diff --git a/tailbone/views/upgrades.py b/tailbone/views/upgrades.py
index 2a37709b..54605efb 100644
--- a/tailbone/views/upgrades.py
+++ b/tailbone/views/upgrades.py
@@ -33,21 +33,7 @@ import logging
 import six
 from sqlalchemy import orm
 
-# TODO: pip has declared these to be "not public API" so we should find another way..
-try:
-    # this works for now, with pip 20.0
-    from pip._internal.network.session import PipSession
-    from pip._internal.req import parse_requirements
-except ImportError:
-    try:
-        # this works for now, with pip 10.0.1
-        from pip._internal.download import PipSession
-        from pip._internal.req import parse_requirements
-    except ImportError:
-        # this should work with pip < 10.0
-        from pip.download import PipSession
-        from pip.req import parse_requirements
-
+from rattail.core import Object
 from rattail.db import model, Session as RattailSession
 from rattail.time import make_utc
 from rattail.threads import Thread
@@ -345,24 +331,25 @@ class UpgradeView(MasterView):
     def parse_requirements(self, upgrade, type_):
         packages = {}
         path = self.rattail_config.upgrade_filepath(upgrade.uuid, filename='requirements.{}.txt'.format(type_))
-        session = PipSession()
-        for req in parse_requirements(path, session=session):
-            version = self.version_from_requirement(req)
-            packages[req.name] = version
+        with open(path, 'rt') as f:
+            for line in f:
+                line = line.strip()
+                if line and not line.startswith('#'):
+                    req = self.parse_requirement(line)
+                    if req:
+                        packages[req.name] = req.version
+                    else:
+                        log.warning("could not parse req from line: %s", line)
         return packages
 
-    def version_from_requirement(self, req):
-        if req.specifier:
-            match = re.match(r'^==(.*)$', six.text_type(req.specifier))
-            if match:
-                return match.group(1)
-            return six.text_type(req.specifier)
-        elif req.link:
-            match = re.match(r'^.*@(.*)#egg=.*$', six.text_type(req.link))
-            if match:
-                return match.group(1)
-            return six.text_type(req.link)
-        return ""
+    def parse_requirement(self, line):
+        match = re.match(r'^.*@(.*)#egg=(.*)$', line)
+        if match:
+            return Object(name=match.group(2), version=match.group(1))
+
+        match = re.match(r'^(.*)==(.*)$', line)
+        if match:
+            return Object(name=match.group(1), version=match.group(2))
 
     def download_path(self, upgrade, filename):
         return self.rattail_config.upgrade_filepath(upgrade.uuid, filename=filename)