The Transylvania Times -

Today, SylvanSport has announced Greig Heil as the grand prize winner in their coolest camper ever adventure contest, winning a GO pop-up camper loaded with outdoor adventure gear from eight different sponsors. The GO, an all-in-one pop-up camper and trailer from SylvanSport was hailed as the “Coolest. Camper. Ever.,” by National Geographic.

To enter, contestants wrote short essays pitching an outdoor adventure they wanted to take with the GO. Three finalists were selected to borrow the GO and document their adventures for up to three months. At the end of their journey, only one would be crowned the ultimate GO winner.

Heil, an avid mountain biker and outdoor adventure writer, entered SylvanSport’s contest last June by pitching his idea for an adventure trip he wanted to take with the GO.

“My ideal GO adventure involves mountain biking...a lot of mountain biking,” he wrote.

Heil, who is a mountain biker and blogger for Singletracks.com and Tripleblaze.com, was in the market for a camper for a mountain Biking tour he wanted to take in the Pacific Northwest.

Much to his surprise, his submission was selected from over 2,000 entries and earned Heil a spot in the top three finalists competing for a chance to win a GO pop-up camper. The other two finalists included Aaron Smith, a riverboarder hailing from east Texas, and Meghan Wolfgram from Florida, owner of Swift Paws Lure Coursing Equipment for dog agility and training.

As finalists, Heil, Smith, and Wolfgram each had the opportunity to borrow a GO camping trailer for up to three months, making their dream trips a reality and documenting them along the way. In addition, the finalists received a spectacular prize package of outdoor gear from sponsors including Yakima, Wenger, KEEN, SPOT GPS, Black Diamond, Grand Trunk, Kelty, and Jackson Kayak.

Wolfgram’s GO adventure trip sent her camping with her beloved dog, Pretzel, up the East Coast and into Canada, stopping at 10 destinations where she hosted lure-chasing events to benefit local dog charities.

On his GO trip, Smith caught up with old friends and made new ones while riverboarding all over North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. At one point in his journey, Smith wrote to his followers on Facebook, “Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph and the GO weathered the storm like a champ!”

A Winner’s Journey

Accompanied by his wife, Summer, Heil hit the road with the GO and camped and mountain biked through Bend and Oakridge in Oregon, and Salida and Steamboat Springs in Colorado, before heading back to the Southeast. Along the way, he hauled four mountain bikes, a massive cooler, and a tool box on the GO, with plenty of room to spare.

When it came to sleeping in the GO pop-up tent after a long day of driving or riding, Heil and his wife were impressed.

“Compared to tent camping, we loved the extra space the GO affords, and slept so much better in the GO,” Heil said. “My wife usually can’t sleep well when camping, but she said she actually looked forward to sleeping in the GO. Hearing that after three straight weeks of sleeping in the GO is more than enough endorsement for me!”

For Heil, it was the performance of the GO that made him fall in love with it.

“Compared to a traditional pop-up camper, the GO is much lighter, more maneuverable, and much more versatile,” he said.

In an online review for Singletracks, Heil praised the GO for its design and engineering. “A traditional camper is designed for pure luxury and indulgence, whereas the GO is a versatile piece of high-quality technical gear that is designed to perform well on the way to the campground, at the campground, and on the way back,” he wrote.

A Close Contest

“It was an incredibly close finish as all three contestants brought a unique perspective to their trips and promotions,” said Kyle Mundt, SylvanSport director of marketing.

In the end, Heil nudged the other competitors out slightly by going all the way out west and reaching the most people in his journey.

“I feel very excited and extremely blessed to have been chosen as the grand prize winner,” said Heil.

“I had a hard time parting with the GO camper at the end of last summer — my wife and I had such a fantastic time traveling and camping in it, that it was hard to imagine planning a trip for next summer without the GO. Now, I don’t have to!”

So what’s next for Greg Heil and his GO?

“This summer, my wife and I plan to explore our new home of Colorado. After our recent relocation to Salida in September, we now have dozens of nearby, world-class destinations that’ll be perfect for a quick weekend or week-long camping and mountain Biking trip with our GO!”

As for SylvanSport, Mundt says there will definitely be more contests in the future, including (hopefully) the return of the “Find the GO” contest.