We first met Alex Wander at Blade Show earlier this year, and he immediately got our attention with some very cool knife designs from his company, Wander Tactical. After talking with him some more, we realized that he's not only a bladesmith, he's also an avid outdoorsman and a survivalist — our kind of guy. When he's not working on knives with his brother Greymoose Dino, Alex is practicing his bushcraft skills in the backwoods of his home country, Italy.

Alex Wander of @wandertactical showing off the special features on his Hurricane fixed blade. #wandertactical #bladeshow2016 #blade #knifeporn #bladeporn #knifelife #knifenuts #knifeaddicts #edc #recoiloffgrid #recoiloffgridmagazine #offgridweb

A video posted by RECOIL OFFGRID (Official) (@recoiloffgridmagazine) on Jun 4, 2016 at 2:06pm PDT

Alex recently shared a photo of his personal go bag with us, and his loadout provides some insight into the no-frills survival philosophy he emphasizes.

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Here's a list of the items in Alex's go bag loadout:

• Vacuum-packed meals and energy bars, approx. 3,000 calories total
• Typhoo tea bags
• 2 Lansky diamond sharpening stones (medium and fine grit)
• Fenix E35 flashlight with paracord lanyard
• 5 Lithium 18650 flashlight batteries
• Large ferrocerium rod fire-starter
• Waterproof match container with stormproof matches
• Mint tin with fatwood tinder shavings
• Recta DP 6G compass with luminous markings
• 550 paracord
• Helikon-Tex poncho/tarp with stuff sack

A Wander Tactical Smilodon (top) next to Alex's new Freedom knife (bottom). Photo: Alex Wander/Facebook

• Wander Tactical Freedom knife (pre-production prototype)
• Rite in the Rain waterproof notebook
• Brass snare wire
• Fishing kit with hooks, sinkers, and reel of line
• First-aid kit with 2 Israeli bandages, Celox hemostatic granules, tourniquet, bandages, and iodine disinfectant (also used as a water purifier)
• Locking carabiner
• Not pictured: Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottle, GSI Outdoors stainless steel cup, shemagh scarf

These items are contained in an old Flyye Industries handheld pack, with a shoulder strap, PALS webbing, and carabiner. In a SHTF situation, Alex would be able to grab the bag and be out the door and into the woods in no time. This lightweight wilderness survival kit gives Alex quick mobility, without the weight and bulk of a full-size 30-pound bug-out bag.

The tarp and paracord allow construction of an improvised lean-to shelter. Photo: Alex Wander/Facebook

Unsurprisingly, of all his tools, this knife-maker values his knife the most. He wrote, “In 25 years I’ve tried tons of knives and now I have my own idea about how a knife should be. I always spend my weekends in the wilderness, and sometimes more than a weekend, learning primitive survival skills and so on. I’ve been also in a lot of places around the world even for months, and your loyal companion will always be your tool: a knife.”

Alex learned his knife-making skills from his brother and business partner at Wander Tactical, Greymoose Dino. He taught Alex how to grind his first blade, and they have now built a successful company together. To see more of Alex and Greymoose's latest blade designs, follow @wandertactical_cutting_tools on Instagram or visit WanderTactical.com.

Written by Patrick McCarthy