I used to be like a lot of the new players here trying to avoid a fight if I didn't have a good kit and only fighting when I had BT, or any B-ammo, and min class-4 armor. I would get frustrated when I lost, all that gear gone. Then, I stopped caring.
I run with what I have now and I don't remember the last time I used anything better than PS. Sure, my survival % dropped initially, but now I'm up 10% and over twice the PMC kills. Most of the time I fence their kit, if I'm not going to use it immediately might as well sell it. I have most of the barter items for my hideout and I'm just waiting on meeting the level requirements for certain traders.
At the end of the day, Rat or Chad, BT or 9x18PM, a face shot will kill them in one tap. Even if I only win 1/3 of my fights with a Chad, their ammo cost more than my entire kit. They'll be a lot more upset when they die. I have been having a lot more fun in this game since I stopped using meta gear.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/s6dxod/metagear_is_overrated/
