One of the benefits of getting into these hobbies young is that you don't have lots of money to spend, so you end up doing your first tours on a $120 craigslist bike, with an old tent you picked out of someone's closet (weighs 6 pounds), and a bunch of cotton layers to try to stay warm, and so on. Then you don't bother upgrading stuff if you don't like it, and by the time you do spend money, you know what you're looking for.

At least, that's my experience.