I feel like little kid in candy store lol
Cycle Gear strikes me the same way. I've spent some money there and generally been happy with the result.
It's always going to be a trade-off -- for those who can spend the money on top-quality gear, great. Some amazing gear is available; warm in the winter, cool in the summer, waterproof when it needs to be, comfortable, durable, lots of protection, and lots of money. I'm not that guy.
I put helmet, gloves, and boots at the top of the list.
Helmets -- without question I'm alive today because of a Bell Star helmet, but I don't always wear a full-face helmet. It's a choice driven by circumstances and personal preference. Everyone has different riding habits, different risk assessment criteria, different experience, different levels of skill, and different strategies for staying out of trouble in the first place. I'd rate comfort as a primary consideration, partly because you're more likely to be wearing it, and partly anything that distracts you or taxes your awareness is contributing to a less safe environment. I depend more on situational awareness than protective equipment, but that's just me.
Out of the several helmets I own, for normal recreational riding I wear the Bell Pit Boss more often than any because I naturally depend upon hearing and air pressure for situational awareness. I will feel the car just behind my left shoulder that's well over the speed limit or wasn't in the mirror last time I checked because it just pulled out from behind the semi behind me before I hear it, and I will hear it before I see it. While I am conscientious about using mirrors and peripheral vision, things can happen really fast sometimes, sometimes it's safer for me to have all of my senses. Knowing what is around you at all times is an essential precondition for successful evasive maneuvers, which by definition happen on short notice.
If I'm beating up a dual-sport, it's going to be a different helmet for that specific purpose.
Cross-country on the interstate, it's likely to be yet again a different helmet, maybe the Shoei full-face. Especially if there's any chance of rain, cold weather, or being behind the RV who didn't want to wait in line at the dump station. Personal preference. Plenty of folks will be more than happy to jump in about why this is crazy or stupid but I've been riding a long time and I know what works for me. You'll figure out what works for you.
Gloves -- some happy medium between abrasion resistance and tactile comfort is the sweet spot. A lot of the gloves I've seen that provide great levels of protection also feel a little bit like boxing gloves, the sensitivity of grip on the handlebars and controls is more than I want to give up. I have yet to find anything I like better for riding than leather gloves, and with a good quality glove the abrasion resistance is fairly good. This is a more advanced conversation, but it's natural for most people when you're falling to reach out with your hands to catch yourself -- consciously train yourself to not do this. There are more preferable and less preferable ways to come off a motorcycle, I'm sure there are resources somewhere for this. I've come off motorcycles at all kinds of speeds and all kinds of conditions, there are tricks worth knowing. The reason I mention this is you really don't want your hands being a primary contact point with the asphalt, which may have some influence on materials choice. Summer gloves and cold weather/rain gloves are worth having.
Boots -- I'm firmly of the opinion that a comfortable pair of work boots, preferably with safety toes, is hard to beat. I burned through a steel toe one time when the bike landed on me and I couldn't get out from under it, it's an odd feeling to still be passing traffic except you're looking up at the cars you're passing. The steel toes are cold but I can attest to the abrasion resistance. I don't know how composite toes would hold up to a long slide. Something well fitted, definitely above the ankle, preferably more like an 8" tall boot that fits close, like a combat boot is good. A little bit of ankle support goes a long way when you snap a footpeg off the bike while your foot is still on it.
Jacket -- weather protection and abrasion resistance are primary considerations. In cold weather, it's leather for me. Trouble is, in hot weather there is a temptation to take the jacket off. Not a good idea. Some of the new breathable mesh jackets with good abrasion ratings are mighty nice in hot weather. I've got a CorTech mesh jacket that I like more and more all the time. The shoulder pads and elbow pads are in the right place, which is something to be careful of with the cheaper jackets. The old saying is, "I'm not dressed for the ride, I'm dressed for the slide."
I hope all of this helps.
