Yet Another New Member!

[scmdba]

Hi all. Steve and Marsha Merritt here from Troy, Ohio (20 mi north of Dayton on I-75). We began camping with a VW way back in 1969 when we were in the Air Force. We had the add-on tent and that worked well until the third child arrived and we switched to a big station wagon and a 12x12 tent. I used to roam the campgrounds looking at trailers and dreaming of the day I could get something with hard sides. We finally got a large poptop and made many memories with the kids (have 4 total) before cross-country, track, soccer, summer camps, and a few other activities ended our camping. That is until 1996. By then, the kids were either on their own or in college. We went on a weekend with some friends and got the bug again.

We started with a small Coleman poptop just to see if we REALLY wanted to start this again. The answer was YES and we moved to a bigger poptop, then a 25' Shasta, and then the 315RLS that we have had for two years. For some perverse reason, I seem to pick the trailer before I have the tow vehicle and now recognize that what I should have gotten was a 5er. Oh well! I did talk some friends into a 3255 and they left for Florida last Friday until mid-April.

We plan to retire in 5-8 years (depending on how long my company will keep the "gray hairs" around). Today, I want to full-time but we will take that step when/if the time comes. We sat in a 3400 at the Dayton show just a week ago today. That's the one for me. My wife favors the 3670. Who knows what will be available when we actually "graduate" to a fifth wheel. We pull our 2002 315RLS around with a 1999 Dodge 2500 V-10 that I love. The trailer is certainly within the 13,500 tow rating! I went by the trailer this morning. Boy did it look cold (18 F) and lonely. It really needs to head south. In fact, I couldn't get the back door open - frozen up. At least the wheel covers where still in place even after the high winds we have had.

I found this site in the Montana brochure and really like what I see. Keep up the good work all you administrators and posters.


Steve & Marsha Merritt
Troy, OH
2002 315RLS Montana Mountaineer