The Poncho Story

Man in green plaid shirt casting fly rod

Made for it.

We aren’t one of those big companies that’s owned by an even bigger company that cuts corners to make an extra buck. In fact, when we hear “extra buck,” we’re likely thinking whitetails. That’s because we’re a team of lifelong outdoorsmen who look for any and every excuse to get as far out as possible into the wild places that feel like home.

Poncho was born outdoors. Our founder, Clay, had a previous life as a fishing guide in Alaska. And while he loved the feeling he got from taking others deep into the backcountry, he couldn't stand the fishing shirts available at the time. They fit like parachutes at best, and trash bags at worst. Full of loops and straps that didn't do anything except get in the way. So when he returned to civilization, he set out to find a better way.

Man in tan shirt reaching n zipper pocket

Outfitting the modern outdoorsman.

He got to work making the shirt he wanted to wear when he was out doing what he loved. His mantra of ‘everything you need, nothing you don’t’ radically shaped The Original Poncho fishing shirt. Performance, comfort, and fit — in styles you’d actually want to wear every day.

People started taking notice, and he was able to hire some more outdoorsy types to spread beyond fishing. Today, we’re a small team working out of Austin, Texas, making premium shirts for fishermen, hunters, ranchers, builders, bull riders, pitmasters, tailgaters, outdoorsmen, and anyone else who isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get after whatever it is they’re into. We like to think we’re making shirts for the best days of your life — when you’re out chasing white whales and whitetails, sleeping in bear country, working land that’s been in your family for generations, weekends at the ranch, and celebrating a come-from-behind win against your rival on gameday.

We don’t just stand by all of our products, we wear them.

We’re a modern company with old-fashioned principles: Do the right thing. Make things that live up to your values. Avoid waste. And empower people to do what they love.

If you’re new to Poncho, we hope you find a few shirts that fit your thing. If you’re a long-time fan, we can’t thank you enough for wearing our name on your chest. We don’t take that lightly. Thanks for making us part of your journey — we can’t wait to see you out there.

Doing our part

Part of the reason we’re called Poncho is because that was one of St. Francisco’s nicknames. He was the patron saint of the outdoors — protecting the wild places and animals we can’t live without. And that always resonated with us.

We’re committed to always finding better ways to be good stewards. All our shirts are made with a certified Bluesign-Approved manufacturing process to make sure everything we make is made responsibly. We use recyclable mailers to cut down on trash. And we’re constantly looking for new groups to call attention to, and help out in any way we can. Who knows what we’ll be up to tomorrow. But we hope you’ll have our back.