>>542304126
the amount of gear that humans in militaries have been equipped with had steadily increased with technological progression. it seems entirely possible to me the logical end point of such a trend is a fully-enclosed environmental suit that makes the wearer nearly impervious. you could also strap a huge amount of gear to such a suit, use it in search and rescue, etc.
it's unlikely to be common or used as a spearpoint in combat, but it has niche value. i agree that exoskeletal movement assisted devices will be more commonplace, especially as the price to produce such a thing goes down. i already see wearable knee prosthetics that essentially do this.