Here's the deal with LeisurePro - and I've been satisfied a customer of theirs for years. Their entry-level packages are just that. It's all low-end gear that unless you have severe budget restraints you'll wind up replacing when you find out that it's less than optimal. Most divers will learn in a Jacket-style BCD for example - they're in just about all rental fleets as one size fits all. Most divers later upgrade to either a lot better jacket or something back-inflated - locating the wing behind you helps you trim out much easier when you're actually diving. A jacket by it's inherent design floats you well on the surface but we dive underneath that lol...
Look at the links to the individual components in those packages. Most will talk about durability, ease of service etc. as the lowest end products are often targeted to the rental fleet market. It's good basic gear but you can maybe do better by watching for sales and knowing what you're looking for. Used/demo is also not a bad option in some cases. I bought a $250 1st stage regulator as a backup once - it was a showcase demo for two years. No box but new warranty that started when I registered it. I paid $75 for it. Craigslist is full of people selling gear who thought they were going to be divers also. Sometimes I see stuff that has 4 checkout dives on it but it's used so the price is a lot better. Scuba gear drops 1/2 it's value when you walk out the door with it and 1/2 again when you re-sell it.
Also develop a relationship with a local store. In your case, one of the better online retailers is also based at a store there in Vegas - Online Scuba is a division of a shop there.
OnlineScuba.com - Buy Scuba Equipment, Diving & Snorkeling Gear I'd go there and talk to them before you buy anything. LeisurePro used to be a fantastic deal because they bought other shops excess inventory and sold it at a large discount but over the last several years they've become licensed dealers for many of their lines so you will get the
exact same price by walking in the door at Online now - except for NV sales tax. (Is there any?) Online sells from low to high end gear also, Cressi, Genesis, Aeris/Oceanic, Tusa, Mares, Aqualung, ScubaPro, Zeagle - any of these will work. Since they sell it, they're also your service dealer. Unless your shop sells it also.
LeisurePro is still one of my go to shops for soft goods since they do have very good prices and fast/free shipping. Another is scubatoys.com in Dallas.
I agree with the above poster. Some people just don't certify. Medical reasons, they can't do skills, claustrophobia - there's a lot of reasons. Any dive shop knows their best chance at selling you a dive package is when you're all excited about getting certified - many make a lot of their revenue then. And don't think for a moment that marketing agreements, sales incentives etc. don't play a role. Many shops purposely outfit their instructors in better gear that the shop sells so when you see it, you want it. So I'd wait till you're certified and almost as importantly decide on the type/location of diving you may want to pursue before making any purchases. Most of us that have been diving for a while have gone through the same process and have closets full of the "perfect" gear that's slowly deteriorating.
Also travel gear is different than cold-water gear. There is some overlap in certain brands/models but travel gear for warm water is going to be lighter weight and have less lift capacity. If you're planning to dive Mead in winter in a 7MM wetsuit you'll need a lot of weight to sink - and a lot more lift capacity vs. if you fly to the Caribbean and dive in a t-shirt. For both, there are options for that also - larger lift gear that's also optimized for travel but trades some other feature - usually a harder vs. softer backpack or durability to get the weight down.
For your basic gear (mask, fins, boots, snorkel) buy it locally. The most important thing about a mask isn't price, features, color or material - it's FIT. A leaking mask can make any diving miserable. More so for you since you'll probably be doing check-outs in Lake Mead unless you travel somewhere else. SoCal is just as cold also. None of them are high margin items so it makes sense to buy them locally. A $15-20 snorkel works as well as a $40 snorkel for what you'll need also. Boots/fins are a personal choice and your shop will explain pros/cons of the various models/styles also. Split-fins are a popular option but don't be fooled by the price - the reason they're more is because the technology is licensed, not because they're necessarily better. (I have them) Paddle fins are actually a better option if you plan to do any sort of diving that might require backing up or diving in siltable conditions - splitfins are bad for either.