Fit Well Big Wall Approach Boots

FITWELL Big Wall Approach Boots- FULLY MADE IN ITALY!!!

FITWELL MODEL BIG WALL

Today I was in the market for a new pair of light weight but super tough boots. Is that really possible???

This was my criteria:


Must be leather construction, yeah right!??
Must have a Vibram sole
Must be breathable
Must not have plastic parts (except maybe shanks)
Must not be gimmicky- ie just all functional design
Must not break the bank!
Must be very comfortable and fit snuggly.
Must look the part (just joking!).


Now the bonuses would be:


Possible to be resoled?

Possible for light weight crampons (eg Grivels etc)?
Not made in China-I did not have high hopes for this.
Possible to have Gortex or similar but not necessary.
Not too heavy- I have heavy mountaineering boots already. I wanted light weight walking boots but tough!



I went into my usual stores and was actually looking to replace my now totally hammered and in the bin, old Garmont boots of which I have had exceptional value from. I was wearing my Garmont Vetta MNTs and these approach shoes, whilst not Gortex (there is a current Gortex model) are still going strong after much use both on and off the mountain trails; in fact they have some years left I reckon. However, I need a boot really for safety in the mountain trails, as the old ankles do much better with a boot these days for some serious scrambling and hiking. This year's Garmont's light weight Summer boots are not much higher than their approach shoes and that annoyed me. I have no idea why they reduced the height here as they are simply just above the ankle and their current model approach shoes are very very good. But I don't need any more approach shoes.


So wandering to my next port of call, (A small but very, very cool shop, staffed by very friendly and just as importantly, knowledgeable staff)- Outsider Outdoor Store in Sofia Bulgaria! (BTW I totally recommend this store to any foreigner or local to consider shopping for their outdoor needs whilst in the capital city). 

I came across the Italian brand, FITWELL. Well to be honest, it sounded like some cheap Chinese brand and they looked a bit like maybe a knock off of La Sportiva's but those foolish assumptions of mine were about to fly straight out the door I had just entered (and they were nothing like La Sportiva's stupid me!). WOW, WOW WOW! If you are not aware of this brand then get aware now! A staff member introduced to the brand and showed me FITWELL's manufacturing-all by skilled artisans, yes many processes and steps by human hands only and of course aided by modern technology. FITWELL boots and shoes are FULLY MADE IN ITALY! 

Need I say more about the synonymous quality that is represented by those words "Made In Italy" when it comes to shoe manufacturing. My fist ever climbing shoes (actually boots were made in Italy) and many subsequent shoes-until I was resoling them myself LOL as a poor uni student LOL! 

I tried on the the BIG WALL model, which BTW satisfied all of my above criteria plus more. Instantly comfortable, even with my custom made orthotic inner soles in place of the boots inner soles. I made the purchase! 

No flunky plastic fittings on this boot! The Big Wall by FITWELL, fully made in Italy!

The heel loops have also got reflective piping so you can be seen walking in the night by others behind you!

The Big Wall model comes under their "Active Performance" line of footwear and is currently available in 2 different color variations; grey or yellow (both very cool IMHO).

Let me tell you more about this brand.


FITWELL, you may not have heard of but if you are an outdoors person and have climbed or trekked you must have come across the brand "ONEsport" yes,? ONEsport was run by Giuliano Grotto in 1979. In the 90's it was bought out by a French concern, however Giuliano Grotto formed a new company called, that's right, Fitwell, now an international name in the mountaineering, climbing and snowboarding fraternity and those others in the know of high quality footwear as a result of over 30 years of experience.
His motto is for every thing to be made in Italy and they are certainly proud of this. Only quality materials are used for manufacturing their products and this immediately shows when one holds their products in their paws and is confirmed when one puts them on their feet.


Specs at a glance


Vibram sole (ULTRAGRIP Mulaz sole EVO and EVA foam)

Sticky rubber rand
Split leather uppers 1.2-1.4mm suede with water repellency treatment.

