06/21/2026
It is powerful being introduced to something life changing at a young age. Simon and Charley Perkins, brothers and 3rd generation owner operators, learned the love of adventure on the water and in the field isn’t taught, it is lived. As fathers, they’ve learned the art of passing on your deepest passions to your kids. It’s something you love, but you also know it has to be theirs, not yours. It needs to be allowed to grow in ways that are true to them. But if you surround them with it, and are patient, you get to be a spectator to the most incredible thing in the world as they begin to form their relationship with the outdoors.
“I remember wading bonefish flats with my father as a kid and all the things I saw, discovered and learned. It grew into something life-defining for me. This spring, I got to see my kids take the same ankle-deep steps with my father, looking for crabs, shells, sharks, and tails. It is a day I will never forget, and will be fascinating to see what it grows into and where their journey takes them.”
-Simon, Orvis President
“Blending new traditions with old ones is how we breathe fresh life into the adventures of the past — and how our kids become genuinely excited to be part of them. One of my grandfather’s favorite rituals was paddling a canoe down the Battenkill, searching for the first signs of Spring bug life on the river and trout on the move from Winter holding water. One Easter, Simon and I asked ourselves how we could carry that spirit forward for our own families — and just like that, our canoe-paddle Easter egg hunt was born.”
-Charley, Orvis Merchant & Sr Product Developer
Happy Father’s Day!
