There is no Holy Grail. This we already know.

Optimal gear (nothing is Holy) depends on the subjective trip and subjective goals.

People often try to convince themselves that what they've acquired, partly by chance, partly by theoretical reasoning of various kinds.... is near to the optimum. This doesn't always happen, but it happens frequently.

The "TRUTH" is unknowable because much of it depends on the individual's subjectivity, which tends to shift around with time and circumstances.

Another point that occurs to me is, there is a tendency to think that gear matters more than it actually does. What matters mostly, is whether the trip is fun.

At present, I like Garmont brand for footwear on my personal feet.. Otherwise, weight, simplicity and price tend to be my leading personal criteria for gear selection.

Of course if critical gear completely fails, then fun is compromised. Simplicity tends to make this less likely. As in the relative simplicity of Black Diamond poles vs. Leki, or the relative simplicity of a tarp vs a tent. Thus, I wend my way down the path thinking my gear choices are near to optimum.....