Get a good, small, high-intensity light to use in place of the Mag-Light would be a good experiment to try. Maybe even go "cheep" with some bad knock off for a few bucks to see if it would make sense and if it does - get a really good min-light to count on.

I like the feel of a full-size MAG-LITE in my hand. Mom always made an issue of the weight and volume of the D-Cell MAG-LITE I always carry. I switched to C-Cell. It's lighter and smaller; it has the feel of a full-size flashlight. Also, I can still turn it off and on with my thumb on the button rather than twisting the head.