There is something to be said for the Troop maintaining group equipment and the Scouts having some of their own. (We're on the hunt for new group tents right now actually. Ours have been beaten up by a decade worth of Cub Scouts and are starting to show their age.) Both develop pride of ownership, and having some of their own gear allows the Scouts to not only camp-out outside of Troop activities, but also to be better prepared for that "just in case" event. And, as Ken points out, we look good when we're all matching!

That said, our group tries to maintain enough gear for everybody so that we can introduce new youth and their families to camping without them having to rack up expenses before they've even tried it and discovered they like it. (That, we're all a bunch of gear heads.) The cost to get set-up with the basics can eliminate the option of the experience for many, not to mention the overwhelming task of trying to get outfitted when you have no idea what you're talking about.