This will be my 5th backcountry solo bivy hunt... very, very close last year on a 3pt bull at about 40 yds (no shot), but got busted by the Spike in the group at 20 yds...
0-4 right now on bivy...

Look at www.adventuremedicalkits.com there is an article in this months Eastmans Hunting Journal in the "Gearing up for the Backcountry" section.... in there they have a product from Adventure...

I think you have to consider more than just miles too... weather conditions can play a big part of the situation too.... if you were 3 or 4 miles out and you killed a big bull and it was 85 degrees...

There is a limit to what I will do... an area I hunt a lot has an area outside my comfort zone. I know there are animals in there, but on my solo trips it's just too dang hard to get them out of...

I have a Rivers West jacket and I would use it if the weather turned bad... we don't have all that many bad Sept days though... a few from time to time, but in Oregon it's pretty much warm and too...

I use (2)... thermarest z lite and a thermarest self inflating 3/4 body pad... never slept so good!

I've got 2 Badlands packs and neither one squeaks... but I do like the idea of the OX frame and the Sacrifice pack. I heard the Sacrifice is noisy because of the material they used.... but my pack...

I'm going with the UL2 this year....

What's wrong with the Jetboil?... is it just too big? or too heavy? By the time you buy the pot and a lid, aren't you about the same size?

I slept on a ridge that runs east to west and the elk stayed on the north side in the bottom of the draw...about 500 yards.. nice and easy to roll out of the sack and get on them