Spending big money on outdoor clothes, pennywise or pound foolish?

[Pecos Bill]

True BUT, when you start to look at hard worn clothes that are older than your car, your dog, and that cute little thing behind the counter at the coffee shop that you flirted with today, you do have to wonder whether they were worth the cash.
FQ13

You say the cloths are still VERY serviceable, I say they were worth the price. Quality "gear" is always worth whatever price you pay for it.

Pecos

[fightingquaker13]

You say the cloths are still VERY serviceable, I say they were worth the price. Quality "gear" is always worth whatever price you pay for it.

Pecos

That's the thing Pecos. There is no way in hell I would have paid $80 for a Patagonia shirt, and I mocked the folks who bought the ones I was selling, as I thought they were stupidly over priced. I even tried even tried to steer customers to cheaper alternatives. I broke down and bought one with an employee discount that lowered the price to $20, or I never would have owned it, because the chest pockets were big enough for a fly box. And damn! I never went back. Still, lets assume I paid retail. That shirt has been through hell, and looks good enough to wear out to say a Chiles after 25 years of hard wear. It was worth every freaking penny of $80 and then some, because over 25 years I can't even estimate the number of long sleeved outdoor shirts I've owned. Yet this one is still here. It seems the Filson motto of "Might as well have the best", might not be hype after all. Paying the better part of C note for a shirt sounds stupid.On the other hand, if you are wearing it 25 years later while trying to make that argument, you tend to lose credibility.
FQ13

[tt11758]

True BUT, when you start to look at hard worn clothes that are older than your car, your dog, and that cute little thing behind the counter at the coffee shop that you flirted with today, you do have to wonder whether they were worth the cash.
FQ13

I think Freud would say the REAL impetus for your conundrum is the fact that you're no longer the age when the "cute little thing behind the counter at the coffee shop" would give you a second look. 

Just sayin.   

[fightingquaker13]

I think Freud would say the REAL impetus for your conundrum is the fact that you're no longer the age when the "cute little thing behind the counter at the coffee shop" would give you a second look.  

Just sayin.    

Hell, she wouldn't have given me a second look when I was a twenty something, because I was never cute. I got the smart nerdy girls and the outdoor tomboy types (the latter mostly because I had a pickup and the cool camping gear and a canoe).   Nowadays, the only way I'm getting a cute 20 something is to order her on Craig's List, but I don't want the cooties. Plus if I wanted a really cute one,  I'd have to be able to use BillT's credit card to afford her.
FQ13 who has gotten to that point in life where you don't even try, you just appreciate the scenery.

[crusader rabbit]

I bought my first sailboat from an old geezer who summed it up pretty well.  When I told him I planned to go to K-Mart and buy some cheapo pots and pans for the boat, he said:  If you buy quality, you only pay once;  if you buy crap, you pay for it every time you use it. 

Anything you'll use every day or even once in awhile in a crisis, whether it's tools, fishing gear, clothing or boots, you should get the best quality you can afford.  In the back country, you can't just jump in the car and get a replacement at WallyWorld.  And a malfunctioning reel, busted rod, leaky boots, or a hole in the crotch of your only pair of britches can really spoil what should have been a wonderful trip.

If you get something on the cheap, get at least two so you'll have a replacement when the first one goes south.  Plus, when you figure like that, the quality piece doesn't look quite so expensive since you only need one.

For britches and shirts, Carhartt is still pretty solid quality.  LL Bean, not so much.

IMHO, FWIW, Crusader

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

That's the thing Pecos. There is no way in hell I would have paid $80 for a Patagonia shirt, and I mocked the folks who bought the ones I was selling, as I thought they were stupidly over priced. I even tried even tried to steer customers to cheaper alternatives. I broke down and bought one with an employee discount that lowered the price to $20, or I never would have owned it, because the chest pockets were big enough for a fly box. And damn! I never went back. Still, lets assume I paid retail. That shirt has been through hell, and looks good enough to wear out to say a Chiles after 25 years of hard wear. It was worth every freaking penny of $80 and then some, because over 25 years I can't even estimate the number of long sleeved outdoor shirts I've owned. Yet this one is still here. It seems the Filson motto of "Might as well have the best", might not be hype after all. Paying the better part of C note for a shirt sounds stupid.On the other hand, if you are wearing it 25 years later while trying to make that argument, you tend to lose credibility.
FQ13

You would seem to have answered your own question.

Hell, she wouldn't have given me a second look when I was a twenty something, because I was never cute. I got the smart nerdy girls and the outdoor tomboy types (the latter mostly because I had a pickup and the cool camping gear and a canoe).   Nowadays, the only way I'm getting a cute 20 something is to order her on Craig's List, but I don't want the cooties. Plus if I wanted a really cute one,  I'd have to be able to use BillT's credit card to afford her.
FQ13 who has gotten to that point in life where you don't even try, you just appreciate the scenery.

You need to tip better.  All the under 20's welcome me with a smile and a friendly word.    

[fightingquaker13]

You need to tip better.  All the under 20's welcome me with a smile and a friendly word.    


[/quote]
They may welcome you to their table at the coffee shop, but unless you're tipping REEEEALLY, REEEEALLLY welll, I doubt they are welcoming you anywhere else.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

Well, I also give them the daily crossword when I finish it. 
As long as they keep the coffee cup full I'm happy.
 Remember FQ, I'm still paying on a dead horse  

[Badgersmilk]

THATS why Toms angry about the value of his $.  He thought a cup of coffee was running him $200 and the "table service" he was getting with it was just cause his friendly demeanor.  

[tombogan03884]

At $200 a cup it should be "under the table service.    
 $1.65 is bad enough, did you know that coffee prices have been going up faster than gas ?