HEST Announces Company Growth, New Leadership, Product Updates, and 4th Annual HESTIVAL

April 2, 2025

HEST rolls into camping season with strategic growth, new products, and the fourth annual HESTIVAL.

SEATTLE (April 2, 2025) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Founded on a dream to sleep better, play more, and send it further, HEST, the designer of premium products built to bring the comforts of home to the outdoors, is excited to share brand updates as it simultaneously builds on customer enthusiasm to get outside and go camping. This year marks a period of monumental growth and evolution for HEST, with new leadership, expanded product offerings, and the return of its annual campout that celebrates the kick-off to camping season.

HEST experienced significant growth in 2024- launching 24 new products and doubling sales in both its e-commerce and wholesale business. 2025 is off to a fast start with March DTC sales being three times that of March 2024 sales. Additional key brand updates include the below:

Strategic Hire: HEST Welcomes New VP of Product

Darrin Haugen joins HEST as VP of Product to support HEST’s current and future product growth. Haugen has a tenured background in product development in the outdoor and ski markets. Haugen most recently served in senior product development roles at Peak Ski Company and Sitka Gear. Prior to that, Haugen worked for 18 years at K2 Sports, where he finished his time there as Global Ski Product Director. Haugen and HEST founder Aaron Ambuske overlapped at K2 from 2005-2015 while building the K2 ski boot program from scratch. The K2 Ski Boot program recently reached #1 market share in the U.S., and Haugen and Ambuske are excited for the opportunity to build something special together at HEST.

“I am very honored to be working with Aaron and the entire HEST team. They have built an impressive brand around improving sleep comfort while camping, overlanding, and traveling. I look forward to integrating quickly into this high-performance team and contributing to new market-leading products.”

Expanded Product Line and New Partnerships

HEST is expanding its offerings to ensure that outdoor and travel enthusiasts, whether solo or with a partner or family, have access to comfortable, portable sleep solutions. HEST has already launched four new products in 2025, with a robust product pipeline scheduled for the remainder of the year.

HEST and Rivian’s partnership announcement at the end of 2024 resulted in a quick sellout followed by an early spring 2025 restock – which resulted in more sales in 24 hours than the entire first year of business.

From expanded bedding options, to on-the-go accessories like the Foamy Seat Cushion and Pro Travel Pillow, these new products reflect HEST’s commitment to bringing home comfort to anywhere you roam.

4th Annual HESTIVAL: HEST’s Kick-Off to Summer Camping

In celebration of the camping season, HEST will host its fourth annual HESTIVAL from May 2-4, 2025 at Big B’s Delicious Orchards in Hotchkiss, CO. This family and pet-friendly outdoor gathering will feature adventures, live music, product demos and more.

“It continues to be a dream come true to see how far HEST has come in such a short amount of time,” said Aaron Ambuske, founder and CEO of HEST. “As we forge ahead into this new period of growth, I am eager to work with the HEST team to continue building the business!”

Looking Ahead

With early signals from sales and customer enthusiasm to go camping and overlanding this year, HEST is poised to expand even further in 2025 and beyond. The new leadership, innovative product offerings, and strong partnerships position the company to deliver even more value to its community. Today, HEST celebrates a growing line of premium car-camping sleep products that can be found online and in brick and mortars across the country. For more information about HEST, visit www.hest.com.

About HEST

HEST brings the comforts of home to the great outdoors by producing premium products that build community around camping. HEST develops and delivers high-performance, low-maintenance solutions for camping and travel. HEST was founded in 2019 by outdoor industry product engineer Aaron Ambuske who was looking for a better night’s sleep when spending nights outdoors. Today, HEST is committed to building a line of products that takes all the best things from our beds at home into portable, adventure-ready forms. HEST revels in the idea of enabling more people to get outdoors and enjoy all that they have to offer, especially after a good night’s sleep. Learn more about HEST at www.hest.com.

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Media Contact:

Katie Wolitarsky

KWM PR

katie@kwm-pr.com