I have been reading through these forums and the wealth of information and willingness to help is staggering, so thank you!

I am a bit stuck. I have been able to determine some of the best options to wear on the market right now but funds are tight and I have various gift cards to various retailers and cannot justify spending my own cold hard to come by cash when I can get something elsewhere for near free. In other words, I would love to have the best gear but I am always best bang for your buck versus best bang for any buck.

Goal: Be able to sit and chat near a tiny fire and feel comfortable around freezing; so please help dress me whilst utilizing as little of my cash as possible and as much of the gift cards as possible.

Location: Backpacking in the Sierras (Dinkey Lakes Wilderness)
Expected Temps: 30-70
Me: 30 year old male, 6’ 175lbs, just above average fitness (jog 3x per week)
Gift Cards: REI $150, BassPro $200, Sports Authority $50
Cash: $150

Gear I Have: Acrylic Beanies, REI lightweight baselayer tops and bottoms, Synthetic underwear, wool socks, and lightweight hiking shoes and a REI Halo 25 to retire to if things get really cold.

So far I have been leaning towards the Patagonia Nano Puff at REI and a DriDucks Rain Suit from Sports Authority. Possibly additional insulation from Bass Pro.

Please Help!

Edited by Stryprod on 09/06/2011 13:23:57 MDT.

Here is my list so far after some more review and to better help. Let me know (with the above info) if I'm nuts or on the right track, what you would change, etc.

Base Top: (5.6oz) Outdoor Research Sequence T-Shirt ($30 cash)
Base Bott: (3.9oz) Synthetic boxers ($Have)

Hiking Socks: (1.75oz) UltiMax Running ankle socks ($Have)
Insulation Socks: (3.25oz) REI Merino Wool Hiking Socks ($Have)

Base/Insulation Top: (??oz) REI Heavyweight Polartec Power Dry Crew Shirt?? ($45 cash)
Base/Insulation Bott: (7oz) REI Lightweight MTS Bottoms ($Have)

Insulation Layer Top: (9.5oz) Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover?? ($150 REI)

Pants: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

Hat: (2.25oz) Random acrylic beanie ($Have)

Glove: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

Wind/Rain Layer Top: (6oz)DriDucks ($20 Sports Auth)

Edited by Stryprod on 09/06/2011 13:56:16 MDT.

Sounds like you already pretty much have what you need. Keep those gift cards and cash for something you really want instead.

Any pair of nylon hiking pants will work fine. Zipoffs are nice if you prefer to hike in shorts during the day and then add the pant legs as the evening cools down.

A hiking shirt - polyester or nylon - you probably already have something that fits the bill. If have absolutely nothing synthetic then even a cotton tshirt is fine as long as you have another layer in your pack that you can switch into in case the t-shirt gets wet.

Spend the $20 on the DriDucks. Great lightweight rain jacket. Leave the pants at home.

You seem to be good on socks. 3 1/2 ounces for heavy sleeping socks is more warmth then you need, but just take 'em off if it gets too hot.

You have short and long undies - great.

For a sleep shirt anything will do: long underwear top, cotton T, fleece, whatever.

Gloves, you don't need them down to freezing. But if you have biking gloves those are good to protect your hands from sunburn during the day (especially important if you use poles and have the tops of your hands exposed to the sun all day) and add a bit of warmth around camp at night.

Insulation. Here is where you could spend real money. If you choose to. For now you probably already have a fleece in your closet. It will work just fine. Long underwear top, fleece and your new DriDucks jacket will keep you warm enough down to freezing.
When you do buy an insulation puffy piece (down or synthetic) it will be lighter and more compressible than your fleece. You are looking for something below 12 ounces in weight, there are lots of different ones to choose from. Wait until after xmas and you can probably pick one up for half price.

Hats, sounds like you have a beanie lying around, definitely bring it.
You also need a good sunhat. I wear something really dorky looking with a wide brim, makes me look like I belong out there. YMMV

Have fun, take lots of pictures, and report back here!

Kristin-

Thank you for your feedback.

I do have a fleece jacket but it is on the thinner side. In fact, I wore it before with a mid-weight base top and bottom, jeans, wool socks, thinner arcticshield jacket and a baseball cap. I was not unbearably cold, but noticeably cold sitting around a rather large fire and that is what I want to avoid. At that time I had no thermometer but I recall seeing some ice formed so I estimate it must have at least hit into the 30s.

Perhaps I just have a low quality fleece and should investigate heavier weights.