Life’s better on the river.

Not just river-themed. River-raised.

For Paulie, river life began generations ago. He comes from a family of commercial fishermen, and by eight years old he had a johnboat of his own. As a teenager, he spent summers camping along the banks of the Mississippi and relied on the fish he caught for food.

That connection to the river never left us. As adults, we would still rather be on the water—fishing, boating, kayaking, and taking family and friends along to enjoy it. One of our favorite traditions is an annual fishing trip with our grandchildren, passing down the same love of the river to another generation.

River Rat Outfitters grew from those memories and the ones we are still making. Many designs begin with our own photographs of river towns, boats, bridges, wildlife, and sunsets, transformed into wearable pieces of Mississippi River heritage.