In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Aaron Ambuske, founder and CEO of HEST, the outdoor comfort brand known for premium camping mattresses, pillows, chairs, and sleep systems built to make sleeping outside feel a lot more like sleeping at home. Aaron has been in the outdoor industry for more than 30 years, starting in Jackson Hole, working in product design, and eventually spending 18 years at K2 Skis, where he worked on skis, ski boots, poles, snowboards, and the full product development process. The idea for HEST came from a simple pain point: Aaron was getting ready for a river trip and dreading the usual air mattress routine — finding holes, figuring out how to pump it up, and knowing he probably wasn’t going to sleep well. That frustration led him to research what makes a home mattress comfortable: pressure point relief, body alignment, and temperature regulation. From there, HEST was born. We also dive into: • How HEST started from one real camping problem • Why air mattresses work for backpacking but not always for car camping • What outdoor brands can learn from home mattress design • Why Aaron believes prototypes matter more than focus groups • How HEST launched with only 75 sleep systems • Why customers pulling out a credit card is the real test • How REI discovered HEST early on • The difference between DTC and brick-and-mortar retail • Why cash flow can be one of the hardest parts of building a product brand • How HEST is helping people enjoy the outdoors through comfort This episode is packed with outdoor product design lessons, startup reality, camping comfort talk, and honest advice for anyone building a physical product brand. If you’ve ever woken up camping with a sore back, a deflated air mattress, or the thought “I love camping… but I hate sleeping out here,” this one is for you. 🛏️ Connect with HEST Website: https://hest.com Shop Mattresses: https://hest.com/pages/mattresses-collection Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hestoutdoors Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hestoutdoor
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