Using Floorless Shelters in Arizona or other areas with rattlesnakes.

[MCR]

I don't mind using a flourless shelter in the winter but I am wondering how many of you in areas with a lot of rattlesnakes sleep in flourless shelters while hunting in other times of the year besides winter. Wanting a super lightweight tent for August pack in coues hunting but I am not sure about flourless that time of year. Would appreciate your thoughts and experience.

 

[JAGR]

Great question. Following along.



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[Fatcamp]

I slept on the ground all over Arizona as a young man, but I had a snake killing dog with me.

 

[MuleyFever]

Get a nest.

 

[cjl2010]

No thanks. We either sleep on quad trailer/cots when truck camping or backpacking we use tents with floors. Rattlesnakes are the least of my worries if it’s cold but scorpions, recluse, wodows, and centipedes bug me more.

 

[Jimss]

I've used a tent in rattlesnake country quite a bit. At first I was super perinoid about rattlers joining me in the sleeping bag at night but one guy mentioned that rattlers head to their holes at night and aren't out. Not sure if that's the case in Arizona but may be a piece of mind if it's true.

 

[Jauwater]

I hunt the SouthEastern mountain ranges which hold a large amount of poisonous critters from snakes to spiders. I've honestly never had a problem with either. I've found that ticks, chiggers, are a far worse problem. Mainly because of ticks I've gotten to the point I only pullout the floorless shelter when snows on the ground. I dont think I've ever even found a snake in camp, but I see them quite often while I'm humpin around the mountain. I heard Patrick Smith say in a video once that the problems you think you'd have with a floorless shelter, you'll come to find aren't really the problems you'll have. And I agree with that in my experiences, for the most part. I did wake up once with about twelve tick bites if I remember correctly, but no ticks in sight. Got really sick for a day or so then hiked out. But I've been bitten by ticks in a tent too. They were already crawling on me when I got Into the tent so they had nowhere to go other then hang in the tent with me biting me all night long. I found those ticks come morning since they were stuck in my tent with me.

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[Richierich]

I live and and primarily hunt in Arizona. For me its a floored shelter all day. Maybe that would change if I packed in different states.

 

[menhaden_man]

I kill from 2 to 12 rattlers on my property each year (Eastern WA) and easily as many black widows and occasional scorpion. Camp quite often with my three young children in summer months in the high desert (tent, not floor less) and never contemplated the situation. Black widows tend to turn up in dark places with moisture and rattlers where the groceries are (the orchard or near juniper brush, etc).

Not to steer you away from risk, but I’d wager nice money you never get bitten by a snake in your tent.

 

[arwhntr]

I always used a floored tent in AZ because of all the creepy crawlies but have been tossing around the idea of trying my floorless. Would certainly be curious to hear from anyone that does use a floorless shelter in the SW desert.

 

[R_burg]

I know of people that do (@RoJo iirc?) but I don't, at least in Southern AZ. It's not that much weight to save if you have even middle of the road equipment these days, IMO.

 

[Ceo]

I live in south Texas and use a floorless when I camp down here, because it's too hot in a floored shelter. I use a Bora gear bivy. They don't weigh anything and keep the crawlers off. I also use the floorless in Wyoming for the summer months and hunting season. I've only used the bivy once in up in Wyoming to keep Ticks off because it was in a timbered area in summer. Other than that I've always just slept on Tyvek and never had any problems.

 

[Walking Birds]

I've used a tent in rattlesnake country quite a bit. At first I was super perinoid about rattlers joining me in the sleeping bag at night but one guy mentioned that rattlers head to their holes at night and aren't out. Not sure if that's the case in Arizona but may be a piece of mind if it's true.

It'll be the other way around in August here, it's so hot, most of the snakes will get in the shade and won't come out until nightfall. Back in NY, I always called the last hour of light "magic hour"...here in AZ, I now call it "snake o'clock"

For the OP, I just can't get comfortable with the idea of a floorless, I like having a floor for the exact reasons as above. I'll gladly trade the extra weight of a conventional backpacking tent for the extra peace of mind. Everything here will stab or bite you if given 1/2 a chance, just ask the fluffy Teddybear Cholla

 

[bridgermgmt]

I run a floor less and find it kind of funny to think a floored shelter will protect from snakes. do you really think that thin piece of material will stop a bite? How about waking up in a nest, and there is a snake in your area. What is the plan, your going to move to the back of the nest your zipped in to and wait until it leaves?

I have had 0 issues but since I live in snake country, there are things we just always do. Don’t put your tipi on a site with tons of holes in the ground. Turn your boots upside down or hang them. Always poke your head in and check first, or when running a tent, tip one side up to check under.

nit sure if this is true.... internet PhD here, but a guy once told me that he was on a white water / camping adventure. He came back to his tent and tucked in for a mid day nap. Said that he felt something under his feat, that was like balled up moving socks. When he pulled his feet back, he saw a snake was under his tent. He left the tent and cleared away. He did not get bitten, but that’s always stuck with me.

 

[bridgermgmt]

I’d also like to point out that nothing is worse than running a bivy net and waking up with hornets sleeping on you, cause your warm. if your dealing with snakes, keep those guys in mind also.

 

[Fatcamp]

LOL. Some areas have a Black Widow under every rock. Every damn one.

 

[YankyMate]

I run a Bora bivy/tarp/polycro ground cloth. It's still lighter than most tents and at the end of the day you can just unroll the bivy and not even put up the tarp if there's no weather coming in or your too tired to care about weather. Never had any problems with snakes/scorpions/centipedes/spiders etc

 

[RoJo]

I know of people that do (@RoJo iirc?) but I don't, at least in Southern AZ. It's not that much weight to save if you have even middle of the road equipment these days, IMO.

My backpacking tent has a floor/tub (Zpacks Duplex...LOVE it), but I have also slept under a tarp and on occasion under the stars in a sleeping bag. I don't give snakes a second thought. Mosquitos are a different story...

 

[Dinger]

Different country and different snakes I know, but I've spent hundreds of nights sleeping on the ground in Eastern Australia whilst soldiering or hunting and never had a problem. Multiply that out by the number of guys in my old unit and then its tens of thousands of nights sleeping without any shelters & often not in any sleeping kit at all, without incident. For context with respect to the snakes we have, the most concerning being Eastern Brown & Taipans, are pretty much in the top ten 'Most Venomous Snakes' on any evidence based global list.

Bottom line.......... the fear of what might happen far, far exceeds what does happen. Snakes aren't that interested in things they can't eat and are big enough to eat them.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

My dad was a boy scout and spent countless nights sleeping in the deserts of Southwest AZ. He said not to worry about sleeping at night. Check your bags and tent with a light before climbing in though