SE stated in the past that vertical progression is the route they were going to take in regards to gear in this game so I doubt we will see what you are asking for OP. With that being said I fully agree with you and would love a chance to mix and match gear sets depending on the encounter I'm going to face. I further agree that I would also dislike macro gear swapping to return but would like to see some variation in stats that would add diversity to our gear and the way we look.