Lightening up my HMG 2400 Southwest…Need Some Help.

Carbon fiber arrows used as stays will be about 1oz/pair, but will have no curve. Only cost about $10 so worth trying even if it sucks.

I think aluminum might be the way to go because I can curve it to shape me, although I am not positive that straight carbon fiber arrow stays would be a bad thing. Would straight stays change the comfort level considerably vs bendable stays? Also I just saw a video that showed a few years ago hmg used thinner lighter aluminum stays, I’m wondering why they switched. I believe I read somewhere the older stays were 1/16 thick by 1/2 wide.

The HMG 2400 Southwest is very heavy for UL or SUL travel. I can well understand you trying to lighten the pack. At 28oz (~1-3/4 pound) it is far from my choice for UL packing. Here is a link that has various sizes of flat carbon. While fairly flexible, they will easily reinforce carrying for light loads: https://goodwinds.com/carbon/solid-flat.html

Tubes, as Luke suggested, are a bit more rigid. I use a 5/16″ tube (or closest metric) for stiffeners in another pack and they total less than an ounce for both. When full, the pack bulges into your back, anyway. But, 5-10lb will certainly NOT fill the Southwest at 3450ci (spec.)

Anyway, I might look at another pack, given a 5-10lb load. Small packs, like the Murmur, are usually available for around $140 and make a good compromise at a light weight.
I also have a bad back. I use a 5 layer Nightlite pad (or cut and taped blue pad) as a frame in one, so the sleeping pad does double-duty as the pack frame. This is MORE than enough to pack for 2-3 day trips. (I actually carried a 6-pack in it along with my gear on a weekend fishing trip a few times.)

Do you have a metals supply store nearby like a welding shop? You can buy bulk aluminum rod there in lots of sizes. And you can get Easton tent poles by the section in various lengths and diameters and carefully bend those. They are very light. Aluminum arrow shafts are crazy light, but pretty stiff and I’ve not tried to shape those. I think I would hate a non-contoured back panel.

Hi John,

Besides what you’ve already removed, here’s what I’ve ditched from my Windrider 2400:

– Chest strap. Never liked them.

– Lower side compression straps across the side pockets. Useless & gets in the way.

– Roll top side straps plus white triangle of fabric. Just snap the fold top clips together. Easier, faster, just as waterproof.

– Ice axe velcro retainer.

– Pull loop on hydration port. Us gram weenies gotta stick together :-)

Other possible removals:

– Trim shoulder straps to your exact needs

– Trim hip belt to your exact needs

– Hip belt pockets. Sometimes I hate them because they’re tough to open and close while hiking.

– Upper diagonal compression straps. I use them to keep tent poles etc from falling out, but you might not need them.

– Y-strap. I love this for hauling external stuff up top (e.g. bear canister), but you might not need it.

The way I pack, I don’t use compression straps. Sleeping bag loosely packed in the bottom expands to fill space as I eat food.

YMMV, of course.

Hope this helps.

— Rex

James, I actually use a 30L frameless cascade craftworks cuben/xpac pack that weighs 6.8oz for my short trips. The HMG pack has the suspension and is for longer trips and is my section/thru hike pack. There are only a few packs that I know of in this category that are lighter than the HMG 2400 Southwest. I can get this one down to 25oz iit would weigh the same as the zpacks arc haul (with hipbelt pockets), and only be 2oz heavier than the arc blast (with hipbelt pockets), and in my opinion the HMG packs are way more bomber and just higher quality. The suggestion of the flat carbon stays is a good one, again I don’t know if an unbendable frame would be as comfortable.

Philip, the idea of the aluminum arrow shafts might be a perfect solution. Has anyone out there successfully bent these and used them as a pack support.

Rex, I think I can trim up the length of a few straps. I would hate to remove the side compression, and I love the way the top can cinch on the sides so I would hate to lose that. That top y strap is bulky though. I already got the pull tab for water outlet…lol.

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I appreciate it.

Rex, could you check your pack and see if I put my stays back correctly. Heres how I have them, they feel right but just want to make sure. Thanks. 

John,

Yours looks roughly like mine.

Starting at the top – broad bend away from body for shoulders, then back toward the body for lower back, with a kick out at the bottom for your rump. Mine seems a little more curvy than yours for the shoulders – maybe I adjusted it way back when.

— Rex

John, OK, the small pack seems good. I have a 3500ci pack from GG that weighs about 15oz. Had it for ten years or so. This is my heavy hauler, I guess. I only use it for three week unsupported trips or as a “activity” hauler (photo, fishing, etc.) I use the 10.5oz Murmur for everything else up to two weeks. 6.8oz is a GOOD weight for SUL travel.

Final update: I ordered some 6061 t6 aluminum bars 1/16 x 1/2 here: https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-aluminum-sheets/=16ejuzc , cut them down and rounded and shaped them to match the stock stays and they fit perfect. Tried them in the pack and they feel great. I actually think these were the stock size stays on this pack a few years back, and HMG switched to the heavier stays for bigger loads. Final weight on the new stays is 1.9 oz. Saved another 2.3 oz there. So final weight with everything done is 25.2 oz. This makes it come in lighter than an arc haul, and only about 2 oz heavier than an arc blast (both with hipbelt pockets factored in)!

New photos?

What length did you get?  How easy were they to round and shape?

Thanks -Slbear

I ordered 6′ as I wanted enough to play with. I actually just put painters tape over where I wanted to cut, put a mark, then used a little hand saw that cut it perfect. I then used my dremel with a sanding bit and rounded the tips and smoothed out all the edges. I went over it with finishing sandpaper to make all the edges super smooth. Then I just bent the stays over my leg to match the angles on the stock one. Here is a few pics comparing the stock vs the ones I did.