but outside investment portfolios, there is not that much that is absolutely dependent on gold
This might be a common misconception. Most people just consider gold in jewelry/accessories and investment, but they are actually used a lot in modern gadgets. A lot of smartphones, laptops, and computers use gold in their connections. Gold is a good conductor, and doesn't corrode, and needs little maintenance. I even read that NASA uses gold a lot in things they send to space because of its dependability. I think that is also the reason why gold has a high value, it is necessary in a lot of things outside of just jewelry. This is also probably why gold purists, don't like crypto, because they don't really serve much purpose as a digital currency.
Gold doesn't need to come in bars similar to what we see in movies. There are much smaller options, and even coins, so it isn't as unwieldly as you think. But I don't really like holding it physically, because if there comes a time where it is the best form of currency, then I think the world might be a horrible place to live in at that point.