I would not let mid-fork eyelets dictate your choice of bike. Also maybe a slight change in outlook might benefit you. Instead of accepting that a touring load needs to be "heavy" why not
start out thinking of how light you can make your load. Doing long distance touring with a light load is more fun than with a heavy load.
Absolutely, my goal is to travel as light as possible. I just want to be prepared in case the load does get heavier.