Modern Day Mississippi Barrel Raft Adventure

Its like a tale from Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, in the Mark Twain book “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” where they sought freedom and refuge when they decided to make raft and float down the river. We plan on replicating this tremendous journey on a homemade raft, floating 1,692 miles down the Mississippi River from Stillwater, MN to the Gulf of Mexico.

BUT WHY?

This trip gives us a great opportunity to build something we are proud of and build it well. The satisfaction of seeing the finished product of something you’ve built with your own two hands is something not many people our age are feeling these days. Most things we need or want can be delivered or obtained with the press of a button or swipe of a card, where the sense of working for reward is just not there. We intend to gather our own supplies, design and build our vessel, navigate the river and survive by ourselves with only the bare essentials and our own two hands. But don’t get us wrong, the main goal of this trip (successful or not) is to have fun! Hopefully we will inspire others to think beyond their comfort zone and do something they can tell their grandkids about!

ADVENTURE OVERVIEW

Stillwater, MN to the Gulf of Mexico
  • 2 Barrel Raft Boys & 1 Barrel Raft Dog
  • 16 Polyurethane 55-gallon Barrels
  • 26 Locks and Dams
  • 1,692 Miles of Mississippi River
  • 1.2 Miles Per Hour (Average Surface Speed)
  • 10 States
  • Many Great Experiences

Barrel Raft Boys Successful!

Rob, Tanner and Skully raft 1,700 miles on a homemade barrel raft. Yes, it was challenging and stressful at times, but oh so worth it.

Journey Statistics 

$1,969 Raised

Goal: $3,500

1,692 River Miles

27 Locks

78 Bridges

285 Gallons of Gas

5,758 Photographs and Videos

57 Days on River (8 weeks)

5,000+ buoys passed

5×8 Largest Barge Configuration (40 total containers)

37 Online Contributors

5 Fish given to us

3 Newspapers that covered the journey

4 Stuffed Animals Skully Lost in the River

0 Haircuts

 

Read All the Mississippi River Trip Posts

Follow our journey from Stillwater, MN to the Gulf of Mexico from a homemade barrel raft through 11 states down America’s oldest highway, the Mighty Mississippi.

 

Ask Us Questions

Please pose any questions you have below in the comments and we’ll answer them as quickly as we can…Thanks:)

 

Outdoor Expertise

The knowledge accumulated from spending over two months on the river. This endurance adventure is not for the weak, there are tons of challenges that require expeditious thinking and learning. Use these raft resources that commonly overlooked by other websites.

 

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