Just out of interest, how often are you really using the ctrl key in a Vim session? My CapsLock is mapped to ESC, which I hit at the end of every edit (so several times per minute), but I don't think I use ctrl much at all.
OTOH I have heard Emacs users need Ctrl/Alt constantly while editing.
I use Ctrl+[ instead of escape. This has the benefit of having Ctrl easy to reach for the few shortcuts that do use it and also for other programs.
Actually, on the laptop I'm on, I have Caps Lock mapped to backspace - vanilla unedited colemak layout. On my desktop, I have Caps Lock remapped to LCtrl and LCrtrl mapped to backspace.
OTOH I have heard Emacs users need Ctrl/Alt constantly while editing.