Melissa Backwoods
Melissa Backwoods is Melissa Miller, a survival educator, Naked and Afraid alum and knife reviewer who shares knife designs, everyday carry finds and outdoor gear.
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Latest
Melissa’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
T.Kell Knives
Jack Wolf Knives
YouTube
YouTubeOverview
- Also known as
- Melissa Miller
- Education
- Education degree, University of Michigan
- Breakout
- Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid
- Specialisms
- Knife reviews, everyday carry and wilderness survival
Mini bio
How it started.
Melissa Miller studied education at the University of Michigan before working in environmental education in Michigan. At For-Mar Nature Preservation & Arboretum, she taught natural sciences and wilderness survival. She built her survival skills through books, videos and time in the woods.
The survival challenges.
Naked and Afraid brought Melissa to a wider audience. Her official biography records three completed challenges: 21 days in the Amazon, 40 days in South Africa’s Selati Basin and 21 days in the Florida swamplands.
From survival tools to knife designs.
Her interest in wilderness survival grew into knife reviewing. In 2018 she joined BLADE Magazine and BLADE Show in social media and digital marketing. Today, her own channels cover knives, everyday carry and outdoor gear. In 2025, she introduced her first knife design, the T.Kell WharnEDC, followed by the Backwoods FixEDC with Jack Wolf Knives.
Creditschronological, newest first
Knife design
- 2025Backwoods FixEDCDesigner, collaboration with Jack Wolf Knives
- 2025MelissaBackwoods x T.Kell WharnEDCDesigner, collaboration with T.Kell Knives
Knife media
- 2018BLADE Magazine and BLADE ShowSocial media manager and digital marketing director
Quotes
My goal is to open up the world of knife collecting to a broader audienceMelissa Backwoods, YouTube channel description
Melissa describes the aim behind her educational knife and gear videos.
Trivia
- She has described herself as a “nature nerd.”
- Her teaching at For-Mar included nature programs for senior citizens and students with special needs.
- She chose a fixed blade for her first knife design as a nod to her background in bushcraft and wilderness survival.
- She once overlooked Wharncliffe blades, then came to appreciate their easy sharpening and precision cutting.
Find Melissa
Follow Melissa for knife reviews, pocket checks and outdoor gear.
Are you Melissa Backwoods?
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