Thank you for #707 - I thought something was up when I played through this game again after many years and there was more than I remembered.
When returning safely from an expedition on the Dusty Path, all weapons, tools, and some equipment you previously had with you (like cured meat) remain selected, while others do not (like alien alloy). However, I noticed that the new Glow Stone item, despite replacing the Torch (which remains selected) seems to reset itself and need to be selected again.