Having the proper gear is very important when racing or just touring the AZT . The desert and high plateaus demand a wide range of gear, as does the harshness of the trail. One needs gear for the hot sunny low lying desert, and if you’re doing the 800, you also need cold weather gear for after the Mollogon Rim. Mistakes happen too. Gear gets left at home or forgotten in the endless planning. Don’t let this happen to you. Have a gear list and like Santa, check it twice.
I have a whole page that covers the gear I carried not only on the AZT, but also the Colorado Trail and Tour Divide. You can see what I brought, pros/cons, what did/didn’t work and what I would do differently.
Once you’ve picked all your gear, test it. Then replace what didn’t work, and test it again. It’s much easier to make changes to your set up at home than while on the trail. Like with your planning, more testing is better.