Eureka! Sponsors Ford F150 EcoBoost Fuel Economy Adventure Challenge

Eureka!, a full-spectrum camping equipment company offering tents, lighting, furniture and sleeping bags and pads for outdoor enthusiasts, today announced its sponsorship of two organizations that promote clean air and getting outdoors. The first is the Ford F150 EcoBoost Fuel Economy Adventure Challenge with CleanMPG. Eureka! is also sponsoring Bay Area Wilderness Training based in San Francisco Bay area.

The 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Challenge will begin on April 30 in Los Angeles where a team of seven CleanMPG drivers and three guest journalists will set out on a cross country challenge drive in a 2011 Ford F-150 featuring a 3.5L EcoBoost engine. The goal is to drive the 365 HP/420 lb-ft of torque 2011 Ford F-150 Supercrew truck across the U.S. from Los Angeles, CA to TyBee Island, GA on less than 3 tanks of fuel. This level of fuel economy has never been accomplished in this type of vehicle. Ford is supplying CleanMPG with a 2011 Ford F-150 and a 2011 Ford Fiesta chase vehicle in order to accomplish the goal. Each night of the trip the crew will be camping out using Eureka! camping gear as they make their way across the U.S. Eureka! has supplied the following camping gear to the CleanMPG team: Apex 2, Apex 2XT, Scenic Pass 2XT, Timberline® SQ Outfitter 4 and Sunrise tents; DualTemp sleeping bags; Dualis sleeping pads; Curvy chairs; Warrior, and Magic 185 lanterns and NiteGuide 210 flashlights.

“In the universe of camping equipment manufacturers, there are very few that have the breadth of offerings covering the needs of the first-time camper to advanced adventurer taking on mountain peaks the world over – but Eureka! does just that,” said Wayne Gerdes, owner and administrator of CleanMPG. “That is why I selected Eureka! to keep our team of journalists and CleanMPG members — who are about to embark on a very unique adventure of our own — to keep us comfortable during the overnight hours.”

In addition, the Eureka! Facebook page is hosting a contest from April 28, 2011 at noon EST to April 30 at noon EST for its friends to guess (in miles per gallon) the fuel economy that will be achieved by CleanMPG during the “EcoBoost” hypermile drive. The winner who is closest to within .01 mpgs of the actual fuel economy achieved as announced by CleanMPG at the end of the drive will receive a complete camping gear package from Eureka!. The approximate retail value of the gear prize package is $675, and includes an Apex 2XT tent; 2 DualTemp 20/40 sleeping bags; 2 Dualis ST regular sleep pads; 2 Camp Pillows; 1 Magic 185 lantern; 1 Tent & Camp duffle; and 2 NiteGUIDE 210 LED Flashlights. For more information on this contest, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/EurekaTents. Consumers can also enter to win one of five camping gear packages on Eureka!’s Web site, www.eurekatent.com/home.aspx, in a random drawing to be held after noon EDST on Friday, May 6, 2011. Entries must be received by noon EDST on Friday, May 6, 2011.

Eureka! is also sponsoring the Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) organization in 2011, a 501(c) 3 corporation that creates opportunities for urban youth to experience the wilderness first hand. Eureka! is supplying Assault Outfitter 4 and Timberline® SQ Outfitter 6 tents and sleeping bags to BAWT for its leaders, trainers and kids to use during the 2011 camping season. BAWT expects to have over 5,000 participants this year in its annual programs that run March through October in the eight counties of the San Francisco Bay area.

“Eureka! is very pleased to play a part in the success of these two initiatives that support both sustaining a clean environment and getting kids outdoors,” said Mark Hrubant, brand director for Eureka! Tents. “Both of these organizations work diligently to educate and inform consumers about the importance of taking care of our outdoor surroundings – an essential part of any camping adventure.”

About Eureka! Tents:
Eureka!, offering quality tents, sleeping bags, furniture, lighting, and camping accessories for a wide spectrum of campers and environments, is part of the Johnson Outdoors’ family of leading outdoor recreational product brands. The company turns ideas into adventure with a portfolio of award-winning, innovative brands that span the globe, including among others, Old Town® canoes and kayaks, Ocean Kayakâ„¢, Necky® kayaks, Minn Kota® motors, Humminbird® fishfinders, Scubapro® and UWATEC® dive equipment, Silva® compasses and Tech4o® digital instruments. For more information, visit www.eurekatent.com.

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