Budget Mountaineer: Walmart Base Layers

Hey guys, I have always heard from people that base layers can be bought for cheap from walmart - in you guys' experience, have you ever used anything with good/bad results from walmart? Looking to beef up my winter setup without breaking the bank here :) 

What kind of materials do you look for? Merino wool/ synthetics/ spandex?

not a base layer,  but this synthetic puffy for less than $25 that packs into it's own pocket seems like a deal for the dirty bags...

​dirty bag puffy​​​

idk what options exist in austin but Boulder Sports Recycler here usually has pretty good deals. Its just a second hand store for outdoor gear.

I buy mine from Old Navy.

Take a look at Terramar on Amazon. Same/similar fabrics and materials as the bigger brands but without the added cost of the label. 

Dylan Tran wrote: What kind of materials do you look for? Merino wool/ synthetics/ spandex?

Lyrca is the best IMHO

Dylan Tran wrote: What kind of materials do you look for? Merino wool/ synthetics/ spandex?

Merino wool is awesome as a base layer and what I generally use but is usually more expensive.  In my experience synthetic materials work very similarly in terms of wicking moisture away and are close in terms of comfort, but they will start to smell a lot faster and a lot worse than wool. I think if you're going to splurge on merino wool for anything I'd go for socks; synthetic socks can get seriously ripe and nice thin wool socks are awesome.

Dylan, do they still have Academy Surplus in Austin? They had cheap clothing, too. The most ubiquitous synthetics you will see is Underarmor. But Walmart, Target, and other cheap stores sell pile fleece, synthetic dri-fit type shirts, and all sorts of stuff for cheap. Just spend a little more on your top layer, which should be a good quality softshell. Hardshell jackets make you sweat like a SOB doing anything, so only have that for rain and in the pack.

I'm as frugal (read: cheap) as they come, but I try not to skimp on baselayers. It's one of those, "go for quality as it's cheaper in the long run" type of items. I still have a Heli Hanson base layer I got as a hand me down, when I was 15. Polypro seems nigh indestructible. Wool baselayers can be nice, but they don't take as much abuse as polypro. Speaking of, base layers don't usually see too much off that, as they're protected under a few other layers of clothes. Thrift stores sometimes have what you need. I don't go to too many these days, as it's just wasted time, but if I'm in the area and want some shirts/pants to do dirty work in, I'll stop in and see what they got.

Sweet, thanks for all the recommendations guys! And Tim, I didn't recognize the name, so I looked it up and it looks like the Academy Surplus closed years ago, but damn it looked like a goldmine of good stuff... There are quite a few thrift stores so I will definitely check them out!

This Terramar base layer is a grid fleece in the same vein as the R1 hoody for $27. Just got it and I’m impressed

​Terramar fleece hoody​​​

I get most of my workout clothes from Costco, they have a lot of cheap relatively well made stuff. Haven't seen it yet this year, but they usually sell merino wool blend base layers every winter.