Cranman:

This is strange coming from someone who used to take the labels off of bottles in his refrigerator in college, but shop for labels, both brand and materials.

I found a covey of merino wool sweaters at my "Rodeo Drive" Goodwill (in an upscale south-Denver suburb) that had the tags still on and that are soft, light and a perfect "layer."

When I make my bi-monthly rounds to two Goodwills, a Salvation Army and a Savers (new favorite), I first look for the good stuff: North Face, Marmot, Columbia, GoLite, EMS, etc. (Always check the zippers out, especially on Columbia stuff, even their Titanium line. If they don't work, put back.)

At the t-shirt rack, in search of a base layer, paw thru the killer-cotton t's and look for 100% polyester, and words like "moisture management," "climacool," -- something that says it's wicking fabric. If the logo or emblem on the shirt is faded I reject it, snobbishly opting for the new ones that didn't fit the original owner, not the ones that were 'put down' after a long relationship.

If you can convince your kids about the advantages of wearing recycled outdoor clothing, there's often a bonanza at the thrift stores, since considerate parents donate great stuff once their kids outgrow it.

I'll let you in on one of my 'thrifting secrets,' too. I've got on my favorites list for craigslist "camping" under "moving sales." Every once in a while I'll mine the motherlode. Last summer I wound up at a garage sale a mile from home and the seller, a young guy temporarily living with his parents, was cleaning out the closet before heading to live in Costa Rica. I looked at him in the driveway -- same size and build -- and walked away with almost-new North Face Gortex pants, coat and even gloves. I'm too embarrassed to say what I paid, but, hey, beer is cheap in Costa Rica.

Perseverence pays. But don't thrift shop too often, 'cause nothing is worse than seeing the same crap over and over on the racks, and face it, most of it is. I've got a friend in Denver that spends weekends gold-panning up by Blackhawk; I confine my thrift-store panning to a couple hours every other week on a workday -- monetarily, I think I'm coming out ahead.