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Perfecting the Core Four: Survival Instructor Creek Stewart Chats With Knife Depot

July 2, 2013 / Tim / 129 Comments

This is the first of a two-part series with survival expert Creek Stewart. Tomorrow, Creek will be sharing his tips on picking out the perfect survival knife. We’ll also be giving away a BlackBird SK5 — Creek’s primary survival knife — to one lucky reader along with two copies of his book. Scroll to the bottom of the article to learn how to enter.

“I like to live what I preach,” said 36-year-old survival instructor Creek Stewart across a cafeteria table at the Cobb Galleria during the 2013 Blade Show. “I don’t just put survival instructor on my resume.”

A few minutes of conversation with Stewart, who founded and operates Willow Haven Outdoor survival school in Indiana, quells any doubts about his survival chops.

The former Boy Scout turned survival guru and bestselling author rarely goes anywhere without his “Get Home Bag,” a pack full of items ranging from energy bars to a Leatherman that ensures he’ll get home safely if disaster strikes.

At the Blade Show, he was wearing a BlackBird SK5 in a leather sheath on his hip and also had a Leatherman and a Spyderco knife in tow.

But what makes Stewart stand out from the pack isn’t his gear, but his survival philosophy. It’s a blended approach, which he calls “prima-modern,” that utilizes both modern tools and primal survival skills to meet the four core basic needs: shelter, water, fire and food.

A Passion for the Outdoors

An Eagle Scout at 14, Stewart grew up on a farm and developed a strong appreciation for both nature and self-reliance skills at an early age. When he was in college, he wrote and self-published a guide on survival that he sold to the Boy Scouts. He began teaching survival courses at 21, but without a full time facility was limited to mostly one day courses in his area.

Then about 4 years ago, he purchased Willow Haven Outdoor, a 21-acre survival school replete with a 10,000 square foot lodge. Stewart now hosts 1-day and 3-day courses every year from May until November and said he serves a huge range of attendees, from 10-year-olds to 80-year-olds. The approach at Willow Haven is somewhere in the middle in terms of intensity and Stewart said he’s developing a niche for instructing families.

“There’s one extreme where people come to a survival course and expect to strip down to a leather thong and only take their knife into the woods with them for seven days and starve, then there’s the classroom survival stuff — we’re perfectly in the middle,” he said.

In a typical class, students will receive hands on instruction to learn between three to five survival skills from each of the core four survival areas.

In addition to teaching, Stewart has also taken his survival skills to the literary world. He recently published the Unofficial Hunger Games Wilderness Survival Guide, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to perform many of the survival skills utilized by characters in the “Hunger Games.”

Knife Rights Giving Away $100,000 in Knives

June 12, 2013 / Tim / 6 Comments

MIL-TAC CS-1 signed by Glenn Beck

We’ve written about the accomplishments and battles of Knife Rights and even interviewed founder Doug Ritter on this blog, but the organization that keeps on giving is planning on giving away more than $100,000 worth of knives, guns and gear to anyone who donates $20 or more to Knife Rights.

All the pieces of gear, including a Ted Nugent-signed Star-Light Tactical Folder, MIL-TAC CS-1, limited edition knives and tons more, were donated to Knife Rights, so 100% of donations will go directly to preserving your rights to carry a knife. Here’s another knife you could win.

ESEE 6P Fixed Blade signed by NRA VP Wayne LaPierre

You can win one of these blades by going to the Knife Rights page and donating some money.

Winner of "Badass Dad" Father’s Day Contest is announced

June 7, 2013 / Tim / 1 Comment

Our “Badass Dad” Father’s Day Giveaway wrapped up today and just a few minutes ago we randomly chose a winner from our 108 entries. Congrats to Kerwin Dyson, who is getting hooked up with a Smith and Wesson assisted opening S.W.A.T blade for himself and a Bear Grylls multi-tool for his Dad. Kerwin, shoot an email to Dan@knife-depot.com with your mailing address to claim your prize.

