Sometimes going gear-first makes sense. Most of the time it doesn't.
In high school I played football (the one where you kick a ball with your foot repeatedly, not just once in a while). My shoes cost a fortune.
I had 1 pair of training boots for artificial and natural grass respectively. One pair of match boots for each surface. one pair for indoors, one for outdoors asphalt and one pair for gravel. All costing at least $100 each, some way more.
On top of that, I had 2 pairs of running shoes and all the other equipment. A looooot of gear.
That arsenal was built up over time. I took good care of my shoes, so that when a new season started, I could expand rather than replace.
When my girlfriend started roller derby, she spent over $1000 of her inheritance on gear before the first time she'd tried it. She didn't even know if she was going to make the team.
Sometimes the gear is what you need in order to get yourself started. A pair of new running shoes to motivate yourself to go out for a run.
It's certainly worked for me.
The problem is, it only works for a short while. Until the gear isn't new anymore. My girlfriend quit after 5 months and sold all her gear. That's more usually the case when I've done the same.
If you're going to start gear first, what's worked for me is being cheapish with that gear. That'll annoy me enough to prove to myself that I can build the habit. Then I reward myself with gear once I hit my milestones.
It's much the same when building your productivity-stack. Don't go gear first, start with the principles. … mer