk are junk so we tossed those. Ive also added a fireplace to ours and moved the original chill cube to the front to replace the junk 8k unit. In the place of the 18k chill cube we added another 18k chill cube with heat pump that I think is now standard. Ive also added another 400 watts of solar and a 460 aH lithium battery and a slide topper. Also upgraded the solar controller and battery charger to Victron. Biggest issue we had was the projector TV window. It was one of the few to come with the frosted/clear window. The window was fine but the control unit to clear/opaque the window failed numerous times. Brinkley shipped us a new window and the dual window shade setup that they switched over to as a replacement for the clear/opaque setup on later models. I did the install myself since they covered the parts as we were out of the one year warranty. We also have some delamination of the front picture window protective film. Ive seen others also post up the same issue on a Brinkley forum I go to which I think is also limited to 2025 models. Suposedly there is a fix to replace the film but I havent pursued Brinkley yet for the fix. I do wish they would have had a shock option to go with the trailer suspension like Lance does.


View attachment 268295

View attachment 268299

View attachment 268296

Thanks for the write up. Beautiful rig.

 

[Dawg Water]

Sticker payload of my Tremor. Think this will be plenty for a tongue weight of 850lbs with the I 290.

 

[gmbpilot757]

As others have said, all the manufactures use relatively the same parts and every manufacturer has its fair share of issues. (Brinkley’s being frame flex failures and wall separation issues) Most will be found in the first 3 years of ownership. Bottom line, do your homework. When you think you’ve finished researching, research again. We took 2 years to decide which 5th wheel we’d replace our TT with. Dealers will tell you anything to make a sale and most don’t know the specific unit they’re peddling from a hole in the ground. Get in contact with a regional sales rep and bounce any questions you may have off them. Then contact the manufacturer’s customer service department and bounce questions off them. I found Keystone to be more than willing to answer any questions I had and even have the regional reps cell number if I ever have any issues.

Just remember the number that Brinkley gives you for a tongue weight is dry. Doesn’t include all your gear you load up, battery(s), propane, water, etc. Your actual tongue weight will be more in the neighborhood of 10-15% of GVWR. Definitely get yourself dialed in with a WDH. When we had our TT we used the Equalizer. Loved it and the thing was sturdy as a rock going down the road.

Good luck

 

[OmahaBravo]

The industry has mostly moved to tankless water heater away from tanks. I do not like tankless. They waste a lot of water.

How does a water heater waste water? I'm looking to go tankless for the very reason you dont have to wait for hot water nor do you have to store said hot water. I'll already have a water storage tank onboard.

 

[Hatbox]

Quick question on the payload, the 250 tremor and 350 tremor have the same payload capacity. I understand from the legal sticker notice we have to say it’s different but it’s not really right? Just confirming you have the same understanding.

The legal sticker is the law, so we don't have the same payload capacity. We have the same capability, but not legal capacity.

 

[Hatbox]

How does a water heater waste water? I'm looking to go tankless for the very reason you dont have to wait for hot water nor do you have to store said hot water. I'll already have a water storage tank onboard.

Because you have to wait for the water to get warmer. It will come out cold every time and then will get hotter as the hotter water works through the lines. And since the Gray on the i275 is only 40ish gallons on the back tank, you're turning on and shutting off frequently.

 

[Hatbox]

We bought an early production 2025 265 for just the wife and I and our pets. Love the trailer and like with everything Brinkley has added options and taken some away. We optioned our order with insulated windows. Only regret is not naving an additional couch like the 275 and yes the chairs that came with the dinesk are junk so we tossed those. Ive also added a fireplace to ours and moved the original chill cube to the front to replace the junk 8k unit. In the place of the 18k chill cube we added another 18k chill cube with heat pump that I think is now standard. Ive also added another 400 watts of solar and a 460 aH lithium battery and a slide topper. Also upgraded the solar controller and battery charger to Victron. Biggest issue we had was the projector TV window. It was one of the few to come with the frosted/clear window. The window was fine but the control unit to clear/opaque the window failed numerous times. Brinkley shipped us a new window and the dual window shade setup that they switched over to as a replacement for the clear/opaque setup on later models. I did the install myself since they covered the parts as we were out of the one year warranty. We also have some delamination of the front picture window protective film. Ive seen others also post up the same issue on a Brinkley forum I go to which I think is also limited to 2025 models. Suposedly there is a fix to replace the film but I havent pursued Brinkley yet for the fix. I do wish they would have had a shock option to go with the trailer suspension like Lance does.


View attachment 268295

View attachment 268299

View attachment 268296

How do you like the slide toppers? We don't have it on ours. I right now just climb on the roof and hit it with the leaf blower, but would like to look at a better option (especially in the rain). Is it noisy in the wind?