Thanks again to all the Knife Depot fans who entered the contest. May you have a happy Father’s Day and may you NEVER LOSE YOUR EDGE!

A Father’s Day Knife Story: Knife Depot COO Warren Sager Talks About Passing Down His First Knife to His Son

June 6, 2013 / Tim / 2 Comments

Knife Depot COO Waren Sager and his son, Ian.

At Knife Depot, we know that Father’s Day represents a great opportunity for connection between father and son. Recently, I was able to talk to Warren Sager, Knife Depot’s Chief Operating Officer, about his experience passing down his first knife to his son.

DL: Tell me about your first knife. How did you get it?

WS: I got it out of “Boy’s Life” when I was 10. This was about 30 years ago when the back of the catalogue was full of ads. I was in Cub Scouts at the time and in the back of the magazine I saw this ad for this really awesome survival knife. In the handle, it had all sorts of additional survival materials as well, so I really wanted it. I saved up the money and then I waited.

DL: Then what?

WS: Well, then I waited some more. Remember, this is pre-Internet, so I had to wait for my money order to get there and then had to wait for weeks for it to arrive. The anticipation drove me crazy. Finally the package came.

The Knife Depot Badass Dad Father’s Day Giveaway (Ended)

June 3, 2013 / Tim / 114 Comments

What to get dad for Father’s Day? It’s an age-old question, and the answer is usually totally lame. A coffee mug or tie rack aren’t exactly earth shattering gifts, especially for a badass dad. That’s why this year Knife Depot is giving you the chance to hook up your dad with one of our bestselling knives for father’s day. You can also win a knife for yourself. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your two picks from the selection below (one for you and one for your dad) by 12 pm CST on Friday, June 7. We’ll pick a winner that day.

Now, onto the blades.

Smith and Wesson Swat Assisted Opening Knife

This sleek assisted-opener from S & W has a 2.8 inch blade and is great for everyday carry. Check out the rest of its specs here.

Winchester Bowie Knife

14.25 inches of badass Bowie knife steel. This rocking blade will get you or your pop some instant respect. Here are the full specifications on this monster.

Cold Steel Jungle Machete

We’re talking 16 inches of 1055 Carbon Steel ready to bushwhack its way through any situation. The Cold Steel Jungle Machete is certifiably badass, check out more of its specs here.

Blade Show Day 1 Roundup: Survival Knives, Kudu Handles and The Burliest Folder I’ve Ever Seen

May 31, 2013 / Tim / 1 Comment

Day 1 has come to a close at the Blade Show and we’ve checked out a lot of badass knives and met a bunch of awesome people. Here are a couple of the highlights:

Creek Stewart, Survival Knife Expert

I started out the day chatting with Creek Stewart, survival instructor and author, about what he looks for in a survival blade. Creek’s survival knife of choice is the Blackbird SK5 from Ontario Knives, which he was sporting in a sheath from Paul Schaffer of Hedgehog Leatherworks. In addition, he was carrying a Spyderco folder and a pretty burly leatherman.

Creek had tons of good tips on picking out a good survival knife for every day carry. A couple of his fundamentals were making sure your knife is a fixed blade, has a full tang and a heavy duty pommel.

We’re going to post a full-length interview with Creek later this week, but you’d be well advised to scope out his survival school in Indiana if you’re looking for an awesome spot to brush up on your survival skills.

Corrie Schoeman, South African Custom Knifemaker

For over 30 years, Corrie’s been making awesome knives and he showed us some pretty fantastic Damascus steel blades. Corrie uses a lot of really exotic handle materials. Just from his knives on display, he had handles made of mammoth tooth, cape buffalo and (pictured below) kudu antlers. For those who aren’t in the know, the kudu is an African antelope that, according to Corrie, can jump six feet in the air.

Red Blade Knives

I was just kind of stumbling about lost in the frenzy of sheer knife power, when the Red Blade Knives booth caught my eye. These are some of the burliest folding knives I’ve ever seen. The pig ( pictured above) is 1/4″inch and made of CPM S30 steel, with titanium liners.

