The thing I appreciate about you guys is your honesty about the quality of what you saw at the show. So many other RU-vidrs doing reviews or walkthroughs seem afraid to say anything. They almost see more interested in getting future sponsorships or afraid to lose existing ones. Anyway, I appreciate your honesty.
Hey Craig, with your background in home inspections, may you should consider RV inspections for your viewers. I know I would consider your advice. Just a lil something to think about. Once again, great video. 😊😊😊😊😊
🥰your content!🥰 Also LOVE how Craig looks at everything through the eyes of a home inspector!!❤️QUALITY MATTERS!! Working this year but will not miss seeing y’all next year at Tampa RV super show!!
Great video again guys. My wife and I love watching your channel. We had a 45 foot triple axel toy hauler and traveled in it for about 3 years full time. As much as we loved the space, we ended up moving into a truck camper with one slide 4 months ago. It was the best move for us. Less planning and being able to just go littlerly anywhere, has been awesome for us. We can now turn onto any old road to explore, and easily turn around on that road to leave. And we fit in a normal size parking spot!! Perfect!! So, of course, you should get a truck camper 😅 All the best and safe travels! God bless from Rob & Sam
I went to the show on Friday, I am bummed that I didn't run across you two! Looked like Craig was eating from the Bourbon Chicken truck. LOL! I had the same impression also; Brinkley is definitely a step above the rest in quality. Thanks for another great video!
Hey you too, I watch a show all the time you kids are great you entertain me and you’re just the cutest couple ever. I enjoy all of your contents. Don’t stop doing what you’re doing. I just love everything that you do hopefully if God is willing, I will be on the road the end of February or the beginning of March, hope we see you on the road. I was planning on meeting you at the Tampa RV show. Unfortunately my oldest sister passed away that same weekend. But I’m sure I’ll be there or around and hopefully I get to meet you before long. Be blessed and have a wonderful day and I do have a channel also. It is somewhere in RV 78 young ❤
Great show guys. Totally agree with you Craig on the MDF stuff, and the quality control. We would love to see the rest of the manufacturers step it up! Also agree on the quality of the Brinkley, it's the reason we bought ours in the first place. Thanks for sharing your adventures at the show!
Hey Guy , I’m fairly new to your channel ,LOVE your video’s !! . We have been camping for 30 years . From tents too pop up’s ,hybrid ,travel trailer . Now a tow behind toy hauler . I love your experiences and outlook on camping , even learned a few things about boon docking from you guys . I just had to leave a comment on this video because of the remarks you made on the workmanship on new campers GOOD ON YOU ! Are 2004 Fleetwood Terry was incredibly well built ! Unlike are 2020 MPG . Spent a year fixing all the rough cuts , loose fittings, unfinished edges, and just plan old lack of pride in workmanship . Anyhow I had to applaud you for calling out these manufactures for crappy quality control . BTW are you Guys considering the Hershey RV show this year? Would love to Meet ya’s Dennis H
Hey guys! Love the video!!! Yup, we did as he said, my partner and I were walking at the show and he saw Craig and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out the crowd and said I know you. It was quite funny. It was awesome meeting you! Hope you have another meet and greet soon but not in such a cold place as the last one lol. Stay safe 🤍
Hey there. I went last year and only made it one day. It was warm and yes, very big and insane. Didn't even see it all and since I was not planning to go, I stayed in Ocala, so.. long drive. Maybe next year will try again. Thanks for sharing.
I wish we had known you guys were there. We were there all day Thursday. We immediately noticed the Corterra/ Brinkley appearance similarities. It was right across the aisle. The Z2900 is the only thing we would buy. Still waiting your Gen Y evaluation video.
I was interested in the Embers, so I drove to the closest dealer (Atlanta) to look at them. I was surprised at the lack of quality even at the dealer!! I went in one where the cabinets above the bed looked like they were about to fall off the wall, literally!! You could see the particle board where it met the wall! I didn’t spend much time there and felt it was a totally wasted trip!!! Thank you for showing some of the other down falls with the different RV’s. Most people tend to overlook the function over features aspect as well.
