Very surprising to see so many peole lashing out at “gatekeeping”. Frugality is a very important thing (something something global warming?), a beginner can not get any meaning out of the very best gear, diminishing returns are a thing.
Wasting resources because you are unable to resist the temptation of marketing is dumb, selfish and harmful.
No, of course I’m not talking about safety gear. No, I’m not advocating for buying the cheapest stuff.
Higher quality, more expensive gear does not necessarily contribute to waste. Sometimes, it can just be more expensive because their workers are paid good wages and materials are ethically sourced. Some very cheap gear can break much sooner, ending up being more wasteful.
Just to go ridiculous:
You can get your Private Pilots License by buying a Phenom or Citation or Lear jet and doing all your training in top of the line luxury, if you spend the money. If you then find that what you want out of flying is going into backcountry airstrips and camping your initial investment is now worthless to you, and you not only need to buy a different type of plane, but learn an entirely different set of skills. So you should probably do the “basic beginner thing” and rent a basic flight school / club plane and see what you like/care about.
Every hobby is fractal. If nothing else, if you buy the top of the line super specialized equipment you might miss out on the other branch of the hobby you would actually be interested in. (that has it’s own, different, top of the line super specialized equipment)