Shoes at night & in or out

[Puddlefish]

So, a few days ago, I got ready for my morning walk. I grab a shoe, and a 3" garden spider starts scurrying up my arm. Should I store my shoes outside the house, maybe in the garden?

I'd like to say that I recognized it as harmless, caught it and released it into the wild... but I panicked and squashed it flat.

[Miner]

As I often Cowboy Camp or use a tarp, shoes are always outside. I do have the habit of picking them up and banging on the front and bottom of them while holding them upside down to dislodge anything that might be in them. Someone once told me about scorpians or some other desert critter getting in them as I often camp in the southwest. Never seen anything fall out other than ants though. At home, stored inside, my feet did find a few bugs inside over the years when I lived more outside the city.

[randy.shopher]

Bad memory there.

Who cares what a slug remembers?

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[Five Tango]

So, a few days ago, I got ready for my morning walk. I grab a shoe, and a 3" garden spider starts scurrying up my arm. Should I store my shoes outside the house, maybe in the garden?

I'd like to say that I recognized it as harmless, caught it and released it into the wild... but I panicked and squashed it flat.

If you have brown recluse spiders in your area then you seriously cannot be too careful.My brother in law was spreading pinestraw without wearing gloves and one bit his finger.He nearly lost the finger.The pictures I saw were showing the BONE where the dead flesh from the bite had been cut away by the surgeon.It eventually healed and he still has the finger.So I keep my shoes in a 1.8 oz boot hammock from SLD when I camp for that reason.Hammocks are not for everyone but you will be above the spider,tick,and flood zone if you can find two safe trees from which to hang......

[English Stu]

In the vestibule for me. I have placed them upside down on small branches stuck in the ground outside the tent.
On the JMT, the last mile or so upto Mt Whitney the path is narrow often icy/snowy, for safety`s sake you leave your pack at, from memory Junction point/trail. They say at that point Marmots lie in wait to get at packs for the salt or food. It`s a bummer if they chew through your shoulder straps.

[MichaelK7]

In the tent, inside a plastic bag, down by my feet.
Since most of my camping now is done in snowy cold conditions, I probably don't need to, but old habits die hard...