Exhibit 10.22

                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

             THIS AGREEMENT made as of the 31st day of May, 1996, by and
   between Craig L. Leipold, an individual resident of Wisconsin ("Mr.
   Leipold"), Rainco, Inc., a Wisconsin corporation (the "Company") and
   LaCrosse Footwear, Inc., a Wisconsin corporation ("LaCrosse").

                              W I T N E S S E T H :

             WHEREAS, the Company desires to retain the services of Mr.
   Leipold as President and Chief Executive Officer;

             WHEREAS, the Company is a subsidiary of LaCrosse and LaCrosse
   owns 50% of the Company's common equity; and

             WHEREAS, Mr. Leipold desires to be employed by the Company on
   the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth in this Agreement.

             NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises set
   forth herein and the mutual benefits to be derived from this Agreement,
   the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as
   follows:

             1.   Positions and Duties.  Subject to the terms and conditions
   of this Agreement, from the date of this Agreement until December 31,
   1999, the Company shall employ Mr. Leipold as its President and Chief
   Executive Officer.  In such position, Mr. Leipold shall be responsible for
   the supervision, control and conduct of all the business and affairs of
   the Company, under the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company
   (the "Board of Directors"), and shall have such additional duties
   (consistent with his offices) as shall be assigned to him from time to
   time by the Board of Directors.  Mr. Leipold will devote his best efforts
   to his employment with the Company and shall devote his business time and
   attention to the performance of his duties under this Agreement as
   follows:  from the date hereof through December 31, 1997, not less than
   60% of his Business Time (as defined below); from January 1, 1998 through
   December 31, 1998, not less than 50% of his Business Time; and from
   January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999, not less than 40% of his
   Business Time.  For purposes of this Section 1 only, "Business Time" means
   1,840 hours devoted to business pursuits annually.

             2.   Term of Employment.  Unless terminated earlier as provided
   below, the Company's employment of Mr. Leipold under this Agreement shall
   continue until December 31, 1999.  The Company's employment of Mr. Leipold
   under this Agreement shall terminate prior to the end of the term hereof
   only under the following circumstances:

             (a)  Death.  Mr. Leipold's death;

             (b)  Disability.  If, as a result of Mr. Leipold's illness,
        physical or mental disability or other incapacity resulting in Mr.
        Leipold's inability to perform his duties under this Agreement for
        any period of four (4) consecutive months or any six (6) months in a
        twelve-month period, and within thirty (30) days after written notice
        of termination is given by the Company (which may occur before or
        after the end of such four-month or sixth-month period, as
        applicable), he shall not have returned to the performance of his
        duties hereunder on a full-time basis, the Company may terminate Mr.
        Leipold's employment hereunder;

             (c)  Termination for Good Cause.  The Company may, upon written
        notice, terminate Mr. Leipold's employment for good cause. "Good
        cause" for purposes of this Paragraph 2(c) shall mean Mr. Leipold's
        conviction of a felony, conviction of a crime involving moral
        turpitude or such other serious personal misconduct by Mr. Leipold of
        such a nature that results in a material adverse effect on the
        business or reputation of the Company, unless Mr. Leipold cures such
        matter to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company within thirty
        (30) days after written notice of Company's intention to terminate
        Mr. Leipold's employment under this Section 2(c); or

             (d)  Voluntary Termination by Mr. Leipold.  Mr. Leipold's
        employment shall terminate sixty (60) days after written notice of
        termination is delivered by Mr. Leipold to the Company or such
        earlier time as the Company may specify in writing upon receipt of
        Mr. Leipold's notice of termination; provided, however, that Mr.
        Leipold shall be entitled to his salary for such 60-day period.

   In no event shall the termination of Mr. Leipold's employment affect the
   rights and obligations of the parties set forth in this Agreement, except
   as expressly set forth herein.

             3.   Compensation.  During the term of this Agreement, Mr.
   Leipold shall be entitled to the following compensation for services
   rendered to the Company:

             (a)  Mr. Leipold shall be entitled to receive the following
        annual salary:

                      Period                              Annual Salary

             The date hereof through December 31, 1997      $100,000
             January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998      $ 75,000
             January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999      $ 50,000

             Mr. Leipold's salary shall be paid ratably on a bi-weekly basis
        and shall be pro-rated on a daily basis for any payment covering less
        than one half month.  All payments under this Agreement shall be
        subject to withholding or deduction by reason of the Federal
        Insurance Contribution Act, federal income tax, Social Security,
        Medicare, state income tax and similar laws and regulations.

