UNDERCOVER RV Tech reviews Brinkley & Jayco travel trailer RVs

Is the more expensive RV really better? In today's video I'll be reviewing a 2024 Brinkley Model Z Air 285 and a 2024 Jayco Eagle 294 CKBS.

Things I reference in the video:

[timhartman]

We’ve been full timers in our Brinkley for 15 months with minimal issues. Brinkley customer service is second to none and would purchase one again.

[OnlineAcct-nu]

As others have mentioned, I would love for you to do a comparison of Brinkley and Outdoors RV/Nash/Arctic Fox.

[KenViator]

We have a Brinkley G3500. The quality is by far better than anything else we had looked at. There have been minor issues with the unit, those issues were resolved with a phone call to Brinkley customer care.
The warranty issues that I have had were a breeze. I give Brinkley an A+ in customer care

[Tacticaltrekkers]

We’re a family of 6 full-timing in our Brinkley Model G 3950 and we could not be happier with the quality and value of our rig!! Brinkley really creates an amazing customer experience.

[worker]

Can you do an undercover video on Northwood and Outdoors RV please.

[gregmiller]

We looked at a GD imagine 315RDS vs the 285. We received a cash price with a 20% discount on the Brinkley and a good discount less $7000 because we were paying cash. So in the end, the Brinkley with a higher MSRP than the GD, the cash discounts made the Brinkley only a $2k difference. We have no complaints about the Brinkley and everyone has been great at the dealer and manufacture. Great review and thank you for the piece of mind for us in choosing a Brinkley.

[rmccabe]

We were camping in Vermont in July of 2024 and met a gentleman that was in the process of trading his Airstream for a Brinkly! The reasons were 1/2 floor plans and 1/2 quality. He was on his 3rd Airstream and had an amazing amount of reliability issues with the electrical systems and plumbing. As he looked deeper into some of these failures they found absolutely terrible quality with wire management and hose & fitting quality. Plastic fittings in a $180, 000.00 RV is one of the most ridiculous examples of being cheap! I told my wife that RV manufacturers should have option packages like cars do. Want better electrical components? Want all brass plumbing connections? Struts to hold cabinet doors open? I think most people would opt for some upgrades especially for plumbing. Just a thought. Good content by the way!

[HolyCrapBook]

We just purchased our Brinkley Z Air 285 and are very happy so far. My wife and I use a travel trailer for work and will go anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks across the country on all kinds of roads.
We looked at Grand Design and Alliance as two brands we were comparing and the Brinkley is above and beyond the quality of the others. And, as Brinkley owners know, it is a company that actually listens to its owners and opens itself up to constructive criticism. Plus, they just look cool. LOL
Would buy another Brinkley in a heartbeat.

[todcar]

Been a Jayco Eagle owner for 16 yrs (5th wheel)..very minor problems during this time..any issues were addressed by 2yr warranty(lifting linoleum). Agree the caulking on the countertops need regular maintenence to protect from swelling...but overall the ownership experience has been good and I found the company does stand behind their product...recent video on Liz Amazing confirms this too...we are now in market for a retirement 5th wheel and Jayco is still one of our final 4 with Montana Alliance, Brinkley..but from a value point Jayco wins.. and I would just replace that hot water line immediatley and move on..the rest of the rv has good plumbing....thx for yr video and great reviews..love the channel...

[freedomlineman]

I wish you would grade by construction, materials used and insulation values too.

[smore]

We have a Z3110 traveled 5000 miles out west. Drove the million dollar highway, Nevada's 110 degrees heat(ac kept up)and the only issue we had was the shower doors came loose. Easy fix . Thanks for the great videos on Jakob.

[laukc]

My Sandpiper 402FK destination trailer used bad plumbing under the kitchen sink. I didn't know the RV industries "dirty little secret" until I started watching your videos. My hot water lines started leaking within 2 years and have been replaced already. I'm going to replace the cold water lines either this fall or in the spring before we open it up for the season. Thanks for your honest reviews as well as the information you share.

[scottyz]

To be fair, the comparable Jayco would be a Pinnacle series, not an eagle.

