Best way to go about a clean install

Hi!
I'm a recent switcher (5 months), and since I've moved to OS X, I've installed, and subsequently uninstalled, untold piles of crap. Therefore I've decided that together with the external enclosure I'm getting for one of my hard drives, I'm going to do a fresh install.
Because I'd like to make backed-up images along the way of my reinstallation (Clean, clean+apps, cleanappsdocs) I think the simplest way is for each state to be its own volume (on my ext. HDD). Am I right in this? Also, I've heard the term archive+install. Is that ideal?
And finally, is Carbon Copy Cloner the right tool here? Simply: Split my ext into 4 volumes (for this purpose, can have more). Install OS X on the first. CCC to second, add apps. CCC to third, add docs. CCC to fourth for actual use, and once I'm comfortable with that installation, CCC it over to a clean internal.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
hudgie

CCC lets you skip some top level folders, but you actually - if you are moving an entire volume, just need to use Disk Utility Restore.
You can also restore to a sparse.diskimage as well.
There are dozens of ways, but as long as it does what you want, and works (and you have tested that it is bootable) is all that matters.
Archive & Install (to me) is for people that don't have a backup, don't know how to restore easily, and don't have disk or system issues or problems and want to retain their settings. I always erase a drive before installing or restoring. Downgrading the OS with A&I can be tricky.
The easiest way for some is to have a dedicated boot drive with OS/Apps, and use another drive for /Users or home directory.

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