Well, if I am going long distance, I am with someone who has a large bag; either DH or a friend. I just don't have room to put anything big on my bike. What I had before did not look like a large bag, but it held an incredible amount of stuff. I probably stretched it to its limit, after 5 years, as the zipper totally broke off. If I am "shopping," I am on my other bike, with a pannier.
Stuff in my pockets doesn't bother me at all. I don't feel any of it. Even when I am with DH and he has my lunch or my jacket in his bag, I still put my personal stuff and a bar in my pockets. At one time I had a front bag on my Trek (the road bike I had before my Kuota). When I finally took it off, I realized how much the front bag was affecting my cornering and steering. I won't ever use one of those again.
This is why I am getting a touring bike for my next project. I want a road-style bike that doesn't feel sluggish like my Jamis Coda, that has the pannier, that I can ride for shopping, and use when I am traveling/light touring. I just can't put any of this type of stuff on my Kuota, nor do I want to.