When you think of the phrase “outdoor survival” what usually comes to your mind? Do you imagine mountains, forests, trees, hills, rivers, and streams? These are the common images that come to mind because it’s what we see on outdoor nature shows on TV. Less glamorous terrains like swamps, marshes and bogs don’t come up as often because they don’t paint quite such a “pretty” picture.
Outdoor Survival in Swamps and Marshlands
But if you live in a more wet environment, those picture-perfect images will be far from your reality. Even if you don’t live there, you never know where you’ll end up if SHTF and you decide to bug out. What if you end up in the wetlands? Or if there’s a flood and the aftermath leaves everything looking like a swamp? Things could get difficult in a hurry if you haven’t prepared to survive in such an environment.
And yet we know how resilient the human mind, body and spirit can be. We know we need to be ready to survive  even in an area where we’re knee deep in water and dealing with insects and animals that we may or may not be familiar with.
Like always say, the brain is the primary survival tool, followed by the right equipment. In swamps and marshes, it is best to get to higher ground, find some water and set up shelter. (If you can find a boat, you are in luck.) Then it is time to call for help. Swamps, like deserts, are definitely not ideal for humans to dwell in. You need to get out of this inhospitable place as soon as possible. If that’s not a possibility though, here are some things you can do.
1. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Secure a weapon.
The first thing you would want to do is find something to protect yourself. Hopefully you have a knife, but you could also create a makeshift spear out of a fallen branch. Read more…
2. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Make your own weapon.
In the event you find yourself wading through the soggy terrain of a swamp without an airboat or floatation device you’ll want to protect yourself with a long, hard stick. A solid stick, at least four feet in length, can extend your reach and help you ward off any gators before they are mistakenly bumped. In the event you see a gator, try to climb a tree or find dry land as soon as possible. You can spot underwater gators by their bubbles percolating out of the water. See more…
3. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Tell the alligator you are there.
In addition to using a stick make your presence known by making lots of noise as to not startle your carnivorous friends. Startling an alligator will make it feel threatened and make it more likely to attack. If you are in a situation where you must cross a river, wait until midday when the alligators are least active. You should also cross as the narrowest point and watch the water for at least an hour to spot any movement. Click here for the full post.
4. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Build a shelter.
Shelter and a fire would be the next step, especially if night is nearing; alligators come out to feed in the dark. If you are in the water, build a platform within a tree using fallen branches and palm fronds as bedding. If on solid ground, build a tent with sticks and palm fronds to cover the ‘tent’. For the full article, click here.
5. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Start a fire.
A fire will give you warmth, food to eat, and keep bugs and other creatures away at night. Via Bushcraft USA
Gather firewood and tinder: anything that’s dry and fibrous such as lint or moss. Stick some tinder within a crevice in a log and use another stick to create friction, which will spark the tinder. Gently blow on the tinder when you start to see smoke. Continue the process until you have fire.
Also surround the fire with stones to prevent the fire from escaping and causing a problem. Read more…
6. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Boil water for drinking.
As with any survival situation, getting clean water is your primary concern. If you are stuck in the swamps in the humid summer, you will dehydrate very quickly. What’s worse, is that you are surrounded with water that is loaded with pathogens. Your best bet would be to boil the water in a campfire, as this will kill most microorganisms lurking in your morning refreshment. If you stumble on a discarded aluminum beer can, you can use this as a boiling pot, coffee cans work well too, if you are lucky enough to find one. Besides boiling, there is also the water vine method. Once you locate a one, make a cut high up on the vine and then make another cut lower on the vine. Then just let the water drain into your mouth or container. Although water from most of these vines is safe to drink, avoid those that have a bitter taste or color sap. See more…
7. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Mud to protect from insects.
To protect himself from mosquitoes, he covers his face with mud. The mud may have pathogens in it, but protection from the mosquitoes during the night his the more immediate concern. Read the full post.
8. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Watch your step.
Always look where you’re stepping! There are snakes, holes, roots, and other things where you least expect. See more…
9. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Avoid drowning.
Be aware that you can drown in a swamp, marsh, or bog as easily as in any other body of water, even if it’s shallow. This is because of the soft nature of the bio-silt beneath these water formations, which can add many more feet to the depth if you sink into it. In addition, bogs can seem secure but hide very deep water underneath the peat layer. Read more…
10. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Gather food.
Next to water, food is another survival essential. Frogs are everywhere in the swamp. Via cowheadcow
Gathering food is your next goal to survive. Nobody really wants to eat bugs or lizards. But frogs can be a real treat. Swamps are covered with frogs and they can easily be caught with bare hands. Pulling their legs off and roasting them over the fire will save your life. Read the article in full.
11. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Know the beasts that might lurk.
If you’re in snake country, be very careful for it’s likely that the snakes use the swamps or marshes to travel. Swamps, marshes, and bogs also attract insects; have plenty of insect repellent and try to maintain your hygiene to avoid accumulating body odor which will attract insects. Best to tie a strap around the bottom of your pant legs to keep leeches out. Read the whole article.
12. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Set up a swamp bed.
Start with the basics. Find some straight trees/poles and lash them horizontally between some upright trees. Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, you can do this just by using existing branches and/or notches in the trees without having to lash.
Crisscross rope, lash cordage, or put branches crosswise between these poles and secure them. After that, you can make it soft with anything you can find. Read more…
13. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Avoid jungle rot.
Jungle rot is a fungal skin infection that results from constant moisture. To avoid this take off your shoes, socks and wet clothes and allow your skin to dry out every few hours. Click here for more tips.
14. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Make the night bearable.
The swamps have brutal nights that can be very hot or very cold. The bugs and animals are a very big issue. You need to start a fire. The bark from the cyprus trees in the swamp make great fire starter and will catch flame with a spark. Make sure you have enough wood to last you the night. See more…
15. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Water vine is your alternative to swamp water.
If you can’t boil swamp water, look for a straight water vine. Bent or twisted ones are said to be toxic. Via Farsouthofsouth.wordpress.com
He immediately decides that the swamp water is too scummy and full of pathogens to risk drinking even though he could boil it. An alternative he discovers is a water vine. Cutting it and allowing it to drip in to the tin can turns out to be a good, but small source of water. To read the full post, click here.
16. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Know what to do if you sink in.
Treat sinking into a swamp, bog, or marsh in the same manner as for sinking into quicksand – indeed, contrary to common belief quicksand is rare in desert terrain but is found mostly in marshes and near rivers and lakes. Here is what to do if you get caught in quicksand, sinking bio-silt, or mire:
Do not panic, do not struggle, and do not flail about. These are all guaranteed to cause you to sink in deeper, and quickly.
Avoid trying to lift one foot as this will place all of your weight on the other foot, and you’ll sink deeper. See more…
17. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Get out of the swamp.
Getting out of the swamp is your main inspiration. Finding the main water way like a river or stream can be a way out. All main rivers can lead to civilization which can save your live. Read the whole article by clicking here.
18. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Don’t give up.
The most important thing to remember, however, is to never give up hope. As long as you believe in yourself and that’ll you’ll be home again soon, you can easily survive. Read more…
IF you intentionally head out for the swamp to hunt or to bug out:
19. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Tell someone where you plan on going, and give them an approximate time you will return.
Then, sitting there shivering, watching the rain douse your warming fire, you will have the comfort that someone will be looking for you, even if it is likely to be the next day. See more…
20. Outdoor Survival in Swamps: Survival pack items.
Clothing
Outerwear
waterproof/breathable jacket
waterproof/breathable pants
fleece jacket or wool sweater
waterproof gaiters
synthetic hiking pants
synthetic shortsBase Layer
cotton T-shirt
synthetic T-shirt
synthetic briefs
synthetic sports braAccessories
synthetic liner glovesFootwear
camp footwear (optional)
waterproof hiking boots
wool or synthetic socks (3)
liner socks (2)For the full list, click here.
Outdoor Survival in Swamps
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