I understand your point here, but one of the only reasons I check bags any more is to pack survival gear such as a knife and multi-tool. As a frequent traveller, however, my instincts are to NOT check luggage because it so frequently gets lost or, at a minimum, delayed. To me, that's when it really matters what you have in your carry-on. More than once I've been stuck in a LaQuinta Inn near an airport with only what I had in my carry-on. That's when I'm happy to have at least the bare minimum with me. So while I agree with you that an hour or two in an airport doesn't warrant extensive gear-obsessing, an hour or two often turns into an involuntary sleepover.