Excellent (in fact the best I have ever seen) inner soles-very functional in design

Super cushioning and breathable inner soles as standard!

Super tough laces

Eyelets on lacing stress points

Lacing eyelets enable a snug perfect ankle fit. Plus the bonus of using eyelets is there is no lug to get caught up on anything. We all know how annoying that can be when even scrambling let alone climbing. No lugs!

EVENT WATERPROOF Membrane in 3 layers.

According to FITWELL the Big Wall model is "easy to resole"



What is the Big Wall model good for?

The Big Wall is suitable for approach and technical mountaineering. Mine will be just used for approach and Summer Autumn/Fall mountain hiking.
BTW there is a slightly lighter weight version with not as much leather and the use of a synthetic tough looking nylon.


You can read more about this Italian shoe company


I'll be testing them out in the mountains, so stick around for a video on BushCampingTools, coming soon!

Here it is the full video review of the Fitwell Big wall boots

FKMD RIMOR FX-9CM07 SURVIVAL Multi-Purpose BIG KNIFE

FKMD RIMOR FX-9CM07 OD

FOX Knives Maniago Italy.

FKMD FX-9CM07 OD RIMOR Knife- In the field

The FKMD RIMOR  (FX-9CM07 OD)
(OD= Olive Drab referring to color of the grip) there is also the stone wash version see here: or see the black Idroglider version here:

The FKMD RIMOR rocks! (The name RIMOR comes from the Latin, roughly translating: "Explorer"). Now I'm going to tell you why I think the FKMD RIMOR rocks!

Hacking into seasoned hardwoods with the FX-9CM07 OD RIMOR isn't a problem because the weight distribution is spot on!

Idroglider coating makes good sense on a knife that 6mm thick. It's no good if you stick a knife into something and you have to apply a crazy force to retrieve it. For example into springy hardwoods.

Firstly, the design originates from the internal production team within Fox Knives. A large BUT not big, almost spear point, with a good belly starting approximately midway along the cutting edge. 

A slick design for a 17.5cm long blade. As you may know, this is in MHO, a great length for an outdoor knife outside of tropical regions.

The edge has been bevel ground and it is a large bevel, greater than 1mm. The overall lateral blade geometry is that of a sabre grind. 

Finger choil and thumb/forefinger gimping present. 

There are some added advantages (other than frictionless cutting ability) I believe for using Idroglider as a coating; it simply "feels better" against the fingers. The finger/thumb gimping is generous and well placed for non-slip intricate work.

The spine swedge starts approximately midway.

The spine swedge starts approximately 7mm past the  first letter "R" as in the Rimor

The usual 2 fixing bolts securing a fibre reinforced nylon  (FRN) handle which like many of their tactical designs, totally encompasses the tang. Therefore this knife can be used in ungloved hands at sub zero temperatures without fear of freezing one's paws onto an exposed tang. There is nothing to say about the tang strength either. Bast2a (of course this is Bastinelli!) proved unquestionably in his crazy video by running a large van over an angled FKMD knife (some 9 years ago) featuring the same tang and guess what? The knife did not break!

The fibre reinforced Nylon (FRN) composition FOX knives are using  for this handle, provides a very secure grip, even when swinging this hefty blade, wet or dry hands and good shock absorption.

The over moulded FRN grip is secured via 2 T15 Torx bolts. If the bolts are removed, the handle is still very hard to remove easily and I treat this as really a moulded grip with added security of the two bolts. Being a coated blade means little tang maintenance.

Blade coating and options

The coating on the FKMD RIMOR is Teflon based: known as "Idroglider". Idroglider is a proprietary name for a water based formula containing Teflon. Idroglider is a thermosetting compound made by the Italian company Mondial Color. I have many, many years experience with this material, when used as a coating on metal surfaces, such as knives. I can say without a doubt it can handle severe abuse, as in abrasion resistance and provides a very low friction surface. 

**Note however, no where on the Mondial site (the makers of Idroglider) does it suggest or otherwise indicate that Idroglider is a food safe product. I'm still waiting or them to get back to me with something here. if this is something which concerns you then better get the stoned washed model.

The FKMD FX-9CM07 OD has a Rockwell C of 58-60 what this means in practical terms is that cutting up dirty objects like these mushrooms, (grass, fibrous material, small stones, dirt, sticks etc) will not easily blunt the blade.

Realistic Cutting performance

The Idroglider coating and the deadly sharp edge of the FX-9CM07 OD made cutting these wild oyster mushrooms a breeze. To cut mushrooms without making a colossal mess, the knife mush be very sharp and the blade behind the cutting edge not too thick, otherwise there is too much drag; a good test of cutting performance in the real world, not this A4 paper cutting stuff, of which even blunt scissors can do, is to cut cleanly mushrooms! Ordinarily, there are special knives for cutting mushrooms. They have thinner blades than most but can such a large knife perform these tasks? Answer: YES!

Cutting wild oyster mushrooms, no problems even for such a big knife due to a good edge geometry.

Preparing to take loads of birch bark for fire starting material.

FKMD Rimor (FX-9CM07 OD) in the forest.

Böhler's N690 Corrosion Resistance at HRC58-60

So why coat a stainless steel blade like N690? Well despite being a stainless steel, Böhler's N690, will show signs of corrosion when subjected to saltwater and dirty fresh water for lengthy periods and whilst I have found this to be minimal and just surface discolouration, the coating with Idroglider totally prevents this from happening. The FKMD RIMOR FX-9CM07 OD is also offered as a "stone washed" finish and if one is never going to be constantly subjecting their knife to immersion, then I'd recommend the uncoated version-that is unless one wants to achieve a more "covert" anti-glare solution, and then certainly the non-reflecting Idroglider surface coating would then be one's choice.

Working in and around water is no problem for Böhler's N690 stainless steel and also added corrosion resistance from the Idroglider coating!

Remembering too that the higher the Rockwell hardness the less Chromium is available in solid solution for corrosion resistance and in this case FKMD/FOX Knives is producing  product with a final HRC of: 58-60.

The Idroglider finish compared with ceramic coatings, provides a better (IMHO) feeling and not as "rough" to touch. This may be obvious as it's a TEFLON coating and hence it will "feel good" to touch.

The FKMD RIMOR This knife immediately caught my attention immediately, simply because of the balance of the blade design.

There is an ever so slight curvature to the cutting edge. This curvature will always aid in cutting motion which describes an arc. The logic behind the scythe (albeit an exaggerated curvature compare to this knife). Since the curvature is only slight one can still cut  up things against a surface which isn't flat. let face it, you aren't going to chopping up food on a chopping board in the wilds but rather a fallen tree of which the profile will be slightly rounded. 

An ever so slight blade curvature can be seen here where i hold the knife upside down. This in fact can provide better cutting of objects on logs/branches etc and yet still afford good cutting of loose fibrous materials, such as grasses, reeds etc.

The FKMD RIMOR isn't too long. At 17.5cm blade length (as measured from the end of the grip to the knife tip, it fits into the "just right" length IMHO. Also because of the design, the actual cutting surface is also 17.5cm! (I measured it). 

17.5cm cutting surface! FKMD FX-9CM07 OD (Mushroom; edible Boletus!)

Not too big for the BBQ in the bush! FX-9CM07 OD

Often when manufacturers quote the blade length, this can be quite distinct from the actual cutting length (as is a shorter cutting length- not so here, which is great!).

Perfect knife balance is achieved at a fulcrum position from a vertical line passing through the ending of the spine gimping.
A line drawn from the tip to the middle of the lanyard hole basically passes through the centre of the handle for the maximum capacity to deliver power to the tip in a thrusting action.



