Which sparks another random thought: Civil War soldiers used a blanket roll: all the little stuff lays in the center of the blanket; the blanket lays on top of the shelter half (sleeping bag or quilt on top of tent and fly, in this case.) Everything then rolls into a long sausage, tied at each end (webbing strap?), then slung over your good shoulder and tied together (another strap) around waist-high on the opposite side. A water bottle could be secured to your belt, using any of the water bottle pouches available, or a waist pack with such a pouch, which might make even more sense.

Radical, possibly impractical except with very light loads, but since we're brainstorming here, I thought I'd add my cent and half.