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.
Canadian Subscriptions | International Subscriptions
CLOSE WINDOW

BACKPACKER PHOTOS

Email this page RSS feed
User rating:
-
Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine Facebook Twitter

Sweeney's Snake Repellent

Hate snakes? This product promises to send them running.
Photos & Text by Joe Flowers
«
  • Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. For some backpackers, this can mean the avoidance of some areas for prime backpacking, like the Everglades. Fear not, as Sweeney's has produced Snake Repellent, that may help settle a camper's mind.
  • Call me crazy, but I love snakes! Yet I've always wondered about products like this, which claim to "emit a sweet, pungent aroma that snakes find distasteful, causing them to leave the area." For this experiment, I caught 9 in my yard in Sparta, NC.
  • The test: I laid out a half circle of snake repellent (as per directions) and observed if the snakes went over the treated area. Three times out of 4, one of the northern water snakes avoided the treated area. Some of the other snakes did not...
  • ...and one ringneck snake even camped on the treated area for 5 minutes. I also treated around a tent and let various ground dwelling snakes go in the area. Out of the 6 ringneck snakes, 4 promptly ignored the repellent and went underneath the tent.
  • This stuff reeks like a mummy's gym bag! It is safe to use around kids and pets, but it will probably repel them, as the sulfur, clove, and other natural oils make it a foul-smelling concoction. It may help snake haters sleep better but I think it stinks.
  • BUT editor Shannon Davis uses it as potpourri. "I think it smells great and invigorating but if you spill too much on the floor, people tend to crinkle their nose and ask 'what's that smell?'... But I figure these people must be somewhat reptilian."
  • <b>The Specs:</b><br>Sweeney's Snake Repellent <br>2 lb. bottle $13 <br>4 lb. bag $18<Br> wrsweeney.com/animal_repellent_products.php?product=snakerepellent
>
»
Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. For some backpackers, this can mean the avoidance of some areas for prime backpacking, like the Everglades. Fear not, as Sweeney's has produced Snake Repellent, that may help settle a camper's mind.
Image 1 of 7

Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. For some backpackers, this can mean the avoidance of some areas for prime backpacking, like the Everglades. Fear not, as Sweeney's has produced Snake Repellent, that may help settle a camper's mind.

READERS COMMENTS

Page 1

Sweet smell? What do bears think about this? Never had a snake problem in camp, but man do I hate bears after dark! I always try to limit ANY odor in camp, let alone pour potporri around my tent to advertise my presence to my ursine buddies.
— TitaniumSpork


POST A COMMENT

Your Name:
Comment:
My Profile Join Now

Most recent threads

Trailhead Register
Coloradoans will smoke 2.2 milllion oz's of pot
Posted On: May 18, 2013
Submitted By: double cabin
Trailhead Register
Curse yoh
Posted On: May 18, 2013
Submitted By: double cabin

Most viewed Most emailed Top Rated

  1. Record-Setting Backpacker Knowledge: Take Our Trivia Quiz

    Do you know the fastest animals, longest trails, and biggest patches of ...

  2. Lighten Your Tent by 22 Ounces

    Six easy ways to lighten your tent load.

  3. How to Fit a Week's Gear into a Weekend Pack

    Don't own a massive pack for your big annual adventure? Here's how to make it ...

  1. Hiking to Grand Canyon's Royal Arch

    Join photographer Elias Butler on this trek to one of the Grand Canyon's hidden ...

  2. How to Make a Survival Bracelet

    In an emergency, you can use paracord for lashings, tourniquets, shoelaces, ...

  3. 2010 Reader Photo Contest

    Your best shots: BACKPACKER readers have been to some spectacular places and ...

TIP 31: Stay Energized

Grab a handful of gorp every 1 to 1.5 hours to keep your energy high.

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

Editors' Choice 2013
412 trail-tested products

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