We just bought a 3100 in Dec, then saw the 3400 (with the rear patio) at the show. My wife had a serious case of buyer's remorse for a whole day after! We love our 3100, but theres always something better out there 😂😅
Sorry we didn’t get to meet up. We too were also very surprised at how many rigs had missing hand rails, trim, cabinet doors not adjusted , etc. I would have thought that of all shows this one would they would have made sure everything was perfect. Thanks for another great video!
My favorite part of the show was seeing all the truck campers from Lance. I had no idea they still made those things and really loved the 850 model as a "quick weekender" rig!😊🥰
We live in Spring Hill, FL so about 45 mins from the Tampa RV show. So while we were traveling the country we always planned to be at our home base in time for the show. The first show we went to I found it overwhelming but loved it especially the super folks we met. Truck campers are a bit restrictive in where you can go 😮
TRUCK CAMPER 4-LIFE right here!! You guys should try one out. The "mobility" it offers you is unparalleled. It is so nice to be able to pretty much park anywhere a larger truck can fit.
We are sorry we didn't get a chance to meet you both at the show. We also love our Brinkley and after walking through some of the other RV's there we are so grateful we choose it. Quality can't be beat. Hope to meet you both on the road or at an event one day
Too bad we didn't get a chance to meet you guys at Tampa. We enjoy your vidoes! The rally sites were awesome! We were with the Alliance group -- 23 rigs! We had a blast! Hope to see you next year. BTW, we felt the same way about our Alliance Paradigm 310RL -- we made the right choice when we purchased last year. Didn't see anything we liked better at the show. And you are spot on about some of the rigs at the show not being in the best of shape.
Yes it definitely poured down rain at the fireside chat. I waited and did get a quick view of you two but the rain came down so hard, I never got to meet you. Hopefully next year. Love following you two. Great job.
It was very nice to meet y’all at the show (main runway - I waited for the man talking). The bad thing was I didn’t get a picture with you. Maybe next time…
I was there Friday and Saturday and you’re right would take a week to see it all and a new pair of walking shoes! I appreciate you and your honesty in the reviews, truck camper no way with the dogs! Safe travels. I agree with you seems like the manufacturers would only bring their best to show.
It was great meeting y’all at the Brinkley get together!! Looking forward to seeing y’all again soon as we’re picking up our new Brinkley in a few weeks! And we totally agree with you that it was so disappointing to walk into some units and immediately see the poor quality control.
We were there on Wednesday of the show. We only looked at Super Cs, because we’re planning to transition from our 5th wheel to a Super C later this year or early next year.
I meant to mention, on your new hitch video, you might consider putting shocks on your rv....I put them on a trailer I had, and the difference was amazing!
We totally agree on the quality issue. We went to the Tampa RV show last year because we knew we needed to switch from our Airstream to a bunk area for our growing daughter, but ended up with a bunkhouse Airstream because of the quality! 😜 We haven’t been in a Brinkley yet. They do look very nice too. 😊
Hi there! Craig great job for taking the time to provide us with all the info and to Victoria for being the camera woman 😊 loved the RV decorated in dark gray and gold See you next time 🙌🤩
I was curious if you guys have seen any water leaks with your plumbing. I saw a RU-vid video of a guy who is an actual RV tech, and a licensed contractor. One of his pet peeves is when RV manufacturers transition from Pex to flexible tubing with a connector designed for Pex only. The Pex connectors have large square ribs, but flexible tubing should have narrower barbed fittings, and preferably have an o-ring at the end of the fitting to ensure a proper seal. Connecting flexible tubing to a Pex fitting is almost guaranteed to leak after a period of time. So while he gave Brinkley high marks for quality of materials, fit/finish, and appliances, he wasn't so impressed with the plumbing, especially when you are paying $100K+ for an RV.
Felt the same way about quality. Looked at 200k MSRP 5th wheels and thought “didn’t they even look at this before they displayed it?” And it was the same with some big money MHs!
Thanks for the tour of the event, love seeing all the people showing up to meet the two of you. We already know how great you guys are and now more people are learning too. PS Craig looked like he had tapped out by the end. I can imagine how draining all those days were. Safe Travels- Kyle and Michelle
No a truck camper for you all and the doggies. It would be to small. Thank you for showing what to look for when you go looking for a R.V. ❤❤😂 much love. Stay safe. God bless.
We were so excited to meet you. I was the one wearing the blue Bermuda hat. We got there a bit late because I couldn't find the Harvest Host display. Walked all over and finally found it.
Oh I’m so glad you ended up finding it!! We had such a great time chatting with you guys, it ended up being such a fun time. Thank you so much for coming!
Hi guys.. It was good that you got to stay at the RV Vendors spot... Sorry we missed you.. We managed to find another campsite.. it was So Far Away we Only made 1 day at the show... We feel the same way you do about the workmanship.... We're going to be at the big tent show in quartzite Arizona next year... Good video thank you...stay safe...J&A2ofus
Hey guys!! Really enjoy your channel, I've been following you for quite some time, was just wondering how you feel about Grand design? I know that Brickley RVs are nice but would really like to know how u feel about GD, I currently own a Reflection, thanks, love watching your videos
Thing about Ember is they are a fairly new company. I was really interested when they were first released, but saw many issues especially leaks. A FB group I was in was shut down to only owners when people first started using their Embers and started complaining about leaks. Checked them off my list then. Not sure if they ever got the water leaks under control.
I went on Thursday. Didn't see any RU-vid people 😢 I'm looking for a class-A gas. I'm very disappointed they only had like 5 total on the entire property 😕 It was a towable RV show with some overpriced diesel pushers sprinkled in.
And you don't have to deal with Frame flex! my buddy has a GD and is not get any help at all with his issues 😮 if I get a new RV it will be a Brinkley!
If i make it to Tampa next year, I'm going to carry a rock just to throw and get your attention! 😂 The recurring theme in seeing over and over is the lack of quality throughout the industry. It's like there's a cancer that's spreading everywhere. I'd be embarrassed as a manufacturer if something i built was at such a big show with glaring deficiencies. It shows they truly just don't care.
Hi liked watching your video. Did you notice your bed slide decals on the outside don,t line up , is that from frame flex, is normal? I noticed it when you were pulling out to move to the Brinkley spot for the show Great video folks. Thank you again for your time and safe travels.
Thanks so much for watching!! The decals are actually lined up that way on purpose so that when it’s open, it lines up and keeps the clean lines. Looks a little off when closed up, but makes it look much nicer when set up, when it matters more 😄
You said you wanted to check out Ember because you heard they did "off-road" campers (and you even showed the correct model line in your graphic), but then you went into (and showed video of) one of their Touring Edition models, which is specifically made for traditional "RV park" camping. Ooops. Next time, check out their Overland Series models...totally different ballgame.
We did end up going in those as well. The suspension was definitely ready for off road. But the interior seemed to be very similar in terms of material types and build quality with how they put things together
@@wildrvlife While then it's unfortunate that you chose to show only the one small scrapping bracket out of the Ember units you went into. While you alluded to this in your video, you're really comparing apples to oranges. Brinkley's Model Z Air, which is their new towable RV line and appears to be their least expensive RV, has an MSRP starting at just over $80K. Ember's Touring Edition has an MSRP of $50K-$70K and their Overland Series has a MSRP of about $55K-$75K, and most of that price difference is due to the Overland Series suspension. Of course, they use the same materials...most mfgs try to standardize their materials and mfg process, but in order to price them $20K-$30K below "luxury" brands like Brinkley, they have to use less expensive materials. Yes, solid countertops are better than laminate countertops found in almost all mid-priced RVs, but even that is better than the old T-molding/bumper countertops of the past. Plus, solid countertops are significantly heavier, which is less of a factor in fifth wheels than it is in towable RVs, but everything has a tradeoff. Not everyone lives in their RV full time and not everyone can, or wants to, spend $80K on a depreciable asset like an RV, so you make choices and/or compromises based on your time and budget. As for quality at an RV show, most mfgs don't bring the RVs to a show...including the Tampa show. They may bring a couple of prototypes or brand new models, but it's too complicated and far to bring RVs from Indiana. Instead, most RVs at shows are just brought from local lots of dealers they work with in the area, and those dealers often have their reps in the mfgs booths to sell the units. Does that excuse poor quality?...No. But it's not like the units are the show are 'special' from the mfgs...and Yes, mfgs should emphasize better quality on every unit that they ship out whether it will appear at an RV show or not.
Totally agree! Everything is a trade off, whether it’s by price or materials and everyone just has to make the decision for themself on what’s best for them. I’m sure there are probably tons of happy Ember owners, because it’s what they wanted. We just learned it’s not what we would want, but that’s ok! That’s why there are a million different RVs, because we all want and prioritize different stuff 😅 Now, I do think everyone wants manufacturers to step up their game when it comes to quality control because some small changes and attention to detail could make big differences across the board.
My wife and I made to the Florida RV Supershow for the first time. I was watching for y'all but didn't get to see y'all. We are planning on having our motorhome in time for the Tampa show next year so we can go and stay in our RV instead of across the road in the Holiday Inn Express...lol. How do you go about booking one of those spots on-site?
Aww too bad we missed you, maybe next year!! You have to watch the website, every year in the fall sometime they release a link to book a site for the rv show rally to camp on site. They usually announce the date they’ll be releasing it in early Fall sometime www.frvta.org/show/florida-rv-supershow/
My husband and I went to the KC RC Show..not as big, and all inside, which means cramming a whole lot of people in one unit. Due to that reason, we didn't get to see a whole lot. They didn't have Brinkley either, which would have been cool to see since I really like your guys rig! Switch it Up made it, and that StarCraft is amazing! It will be a good time for them! Thank you for taking us with you! Maybe one year my husband and I can come down to FL and experience it all! Looks like fun!
Even at this one, on some of the days, you could barely get into some units, it was packed! So I know what you mean 😅 so glad you got to see the spacecraft though, it was a really cool RV to see that has even cooler owners! 😄
@@wildrvlife We weren't able to meet Todd and Shiela, they seemed super busy and I didn't want to inturrupt them. They seem to be such great people though! One of these days we will get to meet you all! :)
Hi! Did you guys by chance get to look at a Alliance Paradigm? If so what did you think? The build quality is not as good as the Brinkley, but real close. I am going to buy one of the two this Spring. I am leaning towards the Paradigm because of one reason. The customer service from what I have read is second to none. Let's face it EVERY rv is going to have some problems. From your experience how is the customer service at Brinkley??
We looked at Alliance but I scratched it immediately upon finding out that they welded two different I beams together for the length. A major potential weak spot! Especially for Victoria & Craig as they drag their Brinkley through interesting boondocking sites.
Well the thing you want to watch out for with the C class ect is the GVRW as you would be overloaded carrying yourselves a half tank of water 2 dogs and a toothbrush Plus you would want a 4 wheel drive Which is super rare on those These new trailers are built too heavy and the frames built too weak as flexing and broken welds seems a common issue now cept for Brinkley that build the frames for full time travel Plus there using OSB for roofs which is definatly not waterproof then covering it with super thin vinyl thats waterproof till a budgie lands on it and making the furniture out of MDF Which also isnt waterproof So unless you are going to park these new RVs in a desert full time you might be safe as there not built for damp or anywhere that has rain or snow as its all about making a fortune and and sticking it to the buyers on these things Which should be built with waterproof oak teak or mahogany paneling and solid wood the same as boats are built with as there water proof building materials that wont rot Im gonna keep my 1977 Coachman 33 foot 5 wheel made with real wood a thick frame and thick aluminum roof i bought for 500 bucks and not bother to go to any of these RV shows as i know what these things should cost and how they should be built
