Some great posts here. Lots of common sense posted by newbies and wisdom by the vets.

One thought struck me and that is the cost of upgrading. While i'm all for the 30 cents on the dollar plan for first tours, once you've said "This is it I'm all in", go all in! That is buy the best equipment you can afford. It will, in the end, be the least expensive way you can go.

That thought process applies to all walks of life as exibited by one of my favorite sayings "Only a rich man can afford cheap tools."