ADKDustin:

Well, the whole point of this forum is shedding pounds. And my last bp with it I was down in the 28-30 pound range at the start of the hike. Despite having no stays, I was VERY comfortable with it at the start and even more so as the pounds went and the food was eaten over the course of the hike. I've used it for a couple dayhike snowshoes with it over the winter, and even more impressed. I've got a camera keyhole gizmo that replaced the sternum strap, and lug a DSLR Canon Xsi on the front straps, and still find it performing well. I'm sold on a stayless pack -- others might not be.

I had a 6-lb-plus Kelty RedCloud a while back; it seems like ancient history now and I'd never go back to a pack that heavy. I've used a bendable kitchen cutting board as a sort of removable stay thing placed in the pack that works as a multitask dinner food staging board/cutting board at dinner. That's the only support I've needed.