Again, it was my impression that allowing for frequent rests are by design.
A lot of the plot elements are tied to the camp which is why there's just one short rest and combat is on the more difficult side. This encourages you to return to camp often, and in turn allows these plot elements to progress.
And we'll have even more companions in the final game, and they'll want you to juggle your party around frequently. So you'll have their plot elements to push forward, camp NPCs, pets, etc. before having to decide on our final 3 companions by the end of Act I.
