You seem to have places along your rides you often like to stop in at normally if I'm tracking ya right? My ideal lunch break during a long ride is what ever I jam in the pockets or if I feel like carrying the rear stowage, I'll toss stuff in there. Less is more for me, but we do need to have something to bring up the energy levels when doing 100+ milers. Packing the water & sometimes coffee is a habitual burden in itself. Good thing about lugging the liquids though; you're likely to consume your liquids, therefore, the carrying load naturally lessens the burden. Many times I find I do not consume all the food I might bring for many reasons. Positive side, I can repack it the next time if I don't offer it up to someone that may have bonked on the trails.