Had quite the desperate adventure when me and my team mate lost our bronze gear in the deep end of the swamp. Took us 5 tries to get there. In the end we remade the good gear, went in slow and steady. Quickly built a high vantage point to shoot all the monsters from. Only then, we were able to regain our stuff. But by then we all had 3 of everything and it was superseded by the next iron tier gear.

Tips:
-If you die at nasty location: Go in slow and steady and you will regain your stuff.
-Build a death chest with second best gear, so you can re-equip when you die.
-Grinding is the way to go and don't worry about stuff. Eventually beter gear awaits and the stuff will just end up in a chest.