Old Navy?

I have not tried the products that you have mentioned, but I would like to offer a little caveat about Old Navy. I worked at Old Navy for two years in highschool and the experience that I had with the men's clothes that I bought was not too positive; pretty much everything I had ended up with holes in it. However, I know some girls who swear by Old Navy because it's cheap and they seem to like it. I personally wouldn't give serious consideration to their products as outdoor gear, but hey that's just my two cents. I've read other threads on here about Costco puffy jackets and the baselayers sold at Walmart as an alternative fyi!

Well I can attest that my husband just ordered a bunch of it online and for now is happy – he is 6'4" and his height is all torso so it is very hard for him to get anything that fits. He bought the compression pants and shirts for bike riding, along with the soft shell light jacket.

Truthfully I started with cheap gear, many of us do. Will it last? Who knows. But if only worn when outside working out you have a good bet of it lasting long enough.

I have tons of Old Navy maternity clothing I wear right now. It is cheap, cute and I wash it every wear and so far a couple months after buying it looks great. I buy my youngest their clothing and it has held up nicely as well. They may have gotten better……

Much of my kids mid-weight fleece layers come from Old Navy. Dirt cheap (especially when on sale), and seems to last long enough for both of them to outgrow the clothes and still pass it on. Fleece pullovers and fleece pants are winter mainstays for our kiddos. I'm too snobby I guess to "stoop" to their clothes for outdoor use for me (I'll grab whatever deals I can find on STP for name-brand stuff), but If I were on a budget, it'd be good to consider.

fleece is fleece ..

underwear is underwear …

as long as the meterials are similar … any differences between wmt/target/old navy and yuppie brands are honestly minute … despite what marketers would have you believe

i suspect one can get a very effective outdoor wardrobe at these discount stores for very cheap … we already know you can buy nice $30 poofays ;)

Some items look better than yuppie brands appearance wise but noting the lack of specs on items that look like an UL down jacket liner, where fill power, weight, water-resistance shells, etc.. are unknown.

Like the various sizes.

i dont disagree that for certain things yuppie brands have materials that department store brands dont use … and for that extra bit of "performance" youll pay a premium price

but there are things that are pretty well established by now where there is minimal performance gains, if any, from department store goods to yuppie brands …

put it this way … unless you are at the level of an olympic athlete, i doubt youll hike/climb any better wearing x-bionic or bank breaker under wear and performance top over the target/mec/etc version

same with general fleeces … quite a few people are now making powderdry or other such goods or copies

softshells are going the same way …

i think many people in this economy are limited in funds … not buying yuppie brand outdoor clothes where it makes sense allows one to spend money on places where gear matters more … ie a good bag, a pack that fits well and shoes that dont kill yr feet

or use the money for trips … which is what all that gear is for anyways ;)

I would be skeptical and examine anything closely.

I have (knowingly) purchased some stuff from old navy that I would describe as basically the cheapest, poorest designed and made junk you could import from a third-world country.

Quality among different items varies enormously, from junk, to maybe OK.