I'd just like to weigh in here with an opinion that seems to be contrary to most.
First of all, need is a relative term. I made it through a winter bmq with the old winter stuff with the jacket with the corduroy collar, MK3's, etc, and have no complaints there.
The issue, to me, comes in this whole attitude that, particularly in the PRes (not so much with Reg force) that you need it more after you're trained. The one weekend a month that most reservists spend in the field is very different to the nearly 50% of the time you spend in the field on SQ and DP1. On SQ we spent 6 out of 9 consecutive weekends in the field. Are these recruits not relying very heavily upon their kit, in comparison to a garrison soldier going to the field once a month at most?
And to reiterate, before any flames are thrown, I do respect the position of the PRes in line right after the Reg for guys. They obviously need it, especially those deploying. I am not comparing their needs to ours.