117. Brinkley Z3110 Review

After our 20+ week big 2024 trip around the continent, we feel like we can now discuss what we think about the Brinkley Z3110.

First, it's nice looking and has a more comfortable feeling than other RVs we've been in. It was nice to feel like we were in a mobile apartment rather than a camper when traveling for as long as we did, though it would have been perfectly doable in the Grand Design too from a comfort standpoint.

This RV comes in just under 35' in length, which lets us stay at more campgrounds, including Lower Pines in Yosemite! It is heavier than the Grand Design, but that was ok with us since we had purposefully oversized our truck for the first RV, and it was perfect for this one. The Brinkley has a much greater cargo carrying capacity, which was important to us so we didn't have to be paranoid about every pound. We knew we were well below the trailer rating. We also knew that the water tank was supported over the axles so we weren't as worried about driving with fresh water in the tank when we needed to. Everything just felt more solid.

It handled the roads to and around Alaska like a champ. We may have just gotten lucky, but we had no issues.

The opposing slides in the main living area made it feel like an apartment. Jordan did countless laps chasing or being chased around the island. It feels spacious.

The only downside of this model for us is the lack of indoor dining area. We disliked the table it came with since it only connected to the small couch at one point and rocked. It also would have required disassembly and putting the table top into the bunk each time we moved. Instead, we got the coffee table with the two pop tops to eat at, and it just rotates 90 degrees and fits in line with the island when we move.

The fridge and freezer are plenty large to fit all of our food for 3. We had actually emptied our home fridge and extra freezer into the RV for the 2024 trip since we were going for so long, and it held it all. There was more than enough in frozen food/meat for the whole 12.5 week initial segment. We had to give away some of the non-labeled meat before we crossed the Canadian border. Otherwise, it would have been perfect. The pantry and additional storage areas in the main area are plenty large as well. We didn't want to be shopping a lot so we brought a ton with us and stashed it away easily. We realized it was good to keep snacks above the coffee bar area by the door since that cabinet is easily accessible on the road when the slides are in.

The fireplace was super nice. We used it every night we were hooked up to electric as our main source of heat, since we were never worried about the underbelly freezing except for a few boondocking days where we were using the furnace anyway.

The couches are comfortable. We started folding out the trifold sofa into a bed routinely sometime in Alaska and realized it made that area a nice lounge area. Anjuli would also sleep out there some nights when she was out late photographing the aurora. Ideally, with only the 3 of us, we would have a single recliner in place of the longer couch, and then a separate table area where we could eat.

We set up the living room TV to be a photo frame of our trip photos using the amazon photo app in it, when we remember to turn it on. It is in the televator behind the fireplace.

The bunkroom in the back is great. It is 2 full-size beds. The mattresses are probably fine for kids, but adults might want some extra padding. Anjuli slept back with Jordan a few partial nights and was a bit stiff in the morning. A memory foam topper fixed that.

Heat circulation is never ideal in the lower bunk, but we put a thermometer in her bunk that was linked to a separate space heater to make sure she was never too cold.

It is a bit annoying to get up to the top bunk since there is no ladder or decent step to get up. Anjuli is 5'6" and can manage, but shorter or older people would have a problem. Jordan even needs a step into the lower bunk.

The drawers and shelves are great. They give Jordan way more storage than she actually needs. It would still be plenty for 2 kids, maybe even more.

We took down the 3rd RV TV from the top bunk because we didn't want Jordan up there yet while she is so young. We may or may not put it back.

The closet by the main door is perfect for coats and shoes. The bathroom is great as far as RV bathrooms go. The shower is plenty big. The toilet is fine, though we changed out the toilet seat based on recommendations online. We never actually tested the original toilet seat. There is plenty of storage. We added a bunch of command hooks in the shower to hang Jordan's inflatable tub and any wet bathing suits. In the future, we won't need the diaper pail and changing table in there, which will be nice. Those were the only things we really had to move each travel day, except for locking the shower door and putting away the hand soap. We decided to keep our dirty laundry under half of the sink and that worked well, until the bag filled and it got moved under our bed or on the top bunk while another bag filled.

We added a big memory foam topper to the bed because it seemed stiff when we first got it. Though, we've had the RV mattress on the floor in our house all winter and it seems soft enough. We will try going without it next trip since the trip is shorter and we can keep the topper in the back bunk just in case.

One of the few problems we had with the RV was that the cabinet front above the bed popped forward so the doors didn't fully close. They fixed it with our warranty request at the dealership, along with a recall involving the wiring of the refrigerator. Not a big deal.

Another issue was a small crack that formed in the wall by the bedroom closet slide out. That will be fixed at the Brinkley factory after the next trip on the way home. They said there is no danger but they want to take care of it.

The last minimal issue we had was the main door started popping open during travel after the first few months. Bruce messed with the plate and drilled the hole deeper and it is perfect once again.

We upgraded the batteries and added a second solar panel, which Bruce discusses in a separate post later. Bruce is also upgrading the brakes, separate post later.

There are a bunch of other nice features that we didn't fully discuss here like the electronic dump valves and soft close drawers and such.

OVERALL: We love "Brinky"! It has had very minimal issues and has been a huge, comfortable upgrade, especially for our longer adventures. We plan to keep it for as long as we continue our long RV adventures. We even looked at other RVs after returning from the trip (while wasting time at the dealership after dropping off the Brinkley) and nothing is of interest to us in comparison to our Brinkley, at least in this stage of life with the way we travel.