Nice write-up, I'm assuming you got the 70L version? Hopefully you'll post some pictures with your load-out. Regarding the belt, I saw one of the Youtube reviews and it looks as if you could swap out the belt with any "Osprey-type" belt (i.e. one with hook-and-loop patch)...the idea of course being you need the padded portion of the belt to wrap far enough that it "cups" your iliac crests. It might be worth spending some time in your local REI, etc., with a pack fitter--the tendency for us "circumferentially challenged" types is for the hipbelt to slide down to where we normally wear our dress belts and thus put too much weight on the shoulders. You might also see whether the pack-stays can be removed and re-shaped, depending on the shape of your lumbar curve.