Read Time: 6 Min.   Wilderness Survival Instructor   I have been quietly working on my Wilderness Survival Instructor certification with Campcraft Outdoors since 2019. I had to pause between 2020 and 2021 due to a close death in our family. And, I have, purposely, not mentioned this endeavor to hardly anyone outside of a close group of friends either. You see…The certification and patch, on their own, have never been the goal. They, certainly, signify a lot of hard work in something tangible to me though. But, it goes far deeper than that. The Awaken Outdoors Vision: In a world ..read more

Read Time: 4 Min.   Lems Outlander Review   I try to keep you all intrigued for quite a while on these reviews. But, I’ll say, right up front, that the Lems Outlanders are my all-time favorite pair of shoes. So, if you have a short attention span…These boots are a must-buy. Keep reading and I’ll tell you why! Lems Outlander Boots     Lems Barefoot Shoes   Before we dive into my full Lems Outlander Review, let me first introduce you to Lems Barefoot Shoes and my background wearing them. In early 2023, I was having some pretty severe pain in my feet and knees, and som ..read more

Read Time: 4 Min. Helikon Tex Claymore Bag in Desert Night Camo   Helikon Tex Claymore Bag Review   I have had my eyes on the Helikon-Tex Claymore Bag since it was released and I was able to secure one to review a couple of months ago. Honestly, I knew I was going to like this bag, but I didn’t anticipate that it would become one of my new favorite shoulder bag options, as it has. For some reason, you just have to get this bag in your hands to recognize how genius the pocket layout is. Here are some quick specs to get us started in the discussion about this Claymore Bag from Helikon ..read more

Read Time: 5 Min. A couple of months ago, Scheels asked me if I’d like to put together a Benchmade Flyway Review if they sent one over for testing. I am drawn to this style of blade for fishing, EDC, and general camping chores. So, I was, of course, excited and more than happy to run it through my typical paces, and ultimately, see where it fits in my rotation of knives. It is no surprise to me that the Benchmade Flyway has become a weekly user around here at Awaken Outdoors. Let’s dive into my full thoughts below and I’ll share more with you about why I’m digging this knif ..read more

Read Time: 6 Min.   Reiff F4 Review   I’m sure you have noticed from my other knife reviews and my social media posts that I make a habit of using a variety of different knives that range from 2″ blades up to 6″ Blades, like the Reiff F6. I thoroughly enjoy using all of these different knife sizes. But, a 4″ blade length is something that I have years of experience with and I’ve spent countless hours using just about every 4″ Bushcraft Knife out there. Why a four-inch blade? A 4″ blade is very familiar to me. It’s one of my favorites to grab as an all-around belt knife that I’l ..read more

Read Time: 6 Min.   Knafs Lulu Review   My friend Ben’s company just announced the Knafs Lulu!! So, please, excuse my overuse of exclamation points, I’ll try to contain myself…But, I’m pretty stinkin’ excited! For starters: Who is Knafs and what’s a Lulu? Knafs (and Ben): – You probably know Ben from older BladeHQ videos. He’s the super likable guy that introduced every video with an enthusiastic: “What isssss up guys?!”. Ben is a great guy that I met through the knife industry and I’m honored to call him a friend now. – Knafs is Ben’s company that puts “Space Kittie ..read more

Read Time: 5 Min.   GSI Outdoors Review See more at GSIOutdoors.com   I have been a big fan of the gear from GSI Outdoors for many years now. In fact, when I first got into camping and hiking, I would, inevitably, always stroll past their section of products at our local sporting goods stores and I could never resist picking something up. They have a little bit of everything, for every type of outdoor adventurer. The kit I’m going to show below is more of a basecamp and car camping setup. But, if you’re an ultralight adventurer, GSI Outdoors definitely has something f ..read more

Read Time: 4 Min.   Condor Trivittata Puukko Knife   As soon as I saw the Condor Trivittata Puukko Knife, I had to have it! A well-designed Puukko Knife is one of my all-time favorite knife patterns for use in the woods. There is no other blade shape that comes close to doing Campcraft tasks better than this Scandinavian-inspired design. Specifically speaking about the Condor Trivittata, here are some of its high points to get the conversation started: Blade Length: 3.47″ This blade length is the sweet spot, for me, when picking a knife that I’ll be carving and using for exten ..read more

Read Time: 4 Min. Gear: WorkSharpTools.com • Yakoda Utility Pack • Piscifun Fishing Reels   Work Sharp   Work Sharp is my go-to company for all things knife & tool sharpening and has been, for many years. I, honestly, cannot remember a time when I did not have one of my trusted Work Sharp Field Sharpeners in my bag or somewhere close by. So, whenever Work Sharp asked if I’d like to do a lifestyle photoshoot around my life as an Outdoorsman and how I use the Professional Precision Adjust (review here), I quickly grabbed my camera and took to the outdoors! Work Sharp Sha ..read more

Read Time: 3 Min.   Gerber Assert   My friends over at Gerber recently reached out and asked if I would like to do a custom “Gerber Assert” knife with them. I was, of course, stoked to make this happen after my great experience with my custom “Gerber Fastball” from 2020. But, before we dive much deeper into the Awaken Edition Assert, let’s talk about the new Gerber Assert as it stands as a production knife: Right off the bat, this knife is extremely comfortable to carry with its deep carry clip, thin profile, and lightweight construction. One of my preferred folding knives to ..read more