For creating an 8-directional character with equipping functionality in Spine, you can manage equipable items like helmets, jackets, gloves, etc., by using skins and attachments. Each equipable item can be a separate attachment that you can dynamically switch at runtime based on the player's equipment choices. For different directions, you can either use different attachments for each direction (e.g., helmet-up, helmet-right) and switch between them as the character changes direction, or you can use a single skeleton and leverage animations to smoothly transition the character's direction.

For managing multiple animations like running, flips, rolls, etc., alongside changing equipment and directions, you can layer animations using Spine's animation tracks. This allows you to play a base movement animation (like running) on one track, while overlaying equipment changes or action animations (like flips and rolls) on higher tracks. This approach maintains the character's direction and equipped items across all animations.

Regarding the handling of multiple directions and animations, it's often more manageable to use a single skeleton for all directions if your character's design allows for it, as this simplifies the animation process and reduces the number of assets you need to create. However, if your character's design requires distinctly different appearances for each direction, you may need to create separate attachments or even separate skeletons for each direction and switch between them at runtime.

For equipping items, consider using Spine's skin feature to group attachments related to each equipable item. This way, you can easily switch between different sets of equipment by changing the active skin. Remember to organize your attachments and skins in a way that allows for easy switching and layering of equipment for different character directions and actions.