Just to add my 2 cents to this (just started detailing with the right tools last year). I picked up a Porter Cable and everyone is right - its pretty much idiot proof, but I've heard good things about the Griot stuff too.
For pads, I would check out Lake Country pads (I use the 5.5" ones) - great prices, and they have all sorts of pads. This is where the Auto Geek site is amazing. As for products, I use Menzerna for my buffing/polishing needs, Wolfgang for sealant and Mothers for wax.
I saw earlier you mentioned you would see about either applying the sealants by hand or machine. I will tell you - hands down, its way easier to do by machine. I used to do it by hand, and put WAYYY to much on. You should not see the coloring of the product when you apply. I remember having to scrub at spots because it was hard to get off. With a machine, I can literally do an entire panel with 2-3 drops of Wolfgang. All you need to do is put enough on so you can see the haze - which isn't much at all.
For cleaning wheels, I would highly recommend checking out Sonax wheel cleaner. It's a little spendy, but well worth it. That's more of a deep cleaning product you'd use a few times a year. Would be pretty costly to use everytime you wash your truck (by costly, it's like $16 for a 2-3 use bottle)
Lastly - if you have a Costco near you at all, I buy my microfiber from there. I picked up a bag of 36 (?) towels for something like $15. I actually keep a laundry hamper in the garage now, so I can just toss them there and do a load whenever needed. Microfiber should always be washed separate from other materials, and it should never be heat dried (I throw mine in the dryer set to air dry)
Enjoy! It costs a few bucks to get everything you need, but once you have the equipment - its well worth it. I was paying $300+ to have my cars detailed every few years. So I picked up probably $250-300 worth of stuff and now I do it myself.
** Going back on another post I recall you asking about. Clay bar should always be moist. While it is correct that you do not want it to dry out from leaving it out in the open all the time (think something the consistency of Play Doh) - I think what they are actually talking about is while you are claying. You'll figure it out yourself real quick, but you should have some quick detail spray (usually comes in the clay bar kit, unless you buy the bar separately), or some water with a couple drops of soap in it. The proper term might be that you want to keep the clay bar lubed, not necessarily moist. Once you get the hang of it, you'll learn that if you do not spray enough lube - the clay bar will not slide across the surface. It will actually try to stick to the car. This isn't what you want - you should be able to essentially just "wipe" the car down with the clay bar almost like you are washing it with a rag. Claying itself usually only takes 5-10 minutes to do. It's a very fast (and effective) step in any good cleaning.
Sorry for the long post!