I think most of us work into our preferred gear selectively, over time. The savings grace for me was Army Surplus. I am dating myself, but I began romping in the outdoors at a time when genuine surplus was readily available. Some of it was quite good - I still have, and use, an army mountain cookset manufactured in 1951, but for most it , the greatest virtue was its cheap price. I bought some surplus boots for $2.50 that I trashed on the very first climb - a prime example of cheap actually being rather expensive.

As I became more enmeshed in the outdoors, I upgraded my gear, buying a Gerry down bag (a whole month's salary at the time) to replace my warm but heavy, Army mountain bag. A little later I bought my first stove (which I still have) and began cutting back on campfires. Like WD, I relied on the stoves and tents of others (or good luck with the weather) for a long time.

One really shouldn't put out a lot of cash until reasonably sure that the activity will be really meaningful.