Looking for new gear but can't separate the marketing and everyone's opinions from what it's really about.

A lot of the complaints I here abouot gear is because people have bought the wrong gear in the first place, haven't fitted it properly, or are just using it in the wrong way. Saying nothing about not maintaining it in the right way.....

Here are some tips about what it's really about.

Split into Basic gear for general clothing, camping gear and so forth with sport specific gear, for example canoes, in separate sub-sections.