SUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS | MAPS | VIDEOS | BLOGS | MARKETPLACE | CONTESTS
TRY BACKPACKER FREE!
SUBSCRIBE NOW and get
2 Free Issues and 3 Free Gifts!
Full Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email: (required)
If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $12.00, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 73% savings off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.
Your subscription includes 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Or click here to pay now and get 2 extra issues
Offer valid in US only.

Also on Backpacker.com


Enter Zip Code

Backpacker Magazine – September 2011

Rip & Live: Spiders

Itsy bitsy? Sure, but spiders loom large in hiker phobias. They shouldn't: Only a few subspecies of the black widow and brown recluse can inflict enough damage to cut short a hike. Here's what you need to know about North America's most venomous spiders, from how to avoid them to treating their bites.

by: Gordy Megroz

PAGE 1 2 3 4
Black widow (Michael H. Francis)
Black widow (Michael H. Francis)
Brown recluse (S. Camazine/K. Visscher)
Brown recluse (S. Camazine/K. Visscher)
Infected brown recluse bite (Dale Losher)
Infected brown recluse bite (Dale Losher)
Spider anatomy (Illustration by Supercorn)
Spider anatomy (Illustration by Supercorn)


PAGE 1 2 3 4

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip:
Email (req):
Reader Rating: -

READERS COMMENTS

Star Star Star Star Star
http://www.3cjerseys.com
Feb 25, 2013

http://www.3cjerseys.com is an online store . Here , you can buy all kinds of cheap nfl jerseys with wholesale price, just like NFL Jerseys,Football Jerseys, Basketball Jerseys,NHL Jerseys,We also provide Customized NFL jerseys. All the products in our website are from china with wholesale price , so you can buy cheap products wiht high quality ! Now ,you can choose different payment in our website ,just as paypal , western union and VISA credit card .more information please visit http://www.3cjerseys.com
http://www.21elitenfljerseys.com

NIKE NFL jerseys
Oct 25, 2012

Welcome to our jerseys shop http://www.yourjerseyhome.com we would off you the best jerseys and best servise. We are professional jerseys manufacturer from china,wholesal.cheap nike nfl jerseys, mlb jerseys, nhl jerseys,nba jerseys and shoes. we offer the latest 2012 nike jersey, with the best quality and the cheapest price,
http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/Nike-NFL-Jerseys-c124.html Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, the perfect jersey to let you enjoy the sport, to make you crazy for sports.
http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/MLB-Jerseys-c94.html cool base mlb jerseys and throwback mlb jerseys.
http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/NBA-Jerseys-c77.html Revolution 30 swing nba jerseys
http://www.yourjerseyhome.com/NFL-T-Shirt-c126.html wholesale NFL T-Shirt,
All Our Jerseys Are Sewn On and Directly From Chinese Jerseys Factory, hope to do longtime business with you.

Mack
Oct 14, 2012

I was bitten in 2007 by a brown recluse at work. While researching for information on remedies I came across the Brown recluse first aid kit at http://www.brown-recluse.com/spiderinfo.html I bought one of the kit rush delivery and after using it quickly reversed the narcosis in the wound in 1 day and I was completely healed in 4 days. The product worked for me then and also worked this week when my wife came home form work claiming she had got bitten on the leg at work. I examined the wound and could see two puncture holes and concluded it was a spider bite. The bite swelling was already about 2" round. I applied the product twice a day for 3 days and it never reached the narcosis stage is completely healed now.

Liz
Oct 14, 2012

Congress should all have testicle bites, lmfao!

Ranger Danger
Oct 14, 2012

Testicle bites.... Ouch! lol

Richard
Oct 13, 2012

I can deal with spiders. But congress is another problem.

Brian McCue
Apr 28, 2012

It's the ticks here in the northeast that scare the hell out of me FAR more than any other living thing in the woods!

Pfk
Apr 28, 2012

Should I use my bee sting epipen if bitten by a spider or snake??

Ralph
Apr 27, 2012

Thanks for the article. Snakes, bears, scorpions, and now the lowdown on spyders. Guess I'll wear a HAZMAT suit next time I go out hiking. Let me google that.

Ralph
Apr 27, 2012

Thanks for the article. Snakes, bears, scorpions, and now the lowdown on spyders. Guess I'll wear a HAZMAT suit next time I go out hiking. Let me google that.

