Yep! I agree on all counts. the trick is to not pull it all the way open when you open it, so you only have to shift it slightly back to closed. still a bit fiddly but I never had to stop to close it.
Re bottle cages/food pouches I find cinching the elastic over top cap/stem gives easy one handed closure and helps them sit even more snugly. I like to keep mine so full of food nothing could get out anyway!
The bottle cage is great. For a fiver it puts the boutique 'stem cells' to shame. Bit tough to close with a single hand though