             (b)  Mr. Leipold shall be granted the following options
        ("Options") to purchase the indicated number of shares of LaCrosse's
        Common Stock, $.01 par value ("LaCrosse Common Stock"), as a
        participant under LaCrosse's 1993 Employee Stock Incentive Plan, or
        any successor plan thereto (the "Plan"):  options to purchase 10,000
        shares granted on the date hereof; options to purchase 5,000 shares
        to be granted one year from the date hereof; and options to purchase
        2,500 shares to be granted two years from the date hereof; provided,
        however, that Mr. Leipold shall not be granted any options if he is
        not an employee of the Company on the day provided for such grant.
        All Options will vest in their entirety three (3) years from the date
        of grant and shall expire on December 31, 2006.  The exercise price
        of Options shall be the closing market price of LaCrosse Common Stock
        on the date of grant (or the first business day preceding the date of
        grant if the date of grant is not a business day).  Except as
        expressly provided above, the Options shall be granted to Mr. Leipold
        subject to the terms and pursuant to agreements provided for and
        customarily used under the Plan.

             4.   Fringe Benefits.  During the term of this Agreement, Mr.
   Leipold shall be entitled to participate at the Company's expense in any
   retirement plan, pension plan, employee stock purchase plan, employee
   stock option plan, life insurance plan, health insurance plan or fringe or
   other benefit which the Company from time to time makes available
   generally to its executive employees.  Mr. Leipold shall be entitled to
   two (2) weeks paid vacation annually during the term of this Agreement,
   prorated for any partial year; provided, however, that any vacation not
   taken as of the end of any year during the term of this Agreement shall be
   forfeited.  Mr. Leipold shall be compensated by the Company for all
   reasonable business expenses incurred by him on behalf of the Company upon
   presentation of appropriate documentation.

             5.   Covenant Not to Compete and Non-Disclosure.

             (a)  During the term of this Agreement and so long as Mr.
        Leipold is entitled to compensation under this Agreement, including
        during any period in which Mr. Leipold has the right to exercise
        unexpired Options granted pursuant to Paragraph 3(b) hereof, Mr.
        Leipold covenants and agrees that neither he nor any of his
        affiliates (including any corporation or entity in which he is an
        officer, director or partner, or in which he owns beneficially five
        percent (5%) or more of any class of equity securities) shall, within
        the United States or Canada, whether directly or indirectly, with or
        without compensation, enter into, engage in or be employed by or act
        as a consultant to any corporation or other commercial enterprise
        which competes with the Company or LaCrosse in the design,
        manufacture, marketing and sale of protective clothing, footwear and
        complementary products, or solicit or do any business with any
        existing customers of the Company or LaCrosse for a competitive
        purpose without the written approval of LaCrosse; provided, however,
        that this covenant shall not restrict Mr. Leipold's legal or
        beneficial ownership of Johnson Worldwide Associates, Inc. or any of
        its controlled subsidiaries.

             (b)  Mr. Leipold agrees to disclose promptly to the Company and
        does assign and agree to assign to the Company, free from any
        obligation to him, all his right, title and interest in and to any
        and all ideas, concepts, processes, improvements, inventions and
        intellectual property of any kind made, conceived, written, acquired,
        disclosed or developed by him, solely or in concert with others,
        during the term of his employment by the Company, which relate to the
        business, activities or facilities of the Company, or resulting from
        or suggested by any work he may do for the Company or at its request.
        Mr. Leipold further agrees to deliver to the Company any and all
        drawings, notes, photographs, copies, outlines, specifications,
        memoranda and data relating to such ideas, concepts, processes,
        improvements, inventions and intellectual property, to cooperate
        fully during his employment and thereafter in the securing of
        copyright, trademark or patent protection or other similar rights in
        the United States and foreign countries, and to give evidence and
        testimony and to execute and deliver to the Company all documents
        requested by it in connection therewith.

