I also use military load bearing gear.
One of the aspects that I like about it is that I can layer stuff. Not sure how familiar any of you are but in mil terms it's referred to as the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd line. 3rd line is your pack or ruck with your "snivel gear" (shelter, food, clothes {and for mil use, extra ammo, radio, etc.}), 2nd would be your webbing with your ammo, grenades, water, knife, first aid kit, 1st line is what you carry on your person or in your pockets, your absolute last ditch survival stuff.
But certainly that idea can be utilized even in a civvy setting. While I really don't need to carry a war load, I do like using chest webbing (I currently use a
Tactical Tailor MAV with an
X-Harness. Another idea is the
SOTech Hellcat. Although I am making myself one that has more of the features I want.) for the simple reason that it makes stuff very easily accessible when seated in a vehicle or canoe, and even when walking, and it's also pretty handy on a bike. I carry all my first aid stuff, my knife, saw, pruning shears (I guess you guys call them secateurs), Leatherman, binos, camera gear, maps, GPS, compass, a pouch with some gorp, gloves, water bottle and mug, flashlight, a pouch with some survival gear, and a pouch with a few misc. odds & ends. This is all stuff that for the most part I want to be able to access quickly. Also, having it up on my chest means that it isn't going to interfere with the waistbelt of my pack. Another aspect of a chest rig that I like is that it spreads the weight out around my torso. Rather than having thirty pounds on my back, I have twenty on my back and ten on my chest.
Now with the chest rig, and my first line gear I can for the most part manage pretty well. If we go scouting around I'll ditch the pack and just use the chest rig. I can expand on it a little by taking a stand alone Camelbak with a poncho and liner strapped to it, and a little bit of food in it.
For longer term outings I can choose from a number of packs to expand my load carrying ability.
I also have a
Kifaru Scout which bridges the gap between 2nd and 3rd line gear. I am getting a
Kifaru Pointman and the Scout can be mounted on it, and easily detached to serve as a grab it and go bag. The belt of the Scout also allows me to mount some pouches with Malice Clips, and it still wouldn't interfere with my chest rig. The chest rig and the Scout together give me ample carrying ability.
Yeah I feel a bit awkward carrying it around when sheeple are about, but oh well. When I get really close to "civilization" and "looking normal" becomes important, I can just take the chest rig, and attach it to my pack. Then it just looks like a really big military pack with pouches all over it. If some dumbass gives me a hard time about it I can just say that I build this stuff and have to test it out. Which really is true. If some one is stupid enough to call the cops because there is some big guy walking around with army gear on, the cops really couldn't do anything about it. Nothing I carry is illegal, so there.
It hasn't happened yet, but life was so much easier when I was living up north and I could disappear into the bush for days and never see anyone. Now I'm living closer to Babylon and I have to contend with more people. Sigh.
Like I said I like the layering aspect of it. I can go light or heavy. Modularity is the way to go.
Oh yeah, the best place on the net to find out about all this stuff is Lightfighter.net. Have to register to look around, but if you want to know what is being produced and how it is being used, the place to go.
yeah, they are long wearing. In fact, the three or so pair that I wear in bush are all over 5 years old and enough wear has occured that they are soft and very comfortable. I like the German issue moleskin cargo's in OD too. They are a little stiff going in, but after several washings and dunks from wading across our several streams and rivers in this area, they soften right up. 