Red Blade Knives is run by Dan Rotbaltt, Robi Mukherjee and Sean “Griz” Coulter. Rob, a veteran, said that one of the motivations for developing these knives was to create the sort of knife a solider would need, tough enough to take just about any sort of abuse. From a cursory glance, I’d say these blades are at that level.

That’s my quick and dirty rundown from today’s Blade Show. Tomorrow, we’ll be checking out a bunch of awesome seminars and covering the World Cutting Contest, so stop by for more updates.

TSA’s Pocket Knife Ban: The Blow-by-Blow

May 13, 2013 / Tim / 24 Comments

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Members of the Association of Flight Attendants protest TSA’s pocket knife rule change

March 6, 2013, may have been the most newsworthy day for pocket knives in history.

On that date, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it would be allowing small pocket knives (under 2.36 inches) on planes.

The policy change, which brought the U.S. in step with regulations across most of the world, was seen by knife owners as not only a personal victory, but also a step toward a more sensible and effective policy for TSA.

In addition to allowing small knives on a plane, the rule reversal also meant that individuals would be permitted to carry hockey sticks and golf clubs on board.

TSA officials cited the low risk of these items to passenger safety and the time-consuming task of searching for them as the reason for the policy change.

“The focus is on what could present catastrophic damage to the aircraft,” said David Castelveter, a TSA spokesman.

Backlash Erupts Over Pocket Knives On Planes

The rule change, which was result of significant lobbying by knife advocacy groups such as The American Knife and Tool Institute, was quickly the target of harsh criticism from a number of different groups.

The most vehement objection came from the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), who characterized the decision as one that makes both airline employees and passengers less secure.

The organization started an online petition, No Knives On Planes.com, and recently filed a grievance with the TSA, stating that “permitting knives in the cabin is an unnecessary risk to the traveling public.”

Member of Congress from both parties also vowed opposition to allowing knives on planes.

New York Senator Charles Schumer blasted the decision in a radio interview with a local station.

“You don’t have to have a PhD in physics, you don’t have to be Albert Einstein to know that these items are dangerous.” he said.

Family members of 9/11 victims were also angry

TSA Backs Down in Wake of Boston Marathon Bombings

While the AFA and other organizations decried the decision, a number of transportation safety experts, journalists and policymakers supported the change.

In a article for the libertarian publication Reason, J.D. Tuccille, blasted the AFA for its opposition. Tuccile noted, as many others had, that there were a number of other equally harmful, if not more dangerous items that would be allowed in board, but weren’t drawing the same criticism.

I hesitate to point this out for fear of sending the flight attendants’ association into an organizational panic, but the same TSA notice allowing for small knives also allows novelty bats, pool cues and golf clubs.

Honestly, in a bar fight, I’m reaching for the pool cue, not my Leatherman micra.

It’s also been pointed out by many that TSA currently allows pointed scissors with blades up to four inches long, knitting needles and screwdrivers as long as seven inches, and glass bottles, all of which can easily be transformed into a deadly weapon.

Lastly, many cited the fact that since all cockpits are now fortified, it would be impossible to hijack a plane using a pocket knife.

It appeared that, despite the opposition, TSA would go ahead and begin allowing pocket knives on planes starting April 25.

Yet, on April 23, two days before the new rule would go into effect, TSA announced that it would delay the change while considering additional input from airline companies, passenger advocates and other stakeholders.

Many suggested that in addition to the backlash, the recent bombing at the Boston Marathon may have also swayed TSA to move more cautiously.

Meet the New Knife Depot Community Manager and Win Badass Knives!

April 29, 2013 / Tim / 1 Comment

Knife Depot Community Manager Dan Lawton

Dear Knife Depot Fans,

I’d like to take a second to reintroduce myself. For the last two years, I’ve been blogging for the Cutting Edge. In fact, I founded this blog in 2010. The initial name was actually the Happy Dagger. That’s a Bill Shakespeare reference, in case you’re not aware.

