Survival Kit - Swamp

Survival Kit (Swamp) – In all actuality, I feel my initial kit is pretty good for all environments, so I’ve included most of the initial gear. Due to the nature of the swamp, I have included made some additional changes. For reference, I grew up in Florida near a host of mangrove swamps, so I’m fairly familiar with the territory.

The additional items added to the survival kit are at the top.

Additional Fire Starters, such as - Ultimate Survival WetFire Fire Starting Tinder – The swamp is wet and humid, most tinder and wood is damp and punky, so getting a fire going can be tricky. The fire cubes burn for a long time and can even get damp wood started.

Repel Bug Spray – 100% deet in the small tube with pump. About the size of a marker and works great for keeping biting insects off, they get so thick in the swamp, you can hardly think about anything else.

Sun block – A travel size tube of waterproof/sweat proof sunscreen can help if you need have to spend extended periods of time in the sun.

Additional water purification – Water in the swamp is generally sketchy at best, I would include water purification tablets in case of filter failure. In addition, I would carry a small metal container, like a canteen cup, so boiling water was a possibility.

Larger size fishing hooks – The fish in the swamp are generally bigger and meaner than our northern counterparts, larger fishhooks would be better suited.

Small trowel – Digging for food / fresher water, and disposal can be important in the swamp, a small light trowel will help you accomplish these things without damaging your hands. (If you’ve ever tried to dig clams by hand, you feel my pain)

Sting reliever – tube about the size of the pen, not necessary, but help keep you from itching the bites and potential infection (when you get a cut/scratch/abrasion in the swamp, it’s bound to get infected) and makes life a bit better.

Spiderwire fishing line – strong enough to meet the increased strength requirements of swamps, small enough to barely notice the change.

Extra Bank line – making a trot line is an effective and simple way to catch calories. 30’ won’t cut it in the swamp, I’d up the length to 100 or 200’ if the space is available.

Cutting – I generally carry a Buck folder in my pocket, a fixed blade Condor Bushlore on my pack, but in my kit I carry the following back-ups.

Mora Classic #1 – Not a primary cutting tool for me, due to a number of factors (e.g. not full tang), the Mora makes a great back-up knife, which maintains are great edge and is razor sharp out of the box.

Leatherman Wave (Orange) – A great multi-tool that serves a variety of functions, but also includes two separate blades. Other functions include a file (sharpening blades and hooks), screwdrivers (repair or tear down of resources), saw (good backup saw), scissors, and of course pliers. The wave can make any number of improvisional tasks much easier.

Razor Blades – Small, lightweight backup cutting tools, can be used for processing game, small carving tasks, cutting cordage, making shaved tinder,  etc. and at minimal weight and space are good 4^th back-ups.

Combustion

Ferro Rod – I like longer versions, I seem to be able to get a better more accurate spark from them. Getting fire started can be essential in survival situations. Ferro rods will produce sparks in any conditions. Getting a fire started with a Ferro rod is another story, but I have practiced enough to feel confident in my ability.

Bic Lighter x2 – Small, lightweight, functions in numerous conditions, Easy to use, 100s of starts.

Altoids Tin – Can be used for making Char-cloth (charred cloth which takes a spark readily), filled with jute twine and cotton balls (both good tinder). I can use the cotton and twine in conjunction with Neosporin anti-bacterial petroleum jelly in severe conditions.

Cordage

100’ of 550 paracord – Paracord can hold 550 lbs, and can be broken down semi easily into smaller 

strands for snares, fishing, sewing, or can be braided to support even more weight.

30’ Tarred Bank Line – Useful for snares and fishing applications (smells like shit so I put it in a Ziplock Baggy)

Container –As mentioned before, a canteen cup packed full of other gear will allow for boiling water.

Sawyer Mini - To satisfy the basic water requirement of the container, I also carry a Sawyer Mini filter. The Sawyer can filter thousands of gallons of water; I can drink directly from any water source by carrying the straw attachment, and I replaced the standard backflushing device with a 5ml syringe that can backflush (with more effort and time) but requires much less space that the backflushing device included with the kit. In cold weather scenarios, I can bag snow in baggies, use my body heat to thaw, and drink directly from the straw. Another feature I love about the Sawyer mini is that it will thread on to any water bottle and allow for filtration directly from the bottle as well.

Cover –

Mylar Emergency Blanket – retains/reflects 90% of heat. Great immediate cover and then utilizing in shelter building in more permanent situations. This blanket could also useful for signaling applications, due to the reflective surface. 

Clear Plastic Poncho – Small, lightweight and great for staying dry wet weather, can be used for shelter building, or if needed you could improvise a solar still or transpiration bag with a little engineering.

Garbage Bag (Black) – A backup for the other two – can be used for immediate shelter, used for improving your shelter, a make-shift poncho, carrying water or anything else, making into a pillow, etc.

Additional Stuff

A Cliff Bar (Carrot Cake flavor) - That shit is delicious and has a bunch of calories. This can also be used to bait snares or fishing hooks.

Vitamins (10 1/day) – Staying healthy and focused in high stress situations is vital for survival. Vitamins can give you a boost and make sure your body has the required micronutrients.

Tylenol (10) – Pain reliever, self-explanatory.  Helps you stay focused on getting out alive instead of pain.

5 hour power (1 bottle) – I’m addicted to caffeine, I don’t want to deal with a horrible headache on top of everything else – can potentially give you a needed boost, you could carry a small amount of something in the empty bottle if needed.

Fishing Kit – I carry a small light kit, with about 100 small hooks (3 sizes) a small bobber, some fishing line, 2 small jigs, and 2 sizes of weights.  With these items I can effectively catch fish with minimal effort. 

Needle Set – I have a small set of needles (3 curved, 3 standard) which allow for repair of garments, fabrication of other implements, sewing up myself (I’ve had to do it once), etc. It lays flat, weighs nearly nothing, and can make a ton to other tasks doable without fabricating the needle itself.

Compass x2 – extremely small circular compass. These allow me to get an overall direction sense with minimal effort.

First Aid Kit – minimal kit carried in a polyethylene test tube – I carry 6 or so Band-Aids, some gauze, and a few alcohol prep pads, and moleskin. In a pinch I can use the gauze, band aides, alcohol pads or oil patch for fire starting applications.

Test Tube Container - The test tube is water-tight can be used for a makeshift fishing hand-reel, to keep tinder dry, and carrying a small amount of anything (pine pitch, berries, etc).

Spare Batteries – AA and AAA.  I use a GPS which runs on AA batteries, I don’t have any other reason for having them, accept getting lost sucks. AAA are good for my headlamp.  I’ve heard you can start fire with batteries, but I haven’t learned how yet (Gum wrapper or steel wool works supposedly)

Mini-Lamp – Seeing in the dark is good. I carry a very small clip on type LED light as a back-up to the headlamp in my pack. Also good for signaling (in the dark) if needed.

Whistle/ Signal Mirror – Both are small and lightweight and allow for signaling to potential rescuers.