Many of the things I carry in my pack are divided into pouches that I could carry on my belt, but they seldom are, I'm fairly certain that carrying items on my belt isn't good for my back long term, especially if the weight ends up being a bit lopsided. Anything I need in a rush is usually in a pocket.
I'd go with a small shoulder bag, much more flexible than pouches,
I go for something of a compromise between these two approaches, like sandbender I keep things organised in my pack in pouches that form a "belt kit", and then I carry that belt over my shoulder like a satchel, like vizsla does. It works ok for me.
On my "shoulder carry belt kit", I tend to carry some or all of the following:
Water bottle pouch containing, '58 pattern bottle, crusader mug, millbank bag, 3-in-1 coffee, spoon.
First aid kit (group sized kit, I'm not listing the contents here)
Big Green Pouch (things that I would normally have on my belt or in my pockets but for whatever reason want/need them to be somewhere else) so, fixed blade knife, folding saw, ditty bag (monocular, insect repellent, flashlight, sharpening stone, spare batteries) and toilet bag (toilet paper, alcogel, lighter).
I often have an extra shell or warm layer looped through the belt too as it's a really convenient way to carry a spare garment.
All the best,
Stuart.
