The grippyness of the Micarta depends on the material used (assuming its not polished) the rougher the starting material the grippier the handle slabs. For instance, Canvas is the grippiest, then linen, then paper. Each feels like its namesake, linen tends to feel more like denim IMO than say a white undershirt. Most Micarta also absorbs some liquid, though its unaffected by it other than temporary darkening that can be washed then dried off. Makes it my number one grip choice if you're working around water.
G10 is all well and good depending on how its textured, but canvas micarta is much courser than typical g-10 texturing, but it all depends on how its textured.
In the wet and cold I would rather have canvas or linen micarta anyday. The water doesn't just sit on it and get slippery like it will with some g-10 texturing. While both are "warm" scale materials in that they won't feel freezing like aluminium or steel, I tend to think canvas or linen micarta just has a more comfortable feel to it, like putting your hands on a old pair of jeans.
All phenolics (which g10 and micarta both are) are a damned rugged material, you could hit micarta all day long with a hammer and not much would happen, g10 tends to be a little more compressible so if you smack it hard enough with something it will dent, but you need to hit it really hard. This stuff might not apply to barkies if they're polished, for the most part I'm an ESEE/RAT guy and haven't gotten into barkies...yet
but usually if the surface isn't polished all this applies.
Good luck with the knife hunt!
