Druid:
Having several years ago gone through the same convert to loose-footed or not evaluation, and then deciding to do so, here is my experience:
1) I experienced no downside to converting to loose footed. My two previous mainsails had the "skirt" so in essense, they behaved as loose footed. They still required adjustment of the outhaul.
2) If the added stresses of mid-boom sheeting vs the end-boom clew is a concern, by that time, the wind velocity will be enough that you will have been overwhelmed with weatherhelm and the boat would be hard to control. So you will probably already would have reefed. I have observed that for my high roach mainsails, the first reef clew is only about 12-15 inches forward of the full sail clew. So that also causes the boom stress.
3) For me, sailing mostly in San Francisco Bay's "the Slot", the days that I decide not to reef before leaving the berth are few. Because more often than not when I do think that a full main will be ok, the "weren't supposed to be there" 20-35kt winds force me to reef anyway which I prefer not to do in the central bay while sailing solo. When reefed, there is no trim benefit a to loose footed arrangement. So I almost never get to enjoy the benefit.
4) But if your conditions do allow sailing with mostly with a full main, then also consider the configuration of your existing outhaul tackle. When I bought my boat, the outhaul was just a 2:1 purchase that one could only pull by hand at the gooseneck. OK for the "set-and-forget" type of sailing. But when I made the conversion to loose footed, I added a set of blocks inside the boom for 4:1 purchase and then led the line back to the cockpit...for even further tensioning with the cabin top winch if needed. Took a bit of effort to configure. Also, I did add the previously mentioned clew strap for safety.
