get as much as you can afford - do not waste money on something you will need to upgrade in two weeks - get the good stuff the first time - be extremely picky when shopping for these things
start with
helmet, goggles, gloves, boots. bare minimum dont ride without at least ALL of these
as soon as possible get in this order preferably unless you have a weak area of the body e.g. prior injury
knee guards, elbow guards, chest protector, mx outfit, kidney belt, mx socks
that was my order of importance anyway..........many rasberries, goose eggs etc. created most purchases as well as upgrades :)
oh , i like the middle of the road knee(thor force) and elbow(fox raptor) guards my self any cheaper and the knee pads dont extend high enough and the elbow pads slide down to be wrist pads :pissed: