Is leather the warmest handle material ??????????????

Leather is considered a warm natural material, much more durable on a knife handle than you would think.

Birch Bark as used on traditional Scandinavian and European knives is probably the warmest IMO. Not as durable as Leather in some aspects but warmer and more comfortable for general use.
 
The nerd in me can't be contained: All handle materials are equally warm (assuming the same ambient temperature and that they aren't sitting in the sun or something). You just want the ones that conduct heat the worst. I would agree that leather and birch bark are probably amongst the best. Although something like a paracord wrap would also probably feel pretty warm.
 
Don't forget to consider if it's that cold, you're going to need gloves anyway, so you'll need some texture or grippiness on the handle.

That said, I'd go with birch bark as that is the material used on blades carried by people living in the Arctic North.
 
CWL said:
Don't forget to consider if it's that cold, you're going to need gloves anyway, so you'll need some texture or grippiness on the handle.

That said, I'd go with birch bark as that is the material used on blades carried by people living in the Arctic North.
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In Arctic North, in Tundra, the birch hardly reaches mans waistline - so can not be a source of good bark for a knife handle. So called Yakut's knifes are made with handle from wood - actually any wood their makers have managed to obtain. And as far as I know that is more or less a tradition of all the people leaving in extreme nothern forest-less and tree-less regions. with Yagel nearly the only plant life for thousands of kilometers...
Why nothern people do not use leather for a handle is really beyond me. My only guess is that it so readily takes in the fat and blood that it can become inconveniently slippery and can cause trauma or lead to the knife slipping from the hand into water or into deep snow - which is much more critical than the hand comfort.
All that said I absolutely agree that the birch bark, leather and corck would be probably the handle material with the lowest heat conductivity. They are also the least practical - for the reason already mentioned and also because both leather and bark may deform and require replacement if they dry out for some reason - near the fire or for not being used for some prolonged period and left in a very dry place. For that reason I have never considered getting a knife with a handle made from any or these materials.
 
Kraton is a great material. Grippy when wet, and will never break down (without a situation that would kill the user). It also holds heat well. I love that material.
 
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