snakes in the bags???

It's not common, but it does happen. Last summer a woman sleeping on the ground in the Saline Valley was bitten twice by a rattlesnake...once on the arm and once on the thigh. I talked to the ranger that arranged the helicopter evacuation, and (as you might suspect) the woman was not doing well at all. It was too warm to be inside a sleeping bag, so probably she was on top of the bag and the snake crawled over her and when she moved it got alarmed and started bitting. Just speculation...she didn't even know how it happened. She just woke up with a buzzing snake biting her in the dark.

She did make the mistake of bedding down in a fairly brushy area next to a water source, so her chances of meeting a snake were increased. But snakes are where you find them, and that can be anywhere.

Personally, I think sleeping on the ground in snake country during warm weather is not super prudent. I've seen enough rattlers cruising around at night to figure that eventually one is going to end up next to me. I had a rattlesnake in a cage for several years and about the only thing I could surmise about their behavior is that it's very, very unpredictable. Placid one day, flat out aggressive the next. No rhyme or reason that I could find.

I've also been stung by scorpions several times at night, and in addition to really hurting, it pretty much ruins a nights sleep. At least I never had much luck falling asleep again.

There are a lot of ultra-light tents that are almost entirely constructed of bug mesh. You get the same 360 degree view, but the scorpions, centipedes, rattlesnakes and other crawlies don't have access. It's a pretty simple solution.
 
Use a small compact hammock. I use one in the summer with a mosquito net.
 
Years ago, I hiked the canyon as a scout, spending six days on the trail (South Rim-North Rim-South Rim)

After the first night, folks just quit using their sleeping bags. Just too hot.

Spent the remaining nights sleeping on top of my ground cloth...no bother from snakes at all.

Though I almost stepped on a coral snake by the bank of Bright Angel Creek, but that was in broad daylight.
 
unit said:
Snakes are pretty smart. They generally can recognize larger predators and instinctively know to stay away. If given a chance most snakes will leave you alone unless you force them to defend themselves.

Snakes seeking warmth and crawling into a sleeping bag, makes for good stories, but I have never heard it from a reliable source. I suspect snakes also know not to curl up next to a sleeping bear.

Ticks and bugs on the other hand seem fearless. I am not sure if repellants work on ticks (I think they do), but they seem to work well for everything else.
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i got back from hiking and when i went to open my sleeping bag a 4 foot rattler was sittin there looking at me. i almost shat my pants. just be careful.
 
I used to sleep on the ground and in the open on rafting trips but I was never comfortable doing so. Finally, I got mosqiuto-bit about 50 times one hot night and that ended it.

As said earlier, an ultraweight tent allows me to get a good night's sleep without worry.
 
I grew up in an area with a lot of rattlers and never had an issue with them. I even took a sponge bath during an exercise to Fort Irwin, CA with a big one only four feet away and coiled up (it was my regular washing spot). Caution is good, but I really don't think the threat is too much to worry about as long as you follow some of the simple advice. If you're really concerned, there are some of those really light mesh solo-tents that would give you plenty of air flow and a more physical barrier for peace of mind.

I've also heard the advice of using cigars or pipe smoke before bedding down. The highly sensitive "smell" of most critters will quickly avoid the area when in dry, wild-fire-prone locations.

ROCK6
 
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