Brinkley RV has officially entered the front-living fifth wheel category with the new Brinkley Model R 3710, and this isn’t just another familiar floorplan with a different name on the side.
The Model R series has been years in the making, and Brinkley didn’t waste any time rethinking how to design a luxury space while focusing on some of the most common complaints associated with front-living fifth wheels. We got our hands on the prototype, and we can’t wait to share the details — 4,750 pounds of cargo capacity, 290 cubic feet of basement storage, full travel-day access, and a completely different approach to heating and cooling.
While some features and design details may change before full production, at this stage, the Model R gives us a pretty good idea of what Brinkley is trying to accomplish with its newest luxury fifth wheel.
Table of Contents
What Is the Brinkley Model R?
Front Living With Functional Space
Inside the Brinkley Model R Living Room
A Surprisingly Large Kitchen
Bedroom and Bathroom
Road Mode and Travel Access
Exterior Storage and Camp Side Features
Suspension, Construction and Towing
HVAC, Solar and Off-Grid Features
What to Know Before You Buy
Brinkley Model R FAQ
What Is the Brinkley Model R?
The Brinkley Model R is a wide-body, full-profile luxury fifth wheel built around a front-living floorplan.
Think… Brinkley’s Model Z + Model G+ several new ideas layered on top. One of the biggest changes is the HVAC system. Instead of placing traditional air-conditioning units on the roof, Brinkley uses a different system that moves the cooling equipment elsewhere in the RV.
That decision gives Brinkley nine additional inches of head room, and that matters because front-living fifth wheels often feel more enclosed, especially in an elevated front living area.
The Model R also brings together several higher-end features, including a residential-style refrigerator, lithium batteries, a 3,000-watt inverter, available washer and dryer, extensive interior storage, independent suspension, disc brakes & a full observation camera system, and full road mode access.
Front Living With Functional Space
Walk up the steps into a traditional front-living fifth wheel and you can sometimes immediately feel that you’re in the raised portion of the RV.
The Model R feels different because Brinkley was able to use the space that would normally be occupied by rooftop air conditioners to create a taller front living area.
That extra height helps the room feel more like an actual living room instead of a cozy loft tucked into the nose of a fifth wheel.
There’s plenty here for movie nights and rainy camping days, too. The front lounge includes a large 65-inch TV, comfortable seating and a sofa that can provide additional sleeping space when you have guests.
Even the furniture gets a little more attention than you might expect. The all steel reinforced seating uses hand-cut foam, and the convertible sleeping area is substantial enough for an adult to reasonably use when needed.
There are also little details you might not notice during a quick dealership walk-through, until you actually start camping.
Removable furniture components give you more flexibility in the living area, while the window coverings combine day and night shades to give you control over privacy and light throughout the day.
- Elevated front living room features
- Roughly 9 inches of additional headroom
- 65-inch TV
- Residential-style seating
- Convertible sofa for guests
- Day and night shades
- Designed to feel more open than a typical front-living layout
But there’s something else hiding behind this living room that may be even more interesting.
Where Did All This Storage Come From?
Storage and front living rooms haven’t always been the best combination.
Creating an elevated lounge takes up a lot of real estate, and somewhere along the way, something usually has to give.
In the Model R, open up the space behind the front living area and you’ll find a dedicated walk-in storage closet.
Think about what that could mean on a longer trip. Extra blankets don’t have to live under the bed. Board games don’t need to take over a kitchen cabinet. Jackets, shoes and all those miscellaneous things that inevitably follow you into an RV finally have somewhere to go.
That’s one of the themes you’ll notice throughout the Model R. Instead of just asking, Where can we squeeze in another cabinet? the design considers, Where would someone actually want to put this?
- Extra Storage
- Dedicated walk-in storage closet
- Space for blankets, games, jackets and everyday gear
- Helps keep the living room uncluttered
- Adds interior storage without sacrificing the kitchen
A Kitchen That Doesn’t Feel Like a Compromise
If you love the idea of a front living room but also love to cook, this may be the part of the Model R that gets your attention. This is a lot of kitchen for a front-living fifth wheel.