             (c)  Except as expressly set forth below, Mr. Leipold agrees,
        whether during his employment pursuant to this Agreement or
        thereafter, except as authorized or directed by the Company in
        writing, not to disclose to others, use for his benefit, copy or make
        notes of any confidential knowledge or trade secrets or any other
        knowledge or information of or relating to the business, activities
        or facilities of the Company or any of its affiliates which may come
        to his knowledge during his employment pursuant to this agreement or
        thereafter.  Mr. Leipold shall not be bound to this obligation of
        confidentiality and nondisclosure if:

                  (i)  the knowledge or information shall become part of the
             public domain by publication or otherwise through no fault of
             Mr. Leipold;

                  (ii) the knowledge or information is known to the recipient
             prior to the receipt of the disclosure from Mr. Leipold; or

                  (iii)     the knowledge or information is disclosed to the
             recipient by a third party who is in lawful possession of the
             knowledge or information and has the lawful right to make
             disclosure thereof.

             (d)  Upon termination of employment pursuant to this Agreement
        for any reason whatsoever, Mr. Leipold will deliver to the Company
        all records, notes, data, memoranda, photographs, models and
        equipment of any nature which are in his possession or control and
        which are the property of the Company or which relate to his
        employment or to the business, activities or facilities of the
        Company or any of its affiliates.

             (e)  The parties understand and agree that the remedies at law
        for breach of the covenants in this Paragraph 5 would be inadequate
        and that the Company shall be entitled to injunctive or such other
        equitable relief as a court may deem appropriate for any breach of
        these covenants.  If any of these covenants shall at any time be
        adjudged invalid or unenforceable to any extent by any court of
        competent jurisdiction, such covenant shall be deemed modified to the
        extent necessary in the opinion of such court to render it valid or
        enforceable.

             6.   Entire Agreement.  This instrument embodies the entire
   agreement between the parties hereto with respect to Mr. Leipold's
   employment with the Company, and there have been and are no agreements,
   representations or warranties between the parties other than those set
   forth or provided for herein.

             7.   No Assignment.  This Agreement shall not be assigned by
   either party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party
   and any attempted assignment without such prior written consent shall be
   null and void and without legal effect.

             8.   Notices.  All notices, requests, demands and other
   communications hereunder shall be deemed to have been duly given if
   delivered by hand or if mailed, by certified or registered mail, with
   postage prepaid:

             (a)  If to Mr. Leipold, to Craig L. Leipold, c/o Rainco, Inc.,
        3600 South Memorial Drive, Racine, Wisconsin 53403-3871, or to such
        other person or place as Mr. Leipold may specify in a prior written
        notice to the Company and LaCrosse;

             (b)  If to the Company to Rainco, Inc., 3600 South Memorial
        Drive, Racine, Wisconsin 53403-3871, or to such other person or place
        as the Company may specify in prior written notice to Mr. Leipold and
        LaCrosse, with a copy to LaCrosse at the address provided in (c)
        below.

             (c)  If to LaCrosse, to LaCrosse Footwear, Inc., 1319 St. Andrew
        Street, P.0. Box 1328, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603, Attention:
        Chairman of the Board, or to such other person or place as the
        LaCrosse may specify in prior written notice to Mr. Leipold, with a
        copy to Luke E. Sims, Foley & Lardner, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue,
        Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-5367.

             9.   Amendment; Modification.  This Agreement shall not be
   amended, modified or supplemented other than in a writing signed by both
   parties hereto.

             10.  Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in two or
   more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of
   which together shall constitute but one and the same instrument.

             11.  Headings.  The headings in the sections of this Agreement
   are inserted for convenience only and shall not constitute a part of this
   Agreement.

             12.  Severability.  The parties agree that if any provision of
   this Agreement shall under any circumstances be deemed invalid or
   inoperative, the Agreement shall be construed with the invalid or
   inoperative provision deleted, and the rights and obligations of the
   parties shall be construed and enforced accordingly.

             13.  Governing Law.  This Agreement shall be governed by and
   construed in accordance with the internal law of the State of Wisconsin.

             IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
   Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.


                                 /s/ Craig L. Leipold          (SEAL)
                                 Craig L. Leipold ("Mr. Leipold")

                                 RAINCO, INC.
                                 ("Company")

                                 By:  /s/ Patrick K. Gantert
                                      Patrick K. Gantert, Vice President

                                 LACROSSE FOOTWEAR, INC.
                                 ("LaCrosse")

                                 By:  /s/ Patrick K. Gantert
                                      Patrick K. Gantert, President