Snake Guards for Hiking - Do I Really Need Them?

You’re running or biking down a hill after a hard, hot climb. You hit a section of trail that flows really well. Endorphins are flooding your veins, making you feel that everything is right with the world. You think about absolutely nothing for the first time all day.

Nirvana. Peace.

You take the next turn and nearly land on a surprise rattlesnake spread across the trail.

How many times have you had this nightmare? For most people, running into a snake is pretty high on the "Yeah, I think I'll pass" list.

The good news is that snake bites on the trail are infrequent and most snakes are not aggressive. They would rather run away than try to fight you. Smart move for an animal that has no arms or legs.

When they do bite, it's typically because they've been harassed. Even then the bites are seldom fatal. In fact, unless you're trekking in Southern Asia or South America, you're more likely to die falling out of your bed (10,386 deaths).

What's interesting is that none of this information really matters.

The statistics that should be providing us comfort only feed into our nightmare storyline. "My odds of dying from a bite are slim, you say? Well it’ll be super tragic when it finally happens to me!" And the storyline continues, usually with family members crying at your funeral and saying things like, "He would have changed the world."

So why is that?

Why do we think about snakes when we set out on the trail but we don't think about drunk drivers (10,497 deaths) when we set out on the highway? The answer is probably outside of the scope of this blog.

But my knee-jerk answer is a simple one, snakes are just scary. They're scary because they're not relatable. I can go to the bar and become a drunk driver. I cannot go to the bar and become a snake. 

So they have no arms, aren't relatable, and may or may not strike. Perfect, you now know everything about snakes.

At least, this is how most of us leave this topic. We feel unsettled. So we do what always works for shutting down the brain. We hit our favorite trail. Half a mile in we see a stick and the story line picks up where it left off. 

The bottom line is people want peace of mind. No one wants to think about snakebites when they are three miles into their favorite trail, out of breath, and hot from the midday sun. More than anything, that is the reason for Snake Sox. So do you need snake gaiters for hiking? The answer is ‘no,’ you don’t need snake gaiters for hiking, you need them for peace of mind while hiking.

Trails were made for enjoyment. Let’s try to enjoy them!