Just wanted to post a couple pictures of some inexpensive clothing I have found lately for people who may be on a budget or simply enjoy a good deal.



This is a Womens Down Jacket from Target that my girlfriend purchased for 25.00. I'm sure the down is low quality but it hasn't leaked at all and she finds it perfect for this very mild winter we are having in Ohio. Total weight is only 7.1 oz!



This is an R1 similar top by starter. I have never owned an R1 but it looks very similar and the price is great. Comes in a 10.4 oz.





I also purchased a Cap2 similar top by Starter and pair of Cap1 similar bottoms. The shirt comes in at 4.3 oz and the pants weigh 4.1. Starter seems to make some great base layers and underwear. They also have some "expedition" weight tops and bottoms.

I find that a lot of the time I get caught up in buying and wanting the best of the best when it is completely possible to purchase cheaper and just as functional gear. Not that I do not believe expensive gear is good and worth the money (most of the time at least), I just believe that if you want to save money you can, while still getting good equipment. Please add anything to this thread you would like. Good inexpensive alternatives, thoughts on quality and price, whatever! Thanks.

Yea I saw that down jacket at target as well, nice to knoq the weight on it. It is lighter than I thought. I think the tag says it is 90/10 down/feathers. I wish they had a male version I would have gotten it. I even tried on a L and XL womens it fit but the cut was not right at all. Good find for the GF

Yeah i did the exact same thing! Haha. I looked all over to see if a men's version was available but had no luck, and like you said the women's simply looked odd on a man. Maybe next year.

Does the R1 style piece have a hood? Do they have any with full zip? Is the fabric all polyester?

There is a lot of cheap stuff if you shop around.

I have a Merrino wool sweather my mom fount for $6 at an outlet. It was being marketed as a causel sweater not an outdoor one but I don't see why it won't work. My family has a collection of old wool sweaters, plad shirts, down vest and jackets from garage sales and thrift stores.
Cheap synthetic socks worked fine for me (until they wore out that is). My base layer T-shirt is a cheap synthetic T-shirt from Walmart.

I did not see any with a hood or full zip but I wasn't looking for that so I am not positive, I would guess not though. It is 95 % poly and 5% spandex.

Cheap gear works just as well as a lot of more $$$$ gear imo

And yr more willing to use it every day and not worry about it unlike closet queens ....

Wearing my 19$ old navy puffy at the crag right now ...

$4

Wow, we snagged a womans down compressible jacket tonight at Sams club for 12 bucks, regular 50 but is marked down as winter ISA ending. Womans size large weighed in at 11.4 oz. Comes with a stuff sack. Great deal.

One cheap gear I won't every use again would be army surplus rain jackets. They probably weren't UL anyway but we took a set up to Colorado when I was 14 and happened to get rained on while wearing them and found out that they pretty much all leaked.

My local Army Surplus has a lot of great stuff, not all lightweight necessarily but if I look around long enough I usually find something for a few bucks. I purchased my first tarp at the local surplus for like 10 dollars, it was one of those poncho/tarps. It is still going strong, passed it onto my brother a couple months ago. I also hear about Costco quite a bit but I don't have one around where I live.

The Imusa mugs are another great inexpensive alternative. I use a 12cm which fits my bushbuddy ultra and a windscreen perfectly.

Speaking of Army surplus stores I've used a canteen cup with good success. Sure there are a few lighter things out there but its hard to beat for the price. When I worked in NC we got a lot of Army surplus stuff because we were a non profit. Some of the guys got polyester sweeters that were a lot like fleeces but a bit snugger fiting (and I think a few wool sweeters) from that.
One summer I took a bunch of little guys campin with their stuff in army gas mask bags. They switched the straps aroudn to make them shoulder starps and used them as backpacks.