I would say give it time with the knife thing. Cody may eventually capitalize on his fame and partner up with a knife maker or company; most likely it would be very similar to the Mora…if I was a betting man…
As to Cody’s lifestyle, you have to give him credit that he does live it that way. My wife and I would rather spend the money on a course from him than a Carnival Cruise (although lately, those cruises have turned into survival vacations

).
There is merit to the “barefoot” gimmick. I don’t go barefoot too much, but I have been running in “barefoot” shoes (Merrell’s), even hiking in similar types and now I’ve been able to wear minimalist boots for work (Army). There is a remarkable shift in natural movement when walking on the mid/forefoot to the ball of your foot. When running, your ankles strength improves and the impact to your joints is absorbed by the calf and quad muscles; no more knee pain. The other benefit as mentioned is it forces you to slow down and pay attention to your foot placement; slow is relative as I’m actually able to go further and faster when backpacking.
I just can’t get myself to go fully barefoot, but I can appreciate the mindset behind it. Your posture when walking “barefoot” has proven itself to me though and I have appreciated the benefits.
As to Joe Teti, he is what he is. I don’t endorse some of those “techniques”, but I think you have to understand the mentality, much like Cody Lundin’s mentality.
I’ve been around the “Teti” types. These guys are type-A, adrenaline junkies who see everything as a mission and focus on accomplishment. Most know how to “survive”, but many wouldn’t approve of their methods…it’s about being fast and effective. Sure, television accentuates these traits and makes it more “in your face” for the reality shock, but a lot of that is personality driven by years of being in the company and environment necessary for what they do. For most producers, these guys are made for TV reality, not necessarily our reality.
Again, it’s entertainment with a few gold-nuggets thrown in for discussion.
ROCK6