Beyond The Trailhead

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Scott Wambolt, CEO and Co-Founder of Wambolt. Scott is an ER doctor, former Air Force physician, father of five, and now an outdoor gear founder trying to solve one of the most annoying parts of family adventure: PACKING. The idea for Wambolt started while Scott was stationed in Alaska. His family was constantly camping, fishing, skiing and...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Scott Hannon, founder of The Ultralight Mindset and creator of the uLAS Ultralight Adventure Sandals. Scott’s story started with a simple backpacking problem: he hated carrying camp shoes. After long days on trail, he wanted something lightweight enough to justify packing, but still durable enough to actually protect his feet around camp. Hi...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Peter Williams, founder and creator of DRYE Fan. This might be one of the biggest “why didn’t I think of that?” products we’ve had on the podcast. If you use a hydration bladder for hiking, backpacking, trail running, cycling, hunting, rucking, or pretty much anything outside, you probably know the problem. DRYE is a small rechargeable fan s...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Lance Taylor, General Manager of LOWA USA. Lance has spent nearly 25 years in the footwear industry. He actually started selling women’s shoes at Dillard’s while in college before moving into the outdoor world, where he spent years working across sales, footwear, product, and category management. About 18 months ago, he stepped into leadersh...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with JM Fabrizi, Director of Backcountry Garage. JM has spent years on the small-brand side of the outdoor industry. He joined Coalatree in 2017 and eventually ran the day-to-day business before Backcountry acquired the brand in 2026. Coalatree became the first brand in the new Backcountry Garage program, and JM now leads the Garage while continu...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Seth Beiden, Marketing Director at Mountain House. If you’ve spent any time backpacking, camping, hunting, fishing, traveling, or building an emergency food stash, there’s a good chance you’ve seen or eaten a Mountain House meal. Seth brings a unique background to Mountain House. He spent nine years at CamelBak during a major growth period,...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Paul Bogush, creator and owner of Holey Hiker Bidet. This might be the smallest product we’ve ever talked about on the podcast, but it also might be one of the most life-changing pieces of backpacking gear once people finally try it. Paul’s story starts around 2019 after he read an article about a national park no longer allowing people to b...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with John Schade, co-founder and president of DryBrew. DryBrew is real coffee in a chewy, ready-to-eat bite. No cup, no brewing, no stopping for a bathroom break five minutes later. John explains that the first idea came from wanting coffee while driving without spilling it everywhere. From there, the team created a chewy coffee bite made with re...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Katie McKinstry Stylos, the artist, graphic designer, professional climber, and creator behind Hyalite Designs. Katie is based in Bozeman, Montana, and Hyalite Designs is named after Hyalite Canyon, a place close to where she lives and climbs. She shares how the canyon, the mountains, and the places she loves outside continue to inspire her...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Lawson Glidden, President of Minus33, a merino wool clothing brand based in Ashland, New Hampshire. Minus33 is part of a much older family textile story. Lawson shares how his family’s wool business, L.W. Packard, began in 1916 on the Squam River in Ashland, New Hampshire, making wool broadcloth for suits, peacoats, and other wool goods. Aft...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Mateo Favero, Director of Marketing and Design at Zpacks. Mateo has been with Zpacks since 2010, back when the company was still being run out of a garage. He started by learning how to sew from scratch and has now been part of Zpacks for more than 16 years, helping shape the brand’s marketing, product design, and ultralight gear development...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Mike Mojica, founder of Outdoor Element, a family-run outdoor gear company making adventure survival tools, fire-starting carabiners, knives, camp accessories, and small pieces of gear built to help people feel more prepared outside. Mike’s story started after moving from Texas to Colorado while working in aerospace. After hiking Mount Yale,...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Derek Tillotson, founder of FirstShake and CEO of Haven Tents. Derek has been on both sides of the creator world. Before building Haven Tents, he worked as a family travel content creator, reaching out to hotels and brands and often getting ignored. Later, as a brand owner, he experienced the other side: creators reaching out for free produc...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Joe La Pointe, founder of FarPointe Outdoor Gear, a small cottage gear company based on the Oregon coast making ultralight fleece, sunwear, camp pants, socks, hats, and trail-focused apparel. Joe started FarPointe in 2021 after getting into Alpha Direct fabric and making his first small batch of beanies on a tiny sewing machine. He sold thos...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Joe Bissonnette, founder of Sky View Tents, a Colorado-based tent company building what Joe calls a true stargazing tent. Sky View Tents started from a simple frustration: Joe loved sleeping under the stars, but hated the usual rainfly problem. If you leave the fly off, you get the incredible open-sky experience — but you risk bugs, critters...

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 spe...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Jameson MacFarland, Marketing Director at Ripstop by the Roll, live from Switchback in New Orleans. If you’ve ever made your own gear, dreamed about starting a cottage brand, or wondered where small outdoor companies get technical fabrics like ripstop nylon, Dyneema®, X-Pac, mesh, webbing, and pack materials, there’s a good chance you’ve hea...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Chris Cage, CEO and creator of Greenbelly Meals, the backpacking food brand known for ready-to-eat, high-calorie meal bars made for hikers, thru-hikers, bikepackers, climbers, and outdoor adventurers. Chris did not start out in the food world. After college, he worked as an accountant, realized it was not the path he wanted long-term, saved...

Use Code BEYOND15 to get 15% off Overwatch x Rescue! You need this! In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Greg Pearson, CEO and creator of Overwatch x Rescue, a 24/7 emergency assistance subscription service built for people who live, work, and play beyond reliable cell service. Greg’s background is not your typical outdoor startup story. He spent years working in the world of r...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Bekah Whitney, owner and creator of Ecoteric Marketing, a marketing agency focused on helping eco-conscious outdoor brands build marketing systems that actually get executed. Bekah’s story started while living full-time on the road in a cargo trailer. She quit a stable remote job without a clear plan, picked up her first clients, and slowly...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Thor Tingey, CEO and co-founder of Alpacka Raft, one of the most iconic brands in the world of packrafting. Alpacka Raft started after Thor completed a massive traverse through Alaska’s Brooks Range using boats that were never really built for that kind of adventure. The idea worked… but the gear didn’t. So Thor went to his mom, Sheri Tingey...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Gary Benninger, creator and owner of Gryphon Gear, a small handmade gear company known for quilts and sleeping bags built with serious warmth in mind. Gary’s story goes way back from reading about Admiral Byrd’s South Pole expeditions, to working as a research scientist at NASA, to spending more than 100 nights sleeping on snow. His love for...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Sarah Berkeley, creator and owner of Symbiosis Gear, a woman-founded backpacking gear company making packs for people with boobs. Sarah’s story started on the Pacific Crest Trail, where she went through three different backpacks and still couldn’t find one that fit her body well. She saw men using small, sleek ultralight packs, but when she...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead, I sit down with Grant Breidenbach, Sales and Marketing Manager at BearVault, the company behind some of the most recognized bear-resistant food containers in the outdoor industry. If you backpack in bear country, there’s a good chance you’ve carried a BearVault… loved it, hated it, sat on it, stuffed it into your pack, or fought with it at the end of a long...

In this episode of Beyond the Trailhead , we sit down with Lloyd Vogel, CEO of Garage Grown Gear. The platform that has helped launch and grow some of the most innovative brands in the outdoor industry. What started as a small side hustle in a basement turned into a powerhouse marketplace supporting 300+ small outdoor brands and Lloyd’s story is one every founder needs to hear. We dive into: • How...