I think I'll be buying one of these.

I have one of those but have always heard that they can do as much harm as good due to the possibility of bursting skin cells, capillaries, etc. If I ever get bit and am too miles from help, I'll use it if I got it anyway.
 
Been carrying one for years, I have never needed it but its good to know its there.
They also work on spider, scorpion, wasp etc.
I donated my first one to a Boy Scout Troop I ran into on an outing
and picked up another strait away.
 
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Doctor said Chad Cross would have died had he not used a $10 snake-bite kit
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Sounds like one of those tabloid headlines "Scientists say ..." I notice the doctor who supposedly said that is not named. That's one way to avoid libel suits.... About 1% of the people bitten by rattlesnakes die of it.

Do snake bite kits really help?
 
Yea, I'm in. Run across rattlesnake frequently in the summer. For a few dollars I'm happy to remove myself from the potential 1% list.
 
I have one. Its one peace of gear I hope I never use. I got it back in 2007 after I met a rattle snake in South Dakota. Did you know I can jump 8 feet to the side from a stand still ?
 
I carried them for many years in our first aid kit with the outdoor program I used to work for. Thankfully, I never had a chance to find out how effective they might be. They don't seem to be as popular as they once were with a lot of folks in the professional wilderness medicine crowd, but I suppose it's better than nothing. However, the consensus is that nothing will help as much as getting to medical help asap.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124208165196508345.html
 
I keep one in my medic bag just in case since I do live in a area with rattlesnakes and scorpions and I sometimes work as a EMT for remote off road events and can't be over prepared.
 
I think you started a run. I put one in my cart down at the river store a few hours ago and now they're sold out.

edit: from one seller, at least
 
Not to be a party pooper, but the medical evidence just doesn't show that they work. Rattlesnakes will strike, will bite, but research suggests that against a big target, they don't always use venom. Its trying to get away from you, not kill you, its not like it could eat you anyway. If having this with you helps you keep calm while you get to help, that will probably be the best treatment you could get. In Australia, the recommended first aid is compression and immobilization, but it isn't used enough, or tracked enough to know how well it really works either. And since most snakebites are to the hand, while intoxicated...... just don't get bit?
 
I'm really, really skeptical about the efficacy of the vacuum kits. Blood flows at about three feet per second on average, faster under stress, and it just seems like there's no way you could apply suction quickly enough to make a difference.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I'm really, really skeptical about the efficacy of the vacuum kits. Blood flows at about three feet per second on average, faster under stress, and it just seems like there's no way you could apply suction quickly enough to make a difference.
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That would be the case if a fang hits a blood vessel but if it injects into tissue and capillaries, the spread is a bit slower.
 
I have a friend who is an ER doctor and he went to a wilderness medicine seminar and the basically said nothing other than anti venom works.
 
I'll pass. I just don't buy that these things work either and I don't want to lug around another piece of specialized gear that I'll never use.
 
I have hydrocortisone tablets for snake bites and an epipen adrenaline injector to counter allergic reactions to bee stings. I have never had to use either.
 
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