Lashing points (3 in total)
The deep belly will work well in processing medium to large game with this knife. Since there is a swedge, the FKMD will be good for penetrative tasks, piercing hides, fish skin, penetrating plastics (flotsam jetsam).  An effective knife must have a good tip.

3 lashing points for extending cutting reach!

The FKMD FX-9CM07 OD RIMOR features plenty of pounding surface for using a baton if that is your desire.

Plenty of pounding surface area on the spine for use of a baton

Levering objects, as apposed to using a knife as a pry bar.

The FKMD Rimor sports the proven grip of so many of FOX cutlery/FKMD knife models, it needs no introduction. However, I will give a brief one for those who have yet to encounter it.
The grip is almost looks like it has been over moulded onto the tang but it hasn't. It is made via injection moulding and then affixed to the tang via two Torx head socket bolts. This type of grip simply fits the fingers in a generalised ergonomic design, ie there are finger and thumb indents where one's digits would naturally come to rest.

We now see the use of FRN (Fibreglass reinforced nylon) for the chosen grip material. FRN, if you are unfamiliar with its properties, one of which is the only one needed to know, and that is, it is basically indestructible in terms of mechanical strength, (as an aside, and now FRN is being 3D printed by some manufacturers) into parts which are stronger than Aluminium (6061-T) on a weight per weight basis!)
FRN will really take a beating.
FRN is available in many formulations and the one FKMD are using is very tactile both with wet or dry hands. The FX-9CM07 OD is NOT handle heavy, which is great for extended comfort.


Steel of Choice

Böhler's N690 (N69Zero) is the choice of the stainless. This high speed cobalt enhanced stainless tool steel is appearing to be the European norm for high quality knife manufacturing. excellent corrosion resistance and able to take a high hardness with good edge holding and zero chipping performance in real world conditions. N690 is also able to take various coating materials, from PVD, Ceramic and Teflon based coatings such as seen here with the use of Mondial's Idroglider coating.

Now to the blade design of the FKMD RIMOR


Having a finger choil on a big knife makes sense if you want some fine control abilities. It is a broad blade with a big swedge. 

There are no holes anywhere near a fulcrum point on this blade- makes for a strong blade.

Lashing holes for extended cutting tasks (honey retrieval, fungus retrieval, _notice I don't advocate tying the knife to a pole to make a spear- this is only for the movies). Cutting down out of reach fruit, coconuts etc. (see how I did this with my trusty FKMD Panabas).


The apparent "spear point" design enables good penetrative capabilities and the "belly" allows for use skinning game along with good control via the finger choil.

The Scabbard/carry system

The retention  strap can pivot. This is an important feature which prevents the knife from severing this strap when it it withdrawn from the scabbard. It also means the knife can be withdrawn with either left hand or right handed people.

Full Molle compatibility (sheath seen here detached from waist loop.

The sheath of the Rimor is a big improvement over the sheath of the Parus. At first glance these sheaths look similar but the sheath of the RIMOR has proper welt stitching, ie sandwiched between the two halves of the scabbard is a tough rubber-like insert. This insert will prevent the cutting edge from contacting the stitching and eventually severing it. This is great. However, the rubber material, whatever type it is they are using has this terrible chemical smell. I tried washing the scabbard but the smell remains. What this does is make the blade smell too. I found this quite strange, as I would have thought that the Idroglider coating would not absorb anything due to it being Teflon based. It's easy to remove the smell, simply wash the blade and it is gone**. That's something to remind myself of BEFORE cutting up raw meat or any food stuffs with this knife in this scabbard. It's not a negative but something which could be further improved upon.

** UPDATE 3-10-2019

I did further tests and found that after removing the knife which really stinks of this chemical, overnight out of the scabbard, the blade still smells just like the rubber material. This tells me that whatever this chemical odour is, it has been effectively absorbed into the Idroglider coating. I will be reporting this to Fox knives and would at this time recommend the use of the non coated blade for food preparation.

