Interview with Explore More Northwest

Jay and Dana Cadwell are the owners of the teardrop trailer rental company, Explore More Northwest in Spokane, Washington. After a four-month trip through the western U.S. and Canada in their Dutchman T@B, the couple decided to open up their own business renting out two Little Guy teardrops and two T@Bs—including their own. Dana was so nice to give us not only the inside scoop on how they started their business, but also how much they love the teardrop life.

How and why did you become interested in teardrop trailers and T@Bs? 

When Jay and I lived in Spokane, Washington I was working full time and he was in grad school. We wanted to get away on the weekends to go hiking but it always seemed like a hassle to pack up the car with all of our camping gear, so we looked into small travel trailers. We wanted something small enough so we didn’t just disappear into a large RV and miss out the camping experience so a teardrop seemed like a great compromise.

We couldn’t have been happier with our decision to get our T@B trailer. We didn’t realize how much use it was going to get until we spent over 60 nights in it within the first year. Not only did we use it in the summer for camping, but we towed it up to ski resorts and stayed in the parking lots in the winter.

We love the T@B layout because we were able to cook inside, allowing us to travel no matter what kind of weather was thrown at us. We have slept though severe lighting storms, winter blizzards, and torrential down pours. We love that no matter what the weather throws at us, we can still travel and have a comfortable night sleep!

What are some benefits and challenges of teardrops? 

Benefits: Easy to tow, lightweight, and comfortable to sleep in. When we get away in our teardrop it’s not always about the camping experience. Sometimes our main objective is to go mountain biking, skiing or long distance running. These activities require a good night’s sleep so we can be re-charged for the next day of our trip. It is SO nice to get a good night of rest and be able to make dinner in a flash with the easy kitchen access in teardrops.

Challenges: I never had any towing experience before our first teardrop so it was a little intimidating to learn how to hook up and back up a trailer for the first time. I was surprised how quickly I learned and how easy it really was to operate a teardrop.


How did you get started in the rental business? 

Jay and I found ourselves at a juncture in life where he had the option to take some time off from work for a couple of months. We decided to hit the open road and travel out of our 2008 Dutchman T@B for four months. We had no itinerary or plan so we were able to make decisions on a whim and live each day in the moment.  It was incredibly easy to travel this way with the simplicity of our teardrop.

When we finished our trip in our hometown (Kennewick, Washington) we realized we wanted to share this experience with the local community and give them quick access to the outdoors. We are incredibly passionate about being in the outdoors and how it can bring a sense of peace to those that live a stressful life. It’s important to unwind, disconnect and recharge in nature every now and then and we hope that renting out teardrops will grant our customers a quick escape into nature.


Read more about Explore More Northwest and their rental business at Do It Yourself RV

Photos by Explore More Northwest