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. After much of the textile industry moved overseas, the family had to rethink what the business could become. One of the companies that came out of that transition was Minus33. Lawson joined the family business in 2018 after a career in tech and software. One of his first big moves was flying to Italy, buying sock machines, and helping bring sock manufacturing back into the same New Hampshire mill buildings where his family had been making wool products for generations. We also dive into: • How Minus33 got its name from a freezing New Hampshire snowmobile trip • Why Lawson left the tech world to join the family wool business • What it takes to program and run modern sock machines • Why Minus33 brought sock manufacturing back to Ashland, New Hampshire • The difference between making a product that looks good and one that actually works • Why merino wool is so useful for hiking, hunting, snowmobiling, kayaking, running, and layering • How Minus33 designs base layers, socks, hats, gloves, neck gaiters, and outdoor apparel • Why consistency matters when customers want the same favorite product years later • The danger of chasing trends and getting stuck with inventory • The wild story of turtleneck sales after Steve Jobs passed away • Why Minus33 once rejected a huge shipment instead of selling something they weren’t proud of • How customer feedback turns into product changes • Why divers wearing Minus33 under wetsuits actually makes sense • What wool does when it gets wet and why it still insulates One of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing how deeply Lawson understands both the technical side and the human side of making clothing. This episode is full of merino wool nerdiness, family business history, product design lessons, textile manufacturing, outdoor stories, and some really funny moments about socks, gaming, turtlenecks, and why the best outdoor gear sometimes starts with a very practical problem. If you’ve ever worn a wool base layer, packed extra socks “just in case,” or wondered why merino wool doesn’t stink like synthetic gear, this episode is for you. Website: https://www.minus33.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minus33merinowool Listen to Beyond the Trailhead YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Beyondthetrailhead Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-trailhead/id1860050826 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11g9jx9Oyd2YSHipi0mmDy?si=72d97f11c5f64ea6 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/beyondthetrailheadpodcast Website: https://obristimagery.com For those asking about safety gear we use outdoors you can get 15% off Overwatch x Rescue with code BEYOND15.
