We always seem to talk about brand gears but out of curiously what brand clothings you all like best? Socks, jacket, shoes, etc.

Lately I been buying Mountain Hardwear clothes as top. I love my Marmot jacket. I also like some clothes from Patagoina. I practically get all of my clothes on sale or clearance. Even my boots from Salomon was 50% off and I love this boot. Definitely makes me want get trail runner version of same model.

I love my icebreaker socks. Never gotten a blister in them.

For me it really depends.. some stuff I could care less about, some stuff I absolutely adore.

Among the things I think are "good things".

1) Smartwool PhD Socks - the darn things are expensive, but my feet love them. I don't use liners with them and they're just great.

2) A lot of my older MEC house brand clothing was very good - in recent years I think they've declined a bit though - they're falling into the trap of becoming a box store for Patagucci and the big brands. I have two well ventilated long
sleeve collared nylon shirts from MEC that have been a lot of
places with me and I just love.

3) lightweight Schoeller fabric pants. I'm pretty darn tough on pants, and I managed to get two hiking seasons out of an MEC house brand that I bought. I've replaced them with a "Westcomb" (canadian brand) schoeller pant. I've tried lots of
nylon and other combinations and this seems to be the only thing that is tough enough that I don't kill them quickly.

4) Honestly,the thrift store. Lots of my winter rig, including wool dress pants, is acquired at the second hand store. Nothing beats a pair of wool dress pants that fit decently for colder weather, and you probably only paid 10 bucks for them.


Things I don't like:

PataGucci: honestly lots of their stuff looks decent, but it's brutally expensive, and in guys sizes I think it's designed to fit only underwear models and the guy on the Old Spice ad that shows of his abs for the ladys.. Maybe if I could sell TV by running around naked trying to hit fish with a stick like Bear Gryls, I would have the body shape for PataGucci gear..

Although in all honesty, I have some nicer things because well, I can afford them. In any realistic sense, I'm 100% sure I could walk into a decent thrift store with pretty much anyone and walk them out again with any kind of clothing they would need for backpacking after spending about 50 to 100 bucks.

- Dress socks and/or light wool dress socks work fine.
- Polyester dress pants make fantastic quick dry hiking pants - there's usually other various nylon pants too.
- There's always shirt options, nylon exercise wear, (which will work good as a base layer top) and synthetic dress shirts.
- You can always find a fleece for 5 bucks
- Same thing with a Toque and gloves.

Now, it won't be the *lightest* stuff, but it also won't be bad stuff. and not all that heavy either.

Yes, I can save myself 200 grams or so by carrying an ultralight down "sweater" type jacket instead of a fleece - but a good one will cost me $300

I love my North Face fleece and wear it often. I'm sure there are other similar brands that work well. I like my REI rain jacket which is similar to the Marmot Precip. It works well as an outer layer in colder temperatures. My rain pants are a cheap pair - I think they are Dry Ducks, but I seldom wear them.

For long underwear, I use military surplus nomex.

Thorlo are my favorite socks, but like footwear, that's going to be an individual preference.

Lately, I've gone back to cotton. I'm not too worried about getting it wet as it doesn't rain that often here. When it does I can put on my rain gear. It is much more comfortable than synthetics in warm weather. If it's cold, I wear the shirt it over the long underwear as it's warmer that way. If it's going to be hot, I prefer a shirt with snaps so I can unbutton it easily.

For the summer, I'll probably switch to cotton shorts and have a pair of synthetic pants in the pack.

Frankly, places like REI have priced me out of their market, and I'm not interested in paying for style without much more functionality. I'm old enough not to care what people think of me on the trail. Most people probably have old clothes in their closet they can wear backpacking.

Ha! Almost all my gear comes from local thrift shops. The shirts are used USN dress shirts in khaki, the pants are zip offs from the local discount sporting store. Fleeces are always salvaged for less than $5 each. Rains shell is a Marmot Precip that cost me $3.

IMHO it's silly to try to make a fashion statement on the trails. Just wear what's suitable and comfortable for you, and patch the holes until it's completely worn out. Whatever I wear, the dorky Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat on my head--which I need, with my sensitive skin and allergy to most sunscreens--definitely ruins any fashionable effect!

I do have some brand name items. I even have some Patagucci and Montbell stuff, but all were bought on sale, mostly discontinued colors (pink top, purple bottoms for the Pataguci base layers, wine-vomit color for my Montbell wind shirt). I wear Smartwool PhD socks not only on the trail but at home, too--they are so comfortable that they're worth the price. Besides, I found that when they start to wear at the heel, when you really don't want to take them on the trail any more, they will hold up for at least another year of at-home wear.

Just call me "Never Pay Full Price for Clothing Mouse"!

Socks- smartwool - just the regular socks
Fleece- Lands End zip tops
Wool undershirt- Ibex
Long Johns - ArcTerex fleece
Hiking shirt- brushed nylon fishing shirt from Sportsman Warehouse and two Columbia nylon kids shirts
light undershirt- $5 mostly cotton work-out shirt from Walmart
Rain jacket- Sierra Design coated nylon (when I plan on lots of rain) and Marmot Precip for the Sierra.
Rain pants - REI kids
Gaiters- OR gortex knee highs
Hiking Pants - ArcTerex light nylon, 2 pair of Schoeller (Mamut and REI)
High altitude climbing jacket- ArcTerex
Down puff sweater - Montbel
North Face stuff is generally too heavy and Mountain Hardware, for some reason, does not fit me well.

Everything bought on sale, nothing matches. I would say my favorite brand is ArcTerex. Horribly expensive but no regrets. Like Phat, I really like Schoeller pants, but often the Sierra are too warm for Schoeller so I have some lighter nylon pants. Some REI kids stuff fit. I like the kids stuff because they are really basic - no do-dads or extras. My grown children gift me the fancy expensive stuff like the Ibex wool! I am probably the only hiker in the Sierra that wears knee high gaiters. That definitely puts me out of the fashion scene quickly.

My clothing list is somewhat random in terms of brands and geared towards winter.

Base layer - Jockey synthetic briefs; Patagonia Capilene long johns and tops (one is midweight, one expedition weight)

Insulation - depending on where I am going, Columbia fleece jacket (maybe 200 wt. not sure). TNF Nuptse down jacket; TNF Baltoro (the one in my picture), Eddie Bauer down vest (bought used); Go-Lite insulated pants; Alp Sport fleece pants (bought in NZ)

Outerwear - REI rain jacket; Marmot Precip pants; Marmot Bastione jacket, a ski parka with a zipout lining I found at a secondhand shop (a bit heavy, but should be nice for skiing).

Gloves, REI fleece, plus some heavy duty mitts I found on STP, various other gloves.

Socks - Smartwool and a couple of pair of Patagonia expedition wt. socks

Headgear - Turtlefur fleece beanie, Seirus fleece balaclava, various baseball caps

Summer wear - Birdwell surf shorts, cotton t-shirt. Lightweight Nike wind pants from an outlet store and a lightweight wind jacket.

FYI, I didn't pay retail for most of what's on the list.

I bought a Mountain Hardwear shirt the other day at the local Gander Mountain for 17 dollars!!! It like a 40 dollar shirt too, I found it to be the only color and size they had left on their clearance rack. I love it!!! It feels so good and it's really breathable. It definitely going to be my new favorite for those summer evening of mountain biking.

Edit: Also, GoLite has some really nice reasonable priced shirts. Next time I need buy some more button up shirts to wear to town, I'm going go back to their site and see what available on clearance.