1. Full Seal eye protection -- DO NOT skimp on this. It is easily the most important piece of equipment you will purchase ahead of your primary weapon
2. Best quality (out of box) gun you can purchase within your budget (remember: most characteristics can be affordably upgraded after the fact if you stay away from proprietary guns)
3. One set of m-81 woodland bdu's, one set of 3-color desert bdu's (these are almost universally accepted as the base green and tan uniforms for most events -- others are sometimes allowed but these are almost universally allowed at all events -- there are some exceptions but probably not for a starting player)
Having these 3 you should be ready for any rec game. The rest of the list is optional and personal preference (You will probably want more mags for your gun, but the one that came with it should be good enough to get started)
4. Mid-Cap mags for your chosen gun platform -- don't forget to get a speedloader to push the bb's into the mid cap
(assuming gun came with one hi-cap mag, -- and your chosen platform is not a belt fed gun -- if it didn't then these will be higher priority - These will be required for most real sim/mil sim events)
5. Chest Rig/Vest/Plate carrier and pouches -- Do research first and see what others use, and if possible try out different setups to see what you like before you dump a lot of money into it then find out you don't like it. This is highly personal preference and is NOT necessary, but done right can be useful. I can't stress enough to go to a few games and see what others are using and talk to them about it and why they went the way they did before dropping alot of money on something that looks cool, but just isn't what you thought it would be.
6. Upgrades, Bling (external gun attachments, helmet systems, grenades, secondary weapons, alternate primary platforms, other camo pattern clothing, etc. AKA things that are nice to have but not necessary for you to enjoy a day of airsofting)
