A DME/GPS arrival plate is also a good tool allowing the pilot to 'get on with it'. For example, the arrival may indicate there is a 1800 step at 4nm, on departure make sure you can climb to this height by that distance. It should be possible unless you have an engine failure in a piston twin, in that case you need to also be considering your escape plan.
Climbing to LSALT from overhead the aerodrome NVFR is overdone by some pilots. Heard on approach last year a Redcliffe pilot telling ATC he needed to climb to 6500 overhead YRED (7ft elev) before departing west. ATC came back saying there would be at least a 45min delay due to all of the YBBN inbound traffic and offered a lower departure altitude until he could get the pilot clear (4000ft from memory, whatever it was the pilot had a fair margin over terrain for a good distance). The pilot cancelled the clearance request and went home for the night. Flying NVFR one could consider revised LSALTs based on visual features, not just one LSALT based on a 100nm sector. But then again NVFR seems screwed up i.e. left hand circuits at night off runway 16 ay YKRY, however once one discovers approach plates they find this is a no circling area.