Greetings AskDaMice and welcome to ETS,
I find your gear interesting in the amount of leather you use for pouches/scabbards. I feel the same way about trusting to leather more than synthetics for such tasks.
I also own a long glass and have neglected it for several years, leaving it behind on my camping trips.
Because of your post, I have reevaluted my long glass & have decided that it should be in my ALICE (camping) pack but I will keep my small binoculars in my BoB.
I also rely on the Swiss/German Mess kit along w/2 US Army canteen cups for cooking, but I have also been known to bring my US Army Mess kit along as well.
I still put a higher priority on using equipment that I'm familiar with versus trying to shave weight here and there.
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QMC, USCG (Ret)
The best luck is what you make yourself!