[erBrian]

I have a Brinkley Z 285. Its just my wife an I for the most part (kids are grown and living their own lives) so the floorpan works for us as we plan on doing some long multi month trips. We've used our trailer three times since we picked it up and I can say that it immediately felt like a home. As far as boondocking is concerned, 62 gallons fresh, 110 gallons grey, 40 gallons black. Seems like a lot to me plus it comes standard with a 370W solar panel. The one piece fiberglass residential shower was a big upgrade in my mind. Much less prone to leaks compared to the typical shower pan with glued up walls. We love the large capacity side by side fridge/freezer and the solar panel seems adequate to run the fridge and freezer during the day. It's not only the quality of the rig that makes a difference in the price. The included solar panel, the upgraded shower stall, the keyless entry, the one touch auto leveling, the stainless steel sinks, the upgraded plumbing fixtures, the better suspension and upgraded tires, the included TPMS, the included back up camera, the heavy duty ladder, two chill cube AC units (very quiet), two fireplaces, two TVs, mind boggling amount of storage, and the list goes on. Easily worth the extra $$$$. Only planned upgrades are to add a lithium battery, another solar panel, and a 3000 watt inverter to make boondocking more feasible.

[Ex.Nihilo]

I actually have a Z Air 310 on order from Brinkley. Sure it's more money. Solid surface countertops, fit and finish, shocks., correct plumbing, excellent customer service have a value.To add those after the fact is about 12-15 thousand (I have done it on a Grand Delusion)

Here is where the rubber meets the road for me. I was at the Hershey show and the actual owners of the company staffed the booth. I asked one a random question about a hitch set up. He called the other owner who took the rig out to test camp it for the answer. The guys was not defensive and was critiquing the trailer with me and offering insight on why they did what they did. That to me speaks volumes.

While I love the tankless water heater as a boondocker it is not ideal but easier to work around than poor quality.

Thanks for the honest video's stay nit-picky!

[michaelmitchell]

Soon as I got my new Rockwood Mini Lite home I took out all the cheap outlets and replaced them with home outlets after I installed blue outlet electrial boxes. I then removed all the pinch fittings on the water lines replacing them with compression rings.

[massey]

Don’t have an Eagle but I think it speaks to the brand, I’ve got a ‘23 Jayco Jay Feather 25RB. So far I’ve upgraded to a Morryde SRE3000 suspension system and sumosprings for the axles. Towed all along the rough roads of the northeast and Midwest. Happy to report the trailer is still holding up great with nothing breaking. I will add the caulking issue around the kitchen sink is carried over from the eagle and does need touching up from time to time.

[tooanalyticalu]

Enjoy your channel. The scoring IMO needs some tweaks. For example scoring both equal for cabinets is not fair based on materials used alone. Brinkley should clearly be scored higher due to the dove tail joints. I'd say the same about the slide outs. Jayco deserves a lower score due to the extra maintenance requirement. As far as this specific video, when considering if price difference is worth it are the features offered on one model vs the other. Brinkleys offer many features the Jayco does not. It's like comparing a mid level trim truck to a luxury truck. We know when buying vehicles the loaded trim levels cost a lot more. The buyer has to decide if those features are worth the money. Lastly is how they are built that you cannot see and not something you cover in your buying guide. Brinkleys use wiring harnesses for example. You won't find the tangled mess of wires in the underbelly that you'd see on the Jayco. Overall Brinkley tries to solve for many of the most common warranty claims other manufacturers experience up front when they build them to reduce their own warranty claims & increase customer satisfaction.

[arctic-chris]

I am happy Brinkley has corrected the plumbing. Now the only issue I have with Brinkley is the lack of a stove top vent. Wanting to vent steam and cooking odours seems obvious to me (and the ceiling vent is not sufficient).

[dshermanct]

I love your objective no BS video reviews!! Thank you. This one in particular was very helpful because I am seriously considering the new Brinkley I 265 for a 1/2 ton pickup. I have looked at several Brinkley models over the last several months and am truly impressed with the quality. It was good to hear from you, the expert that these are indeed quality units. There are so many inferior rigs out there that are really poorly built. If I decide on buying a travel trailer, Brinkly will be the brand for me.