If it's all the same to you, I kind of feel that serious lighting is actually necessary gear for my commute, 24 miles in the dark over almost exclusively 50 to 55 MPH 2 lane roads.

Also for short distances I'll use a backpack to get my clothes and food to work, but for 24 miles I'm putting it in a bag on a rack. Backpacks suck for more than about 10 miles or so.