Minus33 launches Merino takeback program to support search and rescue groups nationwide

March 13, 2024

Your old Minus33 Merino wool can help save a life

ASHLAND, NH /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Minus33 Merino Wool Company is offering 25% off vouchers to customers who return their used Merino layers to be repurposed into Search And Rescue (SAR) Warming Kits.

In response to a surge of rescues across the country, Minus33 is reaching out for help in meeting the overwhelming demand from its nationwide network of first responder groups.

Minus33 repurposes gently worn garments with minor defects into SAR Warming Kits. Each kit contains a top and bottom Merino wool base layer, a wool hat, wool socks and wool gloves: A head-to-toe outfit of warm wool clothing to help prevent or delay hypothermia in the field.

Customers who submit lightly used Minus33 Merino wool garments will receive a discount for 25% off their next purchase at Minus33.com.

Minus33’s SAR program got its start at home in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

“When we found that members of our regional search and rescue teams were giving away their own gear to keep people warm during rescues, we wanted to help with that,” said Minus33 President Lawson Glidden. “Those layers often end up getting cut off in the hospital afterwards, so it’s a great way to recycle and get some extra life out of our wool. A few little holes or runs aren’t going to compromise those garments in this application, and if you’re ever unfortunate enough to need rescuing, I promise you’ll be grateful for them.”

Minus33 is proud to support and supply SAR groups across the country with these kits so that they can search for and provide aid to those who are in distress or in imminent danger outdoors. Some of the most common things hikers and people exploring the outdoors are unprepared for is an unexpected injury, getting lost, or experiencing sudden change in weather conditions that may force them to spend the night outdoors.

Many set out on what they think is going to be a simple day hike, neglecting to pack warm or spare dry clothing, water, shelter or other gear they may need in an emergency situation. For some, this mistake can be fatal.

For dealer sales inquiries, contact info@minus33.com. For media info, contact Chris Hrenko (chris@palemorning.com) at Pale Morning Media.

About Minus33

Minus33 offers the finest quality Merino wool base layers & apparel at a price that everyone can afford. Carrying forward over 108 years of wool garment manufacturing expertise, Minus33 was created by the wool experts of the former L.W. Packard Co., in 2002, as a response to the changing global trade and manufacturing landscape. In 2020, the brand set out to bring wool production back to Ashland, New Hampshire, with its Mountain Heritage line of socks, extending a local tradition dating back to 1840, when the Briggs brothers of Leeds, England, built a woolen mill on the Squam River, manufacturing wool products, hosiery, gloves, sporting equipment and paper. In 1916, Luther W. Packard of Berwick, Maine, purchased the mill and named it L.W. Packard. For more history on the L.W. Packard Mill and Minus33, read Our Story.