Choosing the right equipment always is double-edged.
First of all, our recent equipment fit well on all of our trips until now. This was for 1/3 new stuff (e.g. our tent), 1/3 good, but quite used stuff (my beloved, 30 years old gasoline stove from GDR production, for example) and the last part consisted of everyday stuff like jeans and T-shirts instead of fashionable, state-of-the-art gore tex equipment.
On the other hand, we never planned to travel as far as on this trip. And, to be honest, I didn´t like the idea to be dependent on things like my stove that tends to „explode“ sometimes (nothing big, only that you end up with 1/4 liter of burning gasoline on your camp site and a stove that is useless until you buy new sealings). Clothes made of cotton are quite modest, only when they get wet, they stay so for quite a while.
In the colorful world of outdoor and bike equipment there is a whole load of stuff which ain´t exactly neccessary but is quite good-to-have, and by the way, hey, take a look, it doesn’t cost this much…
So, what to do against this bad, bad trap? My suggestion: Exactly planning what you need. How much are you able to spend. And where to get it (internet, real world shops…) Last question: Do you need to buy everything new? Or could you save money by buying used stuff (hopefully, no gas stoves)?