Anyway, I have a confession to make. The reason I started blogging for Knife Depot wasn’t because of my love for knives. It was because, like most people writing on the Internet, I was a copywriter.

In fact, I wasn’t just writing about knives then, but about all sorts of subjects like: birdfeeders, picnic baskets, temporary tattoos, seafood restaurants, wedding planning and even bankruptcy law in Arizona.

It wasn’t a bad gig — I could do it in my underwear — but some of these subjects just left me feeling a little thin.

I quickly noticed that most of my best writing was about knives, because they truly fascinated me. The guys at Knife Depot started sending me boxes of them, which was pretty badass, and I’d use them when I went camping with my friends.

You see, the thing about working as a writer is that you have to spend lots of time behind a computer typing when all sorts of kickass, beautiful stuff is going on outside in nature. It can be kind of a bummer.

The knife was my only link to the tangible world. It was a rugged product that reconnected me with nature in a way I was missing. Over time, I became intoxicated by the power of the blade.

And why wouldn’t I? It’s the world’s oldest tool, suffused with a deep religious, historical and cultural meaning. It was used by Roman craftsmen, Native-American hunters and frontiersman like Jim Bowie and Daniel Boone.

It turns out that over at they Knife Depot office they noticed my zeal for the knife, which is why a few weeks ago they invited me to central headquarters to discuss working full time for the site.

As you can expect, I was a little bit nervous. These guys don’t just rock one EDC: they are a walking arsenal of stainless steel. Their offices have more Bowie knives then paper clips.

"Art of Combat" Keeps Stage Fighting Alive

April 5, 2013 / Tim / 0 Comments

Art of Combat NYC Class in 2011. Photo by Jared Kirby.

Have you ever wondered how someone can go from an average actor to a seemingly experienced, masterful sword fighter? As you might have guessed, it takes a lot of practice and training for Uma Thurman to do this or for Liam Neeson to do this.

However, unlike movie actors, who have the benefit of doing multiple takes and sometimes even get help from the magic of film, stage actors must get the scene just right and in front of a live audience after only a few sessions of practice. That’s what I call amazing.

But the best and most serious actors don’t go it alone. Enter the Art of Combat.

The Art of Combat is an organization founded by a group of fight directors who wanted to take stage combat (both on stage and in films) to another level. Here’s a little more about the group from its site:

Art of Combat has been actively transferring historical combat styles to stage and film for over a decade with many members working in the industry for much longer. With our Fight Directors across the United States, Great Britain and Australia we have enhanced theatre, film and TV with authentic and realistic combat sequences all around the world. Company members are trained in historical as well as standard stage combat styles, so whatever the aesthetic requirements for your production, AoC can give you an excellent fight!

In July, the Art of Combat is hosting an intensive week-long workshop for fight directing and combat in NYC. The class, which will have participants from all over the world, is going to culminate in a public performance showcasing what they’ve learned.

Hot Kitchens, Hot Knives: The Kitchen B***h

April 2, 2013 / Tim / 0 Comments

This is the eighth installment of The Cutting Edge’s culinary article series: Hot Kitchens, Hot Knives! Cooks and foodies almost love geeking out about their knives as much as they love food (and at times, even moreso!), so we’ll be sitting down with chefs, kitchen crews, and bloggers all across the world to ask them about their knife collections and the culinary workhorses that they know and love. Check out this series every Tuesday if you want to find out what kind of heat the guys and gals in the kitchen are packing in their knife rolls.

After talking to chefs, big-name bloggers, and hunters for the past few months, I’ve come to realize that I, too, have a knife philosophy of my own that I’d like to share! Here’s a little background about myself, but I’ll spare you from anything too self-fellating: I’ve run my cooking blog, The Kitchen Bitch, off-and-on for the past 7 years. Since then, I’ve worked as a professional food writer, writer-writer, and cook for a few years, and now I’m writing for the illustrious Cutting Edge! I also, of course, have a butt-load of knives.

More on my knives, Japanese blade fetish, and the silliness of knife sets after the jump! Continue reading

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot