good answer (all the other stuff and photos) I dont do or have this sort of stuff, but it always looks fun as heck--but in the end, it comes down to your last sentence.

people on bikes=good stuff

sure, there is truth in the whole marketing thing and getting people to buy more crap in our consumer society, but while I agree with the whole marketing aspect of the "hard ass 30 yr old guy hammering along on his bikepacking bike along a dirt road" video that is certainly part of the marketing landscape out there, this is no different than marketing of whatever in any era, there is always going to be advertising that creates a mystique and dream of an overdone aspect of whatever-owning a powerful car, the fastest latest computer etc etc.

I buy bike stuff sometimes just cuz its neat, but then I also will decline to go out to a restaurant, wear the same few pair of shoes and clothes for years and years, ride my bike to work instead of using a car, cuz I'd rather save the money and try X bike doodad and carefully spend my money on that.

but ya, people on bikes=good stuff, good way to put it.