I'm starting to think that the cest rig is the holy grail I've been looking for.

Here's the ling to Ironraven's post.

Some history of the concept here.

And here's the one IR's using.

Notice that the unpadded webbing doesn't interfere with your pack shoulder straps. It's worn above the waist, so it doesn't interfere with the waist belt on your pack. This solves the problem I was having with other belt and vest based setups.