Pict,

As one heretic to another, sounds like your set up is very nicely evolved for your needs.

I pretty much agree with respect to the kit/pack redundancy. I’ve carried some sort of “kit” on any hike from a few hours to a few weeks for decades, and I can only think of once or twice where I used anything in the kit, and those weren’t survival situations. Still, it’s comforting to have if there’s any chance you might be separated from the pack- and the larger the pack, the longer the trip, the more chance there is.

I confess though that that’s part of the reason that I’ve most recently concentrated on the “urban” version, and my every-day-carry. I’m much more likely to get caught by surprise in an urban emergency than I am to unexpectedly find myself in the wilderness.