Unique clothing/gear retailers on the cheap...

[Greg]

I posted this in another thread. I don't spend a lot of money on base layers. In fact, some may laugh but a great place for synthetic clothing is Old Navy! Cheap stuff and often times you can find synthetic fabrics. I have a heavy fleece shirt and heavy fleece drawstring pants for skiing that I got from Old Navy. Sure, the fabric is balling up and looks crappy cuz they're lint magnets, but they were cheap and make great midweight layers. I've also bought several pairs of polyester shorts and pants at Old Navy that I use for hiking. I also recently found a nice synthetic wicking long-sleeve shirt at Target. I think it's a Champion and it cost $17. Target also had a lot of synthetic base layers (long underwear) that were in the $15 - $20 range. I think they were Champion brand as well. Bottom line is there are inexpensive non-cotton options out there.

Feel free to post your sources for cheap clothing and other outdoor-related items.

 

[Marc]

I have a friend who buys any poly pro shirt he sees if its under $10. I may get in to that trend as well.

 

[andyzee]

Been stocking up like crazy on base layer shirts and pants at Marshalls/TJ Maxx. Brand name stuff, 1/2 price. Been paying $7.99-$12.99. They also have a lot of good fleece, I haven't bothered with this since I have a fair amount.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

rei outlet and backcountry outlet are good places for base layers. I got 2 pair of patagonia capilene 1 for 20bux each.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

all this stuff comes out of the same factory in China, just companies like Marmot, TNF etc have to pay for marketing....there is a buying psycology that if its cheap its no good (even if the tags are identical) 5th Avenue has done its marketing job on the American people....you have to be a smart consumer, i had a Spyder half zip ($90.00) then i got an Old Navy half zip ($10.00)...both tags read "100% polyester".......with somethings, you get what you pay for, just be a smart shopper...

 

[CapeSkier]

As I mentioned in another thread, it's possible to cross-over clothing from other sports. I have a great pair of wind pants that I got extra-cheap that were originally for golf. The tag reads "Ping". These work really well for me. I use one layer of good long underwear, then fleece knickers from Eastern Mountain Sports, then the wind pants. Read the materials label and grab bargains where you can!

 

[Marc]

all this stuff comes out of the same factory in China, just companies like Marmot, TNF etc have to pay for marketing....there is a buying psycology that if its cheap its no good (even if the tags are identical) 5th Avenue has done its marketing job on the American people....you have to be a smart consumer, i had a Spyder half zip ($90.00) then i got an Old Navy half zip ($10.00)...both tags read "100% polyester".......with somethings, you get what you pay for, just be a smart shopper...

While a lot of brand mark up happens and obviously accounts for price differences lots of the time.... it is not always only brand mark up that accounts for differences in pricing.

There aren't absolutes here, there are different levels of quality even when it comes to fleece in construction and durability, even when they are made from the same material (like most fleece).


You just have to be a smart shopper and know what you're paying for and why. Or at least have a good idea.

 

[andyzee]

Steep and Cheap! Just got a nice pair of ski pants this past Monday.

 

[riverc0il]

neat thread idea. i hate the price of base layers. so much so, i have a VERY limited selection (looking to increase my closet ASAP, but price is keeping me out of the market). i have two long sleeve Ts and two pair short sleeve Ts (one light weight and one mid-weight each) and one pair long underwear. i generally only wear the light weight Ts as i get all hot and sweaty with too much weight, so that generally gives me one T shirt for two days each weekend :lol: it only gets interesting when i ski more than two days in a row, other wise it isn't that bad.

 

[andyzee]

Just stand them up in the corner when you finish for the day? :lol:

 

[Rushski]

Sierratradingpost.com has a ton of stuff and always has good base layer selection at deep discounts. Campmor.com usually has deals on Duofold and other polypro shirts/bottoms at good prices as well.

 

[Birdman829]

Steep and Cheap! Just got a nice pair of ski pants this past Monday.

Sessions Zoom pant? I grabbed a pair of those cuz I needed them BADLY.

 

[Marc]

Sierratradingpost.com has a ton of stuff and always has good base layer selection at deep discounts. Campmor.com usually has deals on Duofold and other polypro shirts/bottoms at good prices as well.

I'll second that on Sierra Trading Post. Plus their customer service rocks.

 

[kbroderick]

Sierratradingpost.com has a ton of stuff and always has good base layer selection at deep discounts. Campmor.com usually has deals on Duofold and other polypro shirts/bottoms at good prices as well.

I bought a lot of the cheap poly shirts from Campmor last year, and I find that they perform quite well for single-purpose activities (i.e. where the range of heat retention / moisture management desired remains relatively constant); however, they don't work as well when actually pushed (e.g. hiking to ski). More recently, I've started building up my inventory of higher-end stuff, and I find that there is a performance difference (particularly when you get into the merino-blend stuff). Some of the wool-blend shirts aren't a whole lot more expensive than the Duofold 100% poly stuff, and they work a whole lot better in extreme conditions (plus they tend to be warmer while also breath better).

And yes, I've been buying way too much stuff from SteepandCheap recently, like the Synchilla sweatshirt I got about five minutes ago. But it's stuff I can generally justify--I am somewhat demanding of my equipment, and I'm committed to being on the hill at least three days a week regardless of weather (and I'm committed to myself to being on the hill on other days so I can play, too).

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Thanks for the Sierratradingpost.com link, just found some nice columbia ski pants.

 

[ctenidae]

The Under Armor outlet at Wrentham has spoiled me a bit. I also find that, while Dick's and Bob's rarely have anything, on occassion, if you dig a bit, they have some pretty crazy deals. I picked up two UA cotton-like shirts the other day for $10 each. Not bad.

I was in Arkansas over Thanksgiving, and Mack's Sport Shop (http://www.mackspw.com/) had a tent sale witha huge amount of UA, Duofold, and Columbia stuff for pretty cheap. All in camo, of course, but who cares if it's an underlayer?