Anybody tried the Exped Lightning 45 and 60

does anyone have an inkling if a kifaru composite stay would fit on the exped?

what's the length of the exped stay?

24 inches I believe. The contour of the Exped Stay is rather out of the ordinary (doesn't attempt to follow the spinal contour), which might complicate matters.

Dave

What would be the goal of using a different stay?

stronger stay for less weight.

I'm not sure the Lightning needs a stronger stay. The stay is already incredibly stiff and it only weighs about 2.55 oz (per an earlier post), so I doubt much weight could be saved.

Yes, hardly seems worth the effort. Try a lighter belt – the Exped one is super heavy.

but oh so comfy! :) I also really (really) like the roomy pockets on the belt- I can even fit in my little S&W 317 in it during fall trips to bag grouse w/

You can get a wide, much thinner belt that is at least as 'comfy' and lighter. Think Mchale.

any belt you would recommend that would work with the exped? the ula belt perhaps?

ok, i'm seeing the stay is 7050-T6, i was just assuming it was 6000 series aluminum like nearly everything else on the market.

I don't know of any belt that would work without a little modification. The stay on the Lightning goes directly into a pocket on the back of the hipbelt. You may be able to sew a similar pocket onto a ULA or SMD hipbelt (SMD's is better, IMO). I have a Flight 40 as well, I'll check it out this weekend and see how much its hipbelt weighs

I took apart my Lightning 60 tonight and got the following weight breakdowns:

Stay: 2.8 oz
Hipbelt: 9.8 oz
Shoulder harness: 6.8 oz
Main pack bag + lumbar pad: 19.5 oz
Total: 38.9 oz

I've carried it just under 30 miles now with loads from about 18lbs to 32lbs and it's been great. At 32lbs, I felt like the pack easily could have handled more. I do wish the hipbelt was a little bit thinner and that the side pockets were a solid fabric with drawstring (like ULA), but those are minor details. It would also be nice if Exped sold separately an external back pocket or top lid that you could attach or leave at home as desired; as it is, I may sew up either myself. I think it is my new "do-everything" pack.

I checked and the SMD hipbelt would not fit – it's too tall in the middle.

thanks for posting that, I would have guessed the hipbelt to be lighter and I would have been wrong :)

"Yes, hardly seems worth the effort. Try a lighter belt – the Exped one is super heavy."

Yup, I was right. First time.

Dave +1
Mike -1 :)

Isn't the SMD hipbelt 10oz as well?

You're right, Kelly. That surprised me. My size small SMD hipbelt weighs 9.3 oz.

"Dave +1
Mike -1 :)"

LOL.

From the Katabatic backpack thread (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=95814&skip_to_post=901178#901178), I was asked to show what modifications I made to my Exped Lightning. Here is what I remember changing: 1. Trimmed a couple inches off all strips 2. Removed the little cord pulls on hipbelt pocket zippers 3. I switched out the heavy central over-the-top strap and metal buckle with some 1/2'' grossgrain and a 1/2'' plastic buckle. This required a small amount of sewing (see first and 2nd picture below) 4. After using the pack for a couple months, I decided the zippered pocket near the top of the pack was not useful to me and honestly kind of annoying. So I removed the whole thing (ripped out the stitches), sewed in some X21-RC in the resulting hole (it's the white strip of fabric in the first picture below), and seam-sealed the stitching 5. The ribbon used for the zig-zag compression system kept twisting and getting stuck for me, so I replaced it with some Kelty Triptease and Lineloc3s. I left on the buckles for the ribbon, so it's a non-permanent change. I used the loop method from Yama Mountain Gear to attach the Lineloc 3s. This change has actually worked great. 6. I cut off the ice axe loops 7. I sewed in a little key pocket made out of Argon silnylon and a #3 zipper inside the pack (last picture) 8. I sewed up the hydration port and seam-sealed around it (probably unnecessary) When I got the pack, it weighed 38.9 oz. These changes dropped a total of 3.3 oz, so the pack now weighs 35.6 oz. I don't think the modifications impacted the performance of the pack in any way, and in some cases, I think they improved the pack.

Thanks for the detailed post! I find the small ribbon twists as well, the triptease and linlocs looks like a viable alternative and like you point out non-permanent funny- I actually like the zippered pocket :) Mike

I liked the zippered pocket at first…but the more I used it, the less I liked it. I'm glad it's gone now :) If I remember correctly, it only weighed 1.5 or 1.25 ounces

My second successful Bob Marshall Open with the Exped Lightning :)  I think this pack often gets overlooked for some reason- has a wonderful suspension that carries loads up to 40 lbs without much drama.  Sturdy materials, well constructed and comfy even after long, rugged miles.  Not uber lightweight, but at just a little over 2 lbs, not porkly either.