The sheath can be worn either on a belt in a traditional style carry position, 

Traditional belt carry and also Molle vest/pack.

or rapidly detached via a quality UTX Dura Flex (they are using genuine Dura Flex buckles too) quick release buckle system. Once detached the knife and scabbard can be quickly mounted in a Molle compatible system on a pack or vest etc. Although, the top Molle loop can not be accessed by the Molle strap (there is not enough flexibility in this rigid strap due to the position of the stitching (it's not a problem, just an observation). 

Attachment to a Molle system after detaching the scabbard via the genuine Dura Flex buckle system.

Because the scabbard is symmetrical, the knife can be placed for either left or right handed users. The scabbard Molle strap is very rigid, which is a good thing. There is also a metal grommeted drain hole on the back side of the sheath and a leg tie in loop sewn into the sheath; for multiple carry options.


The inside of the scabbard has hard plastic liners too to aid the longevity of the scabbard.

The black Idroglider coating is very hard wearing and helps protect the steel from unwanted corrosion especially if working around/in water a lot.

Ok that's enough for now to whet your appetite!


 Field Review Now ready here: at BushCampingTools!

Work Tuff Gear Lanzeta in Japanese SK85 WOW

WORK TUFF GEAR LANZETA IN 

Japanese SK85 

Preview

BushCampingTools

Work Tuff Gear Lanzeta, at only 14 Oz for knife weight only! Pretty damn good for such a big field knife!

Work Tuff Gear Lanzeta in Japanese SK85 high carbon tool steel. Notice the "boar's head", this would make a good pig sticker!

WOW! Victor at Work Tuff Gear has done it again! This new release, the LANZETA modelled around a Filipino style knife but made with Japanese SK85 high carbon tool steel.

The blade shape is reminiscent of a "Bowie" style blade, with a large sweeping belly and a slightly recurved portion. The edge has been expertly ground to a deadly sharp convex edge. To be honest, I was afraid to touch it, or lest I cut myself just by looking at it! This is  mark of some serious attention to detail and quality workmanship.

Tropical adventure here I come knife! The knife sports a Sabre grind with a convex edge.

Japanese made SK85 is also known as SK5 or 1085 high carbon tool steel and the "85" designates an average 0.85% carbon. This is a serious alloy to choose for  cutting instruments. Japanese SK85 sits right in the middle of having good toughness along with high hardness for a tool steel. Known for being able to put a great edge on too!

The sheet thickness is 5mm and narrows down towards the spine to aid penetration moves. Finger/thumb gimping and this model has had the tang partially milled, so the Work Tuff Gear Lanzeta is not handle heavy for such a big knife.

Proven no slip grip pattern in the G10 scales. Scales are removable for cleaning/oiling the tang if immersed in sea water.

Well-made riveted kydex carry system also sports a generous drain hole (see top right hand side). I could use this thing as a  paddle!

Being such a big blade, there is of course a finger choil to help with the finer tasks. The Lanzetta came with a short piece of quality reflective Paracord.

The Lanzeta has been hardened to HRC 56-58 and is dual tempered to achieve optimal toughness in this big knife. 

Now just take a look at the scale below to really see the size of this beast.

Lanzeta Blade size 8.2" of which 7.9" is cutting surface and almost (0.196") 0.2" thick sheet.

The Work Tuff Gear Lanzeta will be definitely at home in the wilds! There is a choice of handle colors too, including a highly visible no losing fluorescent orange G10 scales, as in previous models reviewed by BushCampingTools.

Stick around because later this month we'll be testing this behemoth in the field.

Easily strike a fire steel with the acute edge of the spine on the Work Tuff Gear Lanzeta

Fire preparation, even of hardwood logs, isn't a problem for the WTG Lanzeta.

Hot off the press, this blade can flex! WOW what a great temper, like a spring but holds a deadly edge! Dual temper remember! Japanese SK85 rocks!

Work Tuff Gear big Bowie knife, the Lanzeta in the mountains!

BushCampingTools

Field review now live! here