Continual Light and Tenser's Floating DIsk are 1E spells in the 1978 Player's Handbook. They are 1st/2nd level. This isnt some high level munchkin nonsense. The default state is "torches no longer matter at 3rd level", and likely far before that, given that 1e adventures are dripping with items as well.
This fetishization over grubbing for coppers and counting sticks seems pretty revisionist when you actually look at the game and the published adventures.
This is a great point. I think that the focus on gear in early D&D was most prominent at lower levels. The spells and items that obviated all that were rewards for making into the middle levels. I have some thoughts on this.
First, I think that the trivialization of those kind of basic concerns was a bit counterproductive over time. Sure, the first time you get a bag of holding or similar items/spells, it feels rewarding. You feel like you’ve progressed beyond the point where you need to be counting rations and bringing porters or a horse and cart to transport all your loot. But when that game wraps up and you begin a new one, you’re back to the tedium. And it only serves to point out how tedious it is.
Second, rewards for leveling up were less frequent in earlier editions of D&D. That’s why such a significant portion of rewards was through magic items. These days, just about every character gets at least one nee feature at every level. The characters are more capable without relying on magic items. They’re still present, of course, but don’t seem as necessary as they did in AD&D. By comparison, not having to track torches seems like a pittance compared to Action Surge and stuff like that.
I’d like to see them rethink inventory related rules in 6E. I think it can be a compelling part of the game, but I think that it really depends on what kind of scenarios the characters will be in, and what kind of rules are used to work with such scenarios.
But as it os right now in 5e, it doesn’t seem a very engaging part of the game.