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..