For me clipless works. My feet are always in the right place on the pedal for power application, I can bunny hop the bike over obstacles, I can apply power through all 360 degrees of my pedal stroke or at least completely unload the rising pedal, and I can stand up when needed without thinking about if my foot is securely on the pedal. My mountain and touring pedals are dual purpose (platform one side/SPD the other) for when the terrain gets dicey and I may need to dab or even bail in a hurry, but when hustling down a bumpy trail I like knowing that the bike will go where I do and vice versa. My road bike has Look Keo for most of those reasons.

My road bike has calipers for lightness. My mountain and touring bikes have wider wheels and tires and carry much heavier loads through all kinds of weather and riding conditions and are stopped by hydraulic discs. I have also read several accounts of rims that needed replacement during cross country rides because the cantilever brakes - the other brake of choice for heavily loaded bikes with big tires - caused failure or near failure of the rim and/or tire because of the heat generated by braking at high speed under load and the wear on the braking surface.

My 2000 model hardtail aluminum mountain bike with v-brakes weighed 28 pounds. That was replaced by a 2007 model with dual suspension and hydraulic discs that weighs 29.5 pounds. I weigh 215, so the 1.5 pound difference is inconsequential. I'm not dismissing anything, merely stating what works for me. If there was nothing subjective in selecting equipment we would all be riding the exact same thing.