“It almost never rains where I live …”
Though you touched on insects, am wondering about them, and their larger relatives, like scorpions. And years ago, there were reports of venomous snakes coming into tents and even sleeping bags. So am wondering if both the fauna and the weather have changed in the Western US to the extent that tents and tarps no longer need to be buttoned up to avoid such pests and don’t need to be very impermeable and wind resistant to keep out heavy rain and wind storms.
In the past these were concerns when camping in northern New England and Colorado. Spoke on the phone to the USFS folks in Walden CO last July, and they were in the “middle of the monsoon season,” in the Rawah and Never Summer wilderness areas.  Add to this concerns about wildfires in 2020.  Yet when hiking there a month later in August 2021, there were no surprising differences with prior weather patterns or critters.
So would appreciate hearing thoughts concerning current issues with weather and wildlife in the West in the present day. Began tramping with dogs (shelties and aussies) over 20 years ago, and have had no issues since with larger critters that were common before then; so that was one issue addressed. Thanks.
P.S. The dogs have never gone after animals of any kind. They are on leash most of the time, and just their mere presence with me seems to be enough. That may not apply to all breeds, though.
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