I went back and re-read your original post. I think I missed the fact that you may already be acquainted with HOW to pick gear for function, and were merely asking our opinions on what brands seemed to be least visually offensive. I apologize.

I've noticed that, as the trend toward lighter gear set in, everyone started calling their gear "light and fast" - though I'm not exactly sure why you have to go fast just because your gear's lighter; I know I don't. Anyhow, "fast" somehow seems to demand neon color schemes - I assume for the same reason no one wants a tan Corvette.

But I digress.

For packs, Granite Gear usually has more muted colors - their basic packs are mostly black, with cordura highlights in various shades of blue, "lime" green (which really isn't as bright as it sounds), gray, and darker ("brick") red - of course, the Escape I just ordered has a lot of bright red on it. (I've read that one splash of bright color, like a red shirt or pack, adds to the visual appeal of a picture - is that true?) Deuter also offers packs in the same range of colors, including a fair number of all-grey packs; the colored panels tend to be larger than on Granite Gear. The biggest limiting factor for both brands is that each model comes in only one color, so you may find a really nice pack in a color you don't like, and there's no way to get around that.

Some makers, like Gregory and Osprey, offer each model in a choice of two or three colors. Their packs just don't function well for me, for fairly idiosyncratic reasons, so I tend to stay with Granite Gear.

For boots, I've always used Vasque (after my Air Force combat boots wore out.) They've always had sufficient color choices: I went for brown or grey, and always found something I liked. I can't speak to other brands, because Vasque always fits me so well I don't need to shop around much.

For clothing, I've always been able to find muted colors at Patagonia; again, not a lot of experience with other brands because Patagonia always fits well. I tend to go toward grey, tan, darker blues, deeper reds, and blacks (long johns), though I do have a "lime" green rain jacket and windbreaker that I've become partial to. Patagonia does have all the colors of the rainbow, but they've always been pretty good at keeping some of the more neutral colors available in their line.

Hope this is more on point with your original question.