OlTrailDog
Apr 27, 2012

Lets not also forget the Corvair Spyder. Infamously tagged as being "Unsafe at any Speed" by Ralph the Green Nadar

Adam
Apr 27, 2012

This is a nice article. I don't really worry about spider when hiking or camping, I see them all the time. What I try to watch out for is snakes. I still don't worry about them, but I do watch for them more than spiders.

Adam
Apr 27, 2012

This is a nice article. I don't really worry about spider when hiking or camping, I see them all the time. What I try to watch out for is snakes. I still don't worry about them, but I do watch for them more than spiders.

Patrick
Apr 27, 2012

Excruciating testicle bites? Liquified tissue? Are you kidding me? That's it- all of my backpacking gear is going on ebay and i'm taking up world of warcraft. Now i'm afraid to step foot outside my house! Thanks alot.

AZ Hiker
Apr 27, 2012

Black Widow venom messes with the victim's nervous system. For a child who has been bitten unknowingly, they may not feel any pain anywhere but might cry uncontrollably for no reason. Look for swelling and apparent location of bite. This happened to me when I was 4. For several yrs the location of the bite would swell about once a yr. There is no feeling at the end of my thumb where I was bitten. My grandmother was bitten at age 90 and after 3 days in ICU she was legally blind as the venom caused her retinas to rupture. Search your property for webs during the day then with a flashlight carefully re-visit those sites at night and kill the spider if you see it. If you can see where the spider may be hiding, you can spray spider poison at the hiding spot until it pools below and you may kill it that way. This proves to be successful as many times I check the following day and find the spider dead on the web or on the ground.

AZ Hiker
Apr 27, 2012

A mother in Australia wrapped gauze around the wrist of her baby daughter who was bitten on the hand by a deadly spider. The Drs in the ER said that action is what saved her. We saw this on a cable show about arachnids. I have never read that we should do that as part of first aid so I am wondering if it is a good thing to do or not??

AZ Hiker
Apr 27, 2012

A mother in Australia wrapped gauze around the wrist of her baby daughter who was bitten on the hand by a deadly spider. The Drs in the ER said that action is what saved her. We saw this on a cable show about arachnids. I have never read that we should do that as part of first aid so I am wondering if it is a good thing to do or not??

K Bradley
Apr 27, 2012

Try not to smash the spider when seeking an ID- this makes it very difficult. You can pop in an old pill bottle or plastic film can with a some 70% rubbing alcohol, or if live, put in a leaf or lightly damp paper towel. Check with your local university or nature center for ID help. Most alleged spider bites are really something else. These bites are rare and most spiders are great to have around for pest control and beauty. With very rare exception they only react in self-defense.
Ohio Spider Society member

BoulderCoGuy
Apr 27, 2012

I know a guy who lost his arm and another who lost his life to brown recluse bites. Both developed gangrene because of the open soars that would not heal. So technically the brown recluse didn't kill him or cause the loss of the are, thus I suspect the death and maiming rate is a bit lower than reality.

Amy
Apr 27, 2012

Agree with Chris. My dad ended up in the emergency room and nearly died from a Hobo spider bite. He had such severe head pain that they thought he was having a brain aneurysm, and it took four doses of morphine to even touch the pain. Admittedly, his experience was a bit extreme, but Hobos can be incredibly problematic for PNW hikers.

View all comments

ADD A COMMENT

Your rating:
Your Name:

Comment:

My Profile Join Now

Most recent threads

Trailhead Register
Why such simple questions?
Posted On: Mar 22, 2013
Submitted By: Echo
Trailhead Register
420,000 computers hacked
Posted On: Mar 22, 2013
Submitted By: Ben2World

Go
View all Gear
Find a retailer

Special sections - Expert handbooks for key trails, techniques and gear

Fall/Winter Gear Guide
261 reviews and camping tips

Boost Your Apps
Add powerful tools and exclusive maps to your BACKPACKER apps through our partnership with Trimble Outdoors.

Carry the Best Maps
With BACKPACKER PRO Maps, get life-list destinations and local trips on adventure-ready waterproof myTopo paper.

FREE Rocky Mountain Trip Planner
Sign up for a free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planning kit from our sister site MyRockyMountainPark.com.

Follow BackpackerMag on Twitter Follow Backpacker on Facebook
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat Better
The Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Full Name:
City:
Address 1:
Zip Code:
State:
Address 2:
Email (required):
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only. Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions