Survival Uses of Cattails

A few weeks back, my favorite reader, Anonymous, suggested an article on the uses of cattail.  The medicinal uses of this prolific plant were posted a few years ago.  Earlier this month, I wrote an article on the theoretical uses of cattails for food.  I did not test out any of the methods for preparing it.  While I have loads of cattails about a mile from my house, they’re adjacent to the ranchers’ cattle, and I have no idea what chemicals he uses there.  And truth be told, I’m not all that excited about trying them out.  I’ll muster the courage, someday.

So now it’s time to share some of the other ways cattails might be employed in a survival situation.

FIRE AND LIGHT

Tinder.  Use the fluff from the mature brown spikes to start a fire.

Fire.  Use last year’s dried stalks to build a fire. 

Char cloth.  Pack the fluff into a metal container, poke some holes in the container, and place it in a campfire for a few minutes.  Remove the container from the fire and let it cool.  Your new char cloth is inside.

Lamp wick.  A small amount of fluff set on top of lamp oil is said to work like a wick.  I would think it should be twisted into a wick to work better. 

Torch.  Dip the brown seed head in oil or wax and light it for a torch.  It’s supposed to last up to six hours.

HUNTING

Camouflage.  The pollen makes a body paint for perfect camouflage.  Not sure I believe this claim, at least the part about it being perfect.

Arrows.  The stalks make great arrow shafts.  Not sure I believe that one.  My daughters were state champions in high school archery competitions.  I am somewhat familiar with how important a straight shaft is. 

Duck decoys.  One site suggested weaving the leaves into duck decoys.  Color me skeptical, but I think those would be an epic fail.

INSULATION

The cattail fluff is remarkably similar to feather down and can help insulate against the elements.  Use it inside clothes, mittens, and boots.

SHELTER

Teepee.  Tie several cattail stalks together at the top to form a teepee.  Layer more stalks around the outside.  Weave leaves together to make a covering for your shelter.

Or skip the teepee and make walls for a lean-to.

Door.  Weave the leaves together to make a door.

COMFORTS OF HOME

Pillows.  Use the fluff to fill pillows.

Mattresses.  Overachievers can gather enough fluff for a mattress.

Sleeping mat.  Weave the leaves into a sleeping mat. 

Floor mats.  Weave the leaves into floor mats.  (OK, some of these are a bit ridiculous, I think.  Of course, I am thinking about a desert where we rarely get rain.  A floor mat here would merely serve to keep dirt from getting on the floor.  But perhaps in other areas the floor mats would help prevent everything from getting all muddy.  Still not sure that would work out well.  Maybe a lot of floor mats would work.)

Chair seats.  Weave the dried but still green leaves into chair seats.

OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF

Insect repellent.  Smolder the seed head.  Remove it from the fire and the smoke will repel insects for up to 30 minutes.

Livestock feed.  The young shoots can be fed to goats.

Rope.  Twist strips of leaves together for a makeshift rope.

Hat.  Weave the leaves into a hat.

Chopsticks.  Fashion the cattail shafts into chopsticks.  Because you forgot your fork.

Baskets.  Weave the leaves into baskets.

Bags.  Same as above.  I think I’d prefer baskets. 

Dolls.  ?

Diapers and menstrual pads.  Use the fluff for these. 

I must admit I’m a bit skeptical about how well some of these ideas would work out in real life.  However, I’m glad Anonymous suggested the topic, and I’m really glad to have cattails growing so close to me.  Of course, I also hope I never have to use them. 

Links to related posts:

Medicinal Uses of Cattail

Culinary Uses of Cattail