New Kids in Town from Oregon

[Trapper John]

By way of introduction, I am in St Helens, OR, where my wife and I are retired. Like so many people before me I am taking my first tentative step into the world of Teardrops. I have poured over countless websites, read for hours, visited dealers, and concluded that a Teardrop will suit our needs perfectly. To make sure I am right, we will rent one in a couple of weeks, take a trip to Southern Oregon to visit family, then swing over to the Oregon Coast for a couple of days. At the conclusion of the trip we should have a pretty good idea of what we want our unit to have for features - at least initially.

We have camped on and off for many years. We backpacked the Long Trail in Vermont, our home state, in our twenties. We tent camped through the Maritime Provinces of Canada with our 3 and 5 year-old sons. We camped out of our 4x4 in Oregon's high desert, back country, and coastal forests in a huge Cabela's tent which became known as The Camo Castle." And now, we're past the point of hassling with a tent but unwilling to drive around in a house on wheels and live in an aluminum ghetto.

So, now the choice is simple - buy or build? Armed with the knowledge of how these little marvels are crafted makes a dealer's price look ridiculous - but the draw to hit the road, make new friends, and experience new adventures is strong - typical Baby Boomer "gotta-have-it-now" thinking, I guess. What will we do? Probably won't know until after the rental trip. Strangely, inclement weather would be helpful for several reasons - now there's a weird camper's wish! But with time on our side the "rental run is more of a research mission than a camping experience.

In any event, this site has such a wealth of information that regardless of our decision we ought to wind up hitting the road happy with our choice. We look forward to meeting up with members of the Teardrop community and sharing experiences with you!

[halfdome, Danny]

Welcome Trapper John. I've personally seen Vacations In A Can, he makes a nice unit for rent. The only draw back for you might be the teardrops are in California. There's also http://www.teardrops.net/classads01.html where people list teardrops for sale. If your not busy next weekend, May 25 - 28Th, come on over to The Gorge Gathering at the Fair grounds in Stevenson Washington. We had a good turn out last year and they expect even more teardroppers this year. This the second annual event. Danny

[Trapper John]

Danny, thanks for the welcome! Although I will miss the event at The Gorge, I hope to be ready by Fall to join in others. BTW - you have a beautiful combo in your ride and teardrop!

I found a rental in Salem (see http://teardropsnw.com/) that we will be taking on a swing south to Medford and Then up the coast, Gold Beach to Newport, in early June. After that I will be ready to start work on my own unit. I hope to report progress in words and pics as time goes on.

[halfdome, Danny]

Danny, thanks for the welcome! Although I will miss the event at The Gorge, I hope to be ready by Fall to join in others. BTW - you have a beautiful combo in your ride and teardrop!

I found a rental in Salem (see http://teardropsnw.com/) that we will be taking on a swing south to Medford and Then up the coast, Gold Beach to Newport, in early June. After that I will be ready to start work on my own unit. I hope to report progress in words and pics as time goes on.

Trapper John, You don't need a teardrop to come look at teardrops at the Gorge. Teardrops NW is new to me. Looks like they make a nice unit.
Enjoy your trip and we'll see your build as it comes along. Thanks Danny

[daleroller]

Teardrops NW is a great place to get a Teardrop. Bill was the first person a Teardrop Trailer at the Marion County Fair, and the next day I had to go to his shop to look around. I am thinking about about stopping by again next week to see how much a rental is until mine get's finished being built. I will be going to the meet in Stevenson on my motorcycle just to look around at the diffrent trailers and get some more ideas about what I want to do. I am getting kind of impatient to have my own as well and have been looking around on Craigslist to buy one to use while mine is being built. Then I can sell whichever one I don't want.
Living in Oregon we are kind of spoiled for choice as to all the places in a few hours drive we can go: The Gorge, Mt. St. Helens, Olympic Rain Forest, The Coast, Eastern Oregon desert, Wine Country, Bend, etc. Every weekend can be an adventure for the price of a full tank of gas.

[Trapper John]

I agree, DR. I am renting one of Teardrops NW units for a week at $375. ($90 one night, sliding scale until a full week is reached.) There are several advantages to the rental, not the least of which is that the entire fee can be applied to a new purchase. The overnight cost of motel lodging on the coast make this a no brainer!

[oregoncamper]

I also live in the Portland, Oregon area and am in the process on trying to rent from teardrop nw for a long weekend to Mount Rainier National Park. How did you like the rental teardrop nw gave you? Can you post any pictures of the trailer? Hopefully teardrop nw will give me a call back, since they are the only people I can find that will rent a teardrop trailer in the state!

Does anyone else know of any owners in Oregon that rent out their teardrop trailers for people to try for a long weekend?

Thanks