Ok, here's my gear for this year:
Gun: G36c (no stock) + mid capacity P-MAG magazines. 400 fps Guarder full tune-up kit.
Uniform: ABUPAT (Army Battle Uniform Pattern, a US air-force camo);
Tactical gear: Matrix TF3 High Speed Body Armor + battle belt + hydration pack.
Safety glasses: ESS crossbow;
Boots: Bootex Cobra.
Imma plannin' to get an ARES AW-338 sniper rifle and change overall style of playing. Running all day long is not fun for me anymore. Bad thing, is that it's quite expensive (about 900 usd in Russia, and rare as hell).
Listen to what Kilgore says. You can start with cheap stuff, and if you liked the game, it's not difficult to waste a few thousand dollars on a gear afterwards

(my case exactly).