Knives Illustrated July/August 2019

“THE MORE COMFORTABLE YOU BECOME WITH YOUR ABILITIES, THE LESS YOU NEED TO TAKE WITH YOU ON A BACKWOODS CAMPING TRIP.” FOR SOME, BUSHCRAFTING IS A LIFESTYLE THAT IS PRACTICED EVERY DAY, WHILE FOR OTHERS, THEY CAN ONLY DEDICATE SMALL CHUNKS OF TIME WHEN THEY HAVE IT. When I think of camping, I picture a car or backpack, loaded down with gear designed to bring the creature comforts of home into the great outdoors. I can’t say anything negative about that image because from time to time, I don’t mind camping with friends on a holiday weekend and being able to partake in the festivities, instead of constantly tending my fire or working to better my situation. On the other hand, when I consider bushcraft, it goes deeper than camping…

01 GSI Outdoors Destination Kitchen Set 24 Campers take note, your kitchen just got more compact. One thing that all campers can agree on, whether you are a car camper or a backwoods camper, is that we need food; and a means to get that food into our belly is always helpful. The Destination Kitchen Set 24 houses all of the cutlery and accessories you need to put together a meal that is as convenient as if you prepared it at home. Just because you are camping does not mean that you have to live without all of the creature comforts in life. Fresh air, sounds of the great outdoors and a good meal make any camping trip a success. SPECS Mini cheese grater Collapsible whisk Pivot spoon Pivot…

While Knife Rights continues to fight to repeal knife bans throughout the country with considerable success, some distorted views die hard. A significant portion of the population is misinformed, incorrectly believing the Federal Switchblade Act actually is a ban on these popular knives. They think that any switchblade, anywhere, is illegal — even in places where an automatic knife has always been perfectly legal. Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter noted that “the Governor of Virginia displayed his regrettable view of switchblades, still rooted in the myths and social attitudes of the 1950s” when recently vetoing one of their bills. Passed with bipartisan support, the bill in Virginia would only have allowed for the largest knife distributor in the U.S., and others in the state, to possess automatics to sell to…

Ultimately, these efforts require funding. We encourage you to support Knife Rights with a donation in the Ultimate Steel Spectacular, where you could win knives, guns and more with a total value above $200,000. As Doug explained, “when you get right down to it, rewriting knife law in America would be impossible if we didn’t have the support of both the extremely generous companies and knifemakers who donate prizes, and the generous supporters who make donations and get a chance to win those incredible prizes.” Be one of those supporters!…

Knifemaker, tactical firearms shooter, hunter, and backwoods survival practitioner — that’s the essence of Kaila Cumings, and it’s still only scratching the surface. From a very early age, Kaila was immersed in all things outdoors. From hunting and trapping to survival and self-reliance to spearfishing and archery, Kaila (learning from her father) excelled at activities not typically associated with a young girl — and that trait only expanded from there. Kaila, during her teenage years, surpassed all the boys on her rifle team. Her skill with a rifle eventually led to a pursuit in tactical firearms training, home defense and knife fighting classes — the latter of which magnified her love of knives, and ultimately her passion of knifemaking. “FROM AN EARLY AGE I WAS ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING IN THE…

While Kaila is proficient with primitive weapons — knives, spears and the bow and arrow — she is also quite talented on the shooting range. She began in her early teens, around the age of 15. She went to the range with a group of boys and ironically, they all dropped the sport — except Kaila. She competed in smallbore competition shooting (4-position, consisting of sitting, standing, kneeling and prone). Later, she came in second place in the nation at the Junior Olympic games in Camp Perry, Ohio. She is very proud to this day that she earned all the required patches and certificates!…