Rather than shrinking the kitchen to make the rest of the floorplan work, Brinkley gave it a large center island, solid-surface countertops and backsplash, extensive cabinetry, a residential-style four-burner cooktop, large propane oven and convection microwave. There’s even an optional factory-installed dishwasher.
One of the smartest decisions may also be one of the simplest, there’s no sink in the island.
That leaves you with a big, uninterrupted work surface.
The island allows you to utilize the counterspace while you’re cooking, set up a buffet when the family comes over, or just enjoy having enough counter space where your coffee maker doesn’t have to compete with your cutting board.
Thoughtful details are tucked throughout the kitchen space. Outlets are positioned where you’ll actually use them, a pantry where the drawers come to you, and built-in conveniences that make meal prep and cleanup a breeze!
There’s an impressive amount of cabinet and drawer storage surrounding the kitchen, so you don’t have to choose between a front living room and having somewhere to keep all the cookware, dishes, appliances and food that come along for the trip.
That’s really what stands out about in this kitchen, it doesn’t feel like Brinkley squeezed a kitchen into a front-living floorplan.
It feels like a kitchen you’d actually want to cook, gather, and entertain in.
A Space for Dinner or Your Laptop
The kitchen also includes Brinkley’s flexible Slide & Dine setup, giving you a dedicated place to sit down for a meal without committing a huge portion of the floorplan to a traditional dinette.
It can be arranged to seat four when you have family or friends along, but what we like most is how easily the space can adapt to everyday life. Need somewhere to open your laptop and get a little work done? It can become a desk. Traveling with a dog? The open area underneath gives you room for a dog bed or crate without having to find another spot for it in the RV.
And if you need a little more seating at mealtime, the large kitchen island provides another casual place to pull up a seat.
It’s another small example of the Model R giving you one space that can work in several different ways, depending on how you camp.
- Kitchen Details
- No sink in the island, creating more usable counter space
- Solid-surface countertops and backsplash
- Residential-style four-burner cooktop
- Large propane oven
- Convection microwave
- Optional factory-installed dishwasher
- Plenty of cabinet and drawer storage
- Thoughtfully placed outlets
- Removable cutting board near the trash area
A Bedroom and Bathroom Built for Longer Stays
As you make your way to the rear of the Model R, the residential feeling continues, and you’ll find more of what you would expect in a fifth wheel designed for extended trips: extra storage, a dresser and entertainment area, blackout shades, bedside charging space and the option for a factory-installed washer and dryer.
A small ventilation system helps move air underneath the bed, an area where condensation can sometimes become an issue in an RV.
None of these features are necessarily the reason you’d buy a fifth wheel on their own, but they’re the kinds of things you start appreciating after you’ve spent two weeks, or two months, living in one.
Spacious Bathroom
Because the bathroom sits on the lower level, there’s enough height in the shower that Brinkley doesn’t use the traditional RV skylight to give taller campers a little extra headroom.
There’s room for an optional folding shower seat, built-in shelving for toiletries, a recessed medicine cabinet and plenty of storage for towels and bathroom essentials.
The vanity is another example of a small design choice that could make a difference over time. Instead of piecing together several sections of countertop material, the vanity area uses molded solid-surface material, reducing seams while creating a cleaner finished appearance.
- Bedroom & Bathroom Luxury
- Optional folding shower seat
- Built-in bathroom storage
- Solid-surface vanity
- Rear bedroom with dresser and entertainment area
- Blackout shades
- Bedside charging storage
- Under-bed ventilation to help reduce condensation
- Available factory-installed washer and dryer
What Happens When the Slides Come In?
This might be one of our favorite and most practical thing about the Model R 3710! It’s easy to fall in love with an RV when it’s parked at the dealership with every slide extended, but what about when you’re six hours into a travel day and someone needs the bathroom? Or you’ve made it to an overnight stop and really don’t want to completely set up camp?
That’s where road mode matters.
With the Model R’s slides retracted, you can still access the refrigerator and bathroom. More surprisingly, for a front-living fifth wheel, you can also get into the rear bedroom.
This gives you access to the three things you’re most likely to need during a travel day: food, a bathroom, and a place to sleep.
It’s not the kind of feature that’s going to jump out on the brochure, but if you’ve ever owned an RV where you had to extend a slide just to make a sandwich, you already know how valuable it can be!
Exterior Storage and Camp-Side Features
Once you step outside the Model R, the theme of “where are we going to put everything?” continues.
And that’s important because fifth wheel storage isn’t just about having a giant pass-through compartment. It’s about whether the space is actually usable for the things you bring camping.
Up front, the Model R includes two full-extension storage drawers rated for 250 pounds each. They’re designed to make it easier to reach gear without having to crawl halfway into a storage compartment to find something that inevitably slid all the way to the back.
Storage features that really stand out
The Model R has a 500-pound-rated rear cargo bay that’s large enough to potentially carry two e-bikes, depending on their size and how they’re positioned. And because e-bikes aren’t exactly lightweight, there’s an exterior power outlet nearby so you can leave a bike outside and still plug it in to charge.
Brinkley is still finalizing the cargo attachment system on this prototype, so that portion may look a little different once production units arrive.
Rather than giving you one small shaded area outside the entry door, the Model R uses multiple awnings to cover nearly the entire camp side of the fifth wheel. That means you can move between the outdoor living area, entry door and exterior storage while staying under cover for most of the length of the RV.
For an RV that’s clearly designed to make the inside feel more like home, it’s nice to see that the camp side itself wasn’t forgotten.
- Exterior and Camp side Storage
- 500-pound-rated rear cargo bay
- Space designed with e-bikes in mind
- Exterior outlet for e-bike charging
- Two 250-pound-rated front storage drawers
- Large magnetic door holdbacks
- Nearly full camp-side awning coverage
- Outdoor storage designed for easier access
Suspension, Construction and Towing
The Model R is a big luxury fifth wheel, so this isn’t going to be the RV you hitch up to just any truck. The 3710’s 4,750-pound cargo carrying capacity may be one of its most important numbers. Brinkley achieves that capacity while keeping the fifth wheel on two axles rather than moving to a triple-axle design.
But underneath all of that residential comfort are several features designed around towing and managing a fifth wheel of this size.
Brinkley was able to maintain the straight frame design while incorporating the large front storage drawers, rather than changing the frame shape to create additional storage space.
The slide systems also vary depending on where they’re located. The upper-deck slides use a Slim Rack system, while the lower-deck slides use hydraulic rack-and-pinion mechanisms.
And when you’re maneuvering something this large, visibility matters.
The Model R comes standard with a full observation camera system, including both rear and side-view cameras. The rear lighting is mounted higher on the RV as well, helping make the turn signals, brake and reverse lighting easier to see from behind.
If you’re seriously considering a Model R, tow vehicle compatibility is something you’ll want to look at carefully once final production specifications are available. This is a full-profile luxury fifth wheel, and choosing the right truck should be based on the actual loaded weights and ratings of the RV, not simply whether a truck can physically pull it.
- Suspension, Construction, & Towing
- Slim Rack upper-deck slide system
- Hydraulic rack-and-pinion lower slides
- Standard rear and side observation cameras
- High-mounted rear lighting for better visibility
- Large luxury fifth wheel requiring careful tow vehicle matching
- Final weights and tow ratings should be confirmed on production units
HVAC, Solar and Off-Grid Features
The Model R uses a different style of air-conditioning system that moves the equipment off the roof. One of the first things you may notice inside is how quiet it is, the system was running during the prototype walkthrough and was difficult to hear over normal conversation.
Removing traditional rooftop AC units also frees up valuable real estate on top of the RV.
The prototype includes 400 watts of rooftop solar, along with a 3,000-watt pure sine wave inverter and its supporting electrical equipment. Brinkley places much of that hardware where it’s accessible when needed but protected from cargo shifting around inside the storage compartment.
The roof itself is different, too. Instead of a traditional rubberized roof membrane, the Model R uses a flexible fiberglass-style roof material designed to provide additional impact resistance. Roof penetrations also use an interior gasket system along with upgraded sealant.
And with No rooftop AC units or bathroom skylight, this means fewer large openings through the roof, something worth paying attention to if you’ve ever worried about maintaining RV roof seals over time.
- Off-Grid Features
- Quieter HVAC operation
- More interior headroom
- Frees up roof space
- 400 watts of rooftop solar on the prototype
- 3,000-watt pure sine wave inverter
- Electrical components positioned for access and protection
- Flexible fiberglass-style roof material
- Fewer major roof penetrations
What to Know Before You Buy
As exciting as the Brinkley Model R is, there’s one very important thing to remember: we’re still looking at a prototype.
Brinkley was actively making changes based on real-world use even before this first look. For example, one of the windows was already slated to move in the production version after testing showed that the entry door could block the original location.
The rear cargo attachment system was also still being finalized.
This is actually encouraging because it shows that the RV is being tested and adjusted, but it also means you shouldn’t assume every detail you see on an early Model R will be identical to the one that eventually arrives at the dealership.
Final specifications, weights, options and availability are the things we’ll want to watch as production gets underway.
And at 41’4″ long with a 23,500-pound GVWR, this is a substantial fifth wheel. You’ll want to think beyond the floorplan itself and make sure you’re comfortable with the tow vehicle requirements, overall size and the realities of maneuvering and camping with a coach this large.
Brinkley Model R FAQs
Is the Brinkley Model R a new series?
Yes. The Model R is an entirely new series in the Brinkley lineup. The first Model R shown is a wide-body, full-profile luxury fifth wheel with a front-living floorplan. The project has been in development for several years, and the unit initially shown is a pre-production prototype.
Is the Brinkley Model R a front-living fifth wheel?
Yes. The first Model R features an elevated front living room, with the kitchen in the center of the RV and the bedroom toward the rear.
Can you access the Brinkley Model R with the slides closed?
Yes. One of the more practical features of the Model R is its road-mode access. With the slides retracted, you can access enough of the refrigerator for a travel stop, reach the bathroom and get into the rear bedroom.
Does the Brinkley Model R have rooftop air conditioners?
No traditional rooftop AC units are used on the prototype. Brinkley’s HVAC design relocates the cooling equipment, which helps create additional ceiling height inside and frees up space on the roof.
Does the Brinkley Model R have solar?
The prototype shown includes 400 watts of rooftop solar. Final equipment and available options should be confirmed on production models.
Can the Brinkley Model R carry e-bikes?
The prototype includes a 500-pound-rated rear cargo bay designed with larger gear such as e-bikes in mind. The space appears capable of accommodating two e-bikes depending on their size and positioning, and an exterior outlet provides a convenient place to charge a bike outside the RV.
How much does the Brinkley Model R cost?
Pricing will depend on the final production model and selected options. Because the Model R is a new product, published pricing may initially reflect MSRP rather than the actual dealer selling price.
When will the Brinkley Model R be available?
Availability will vary as the Model R moves from prototype to production. Because some features were still being finalized on the first unit shown, shoppers should check current Model R inventory and specifications before purchasing.
The Brinkley Model R 3710 feels like more than just a new floorplan, it feels like Brinkley took a fresh look at what a front-living fifth wheel could be.
Instead of accepting the usual tradeoffs that can come with this layout, the Model R gives you a spacious front living room, a kitchen that still feels substantial, impressive storage inside and out, better travel-day access, and several thoughtful features designed around how people actually use their RV.
There are still a few details that may change as the Model R moves from prototype to production, but even at this early stage, it’s clear that Brinkley has put a lot of thought into making this new series feel both luxurious and practical.
If you’ve been waiting for a front-living fifth wheel that doesn’t make you choose between comfort, storage and everyday usability, the Brinkley Model R may be the series you will want to keep on your radar!
Written By: Brooke Erickson
Some say I am a writer, I like to say I am a storyteller