I have used many different brands and styles over the years. It comes down to what the "jarhead" said- personal preference. And I might add - individual expectations. My Chinese Danners were the pits for the first couple of years. Very stiff and clunky to get around in. The last couple of years of their lifespan they were some of the most comfortable boots I'd ever worn. They had lost all semblance of being waterproof though.
I have a pair of Cabela's right now that only get worn to work and for anything else that will help end their life so I can get a new pair of boots. They are even more ill fitting and clunky than the Danner's were. I had to wear my cheap department store light hikers for this most recent general buck season. I just laced the light hikers up snug and went for it. Some of the best foot days I have had hunting in a while.
I had a pair of Georgia low heeled loggers( no Gore-Tex ) for a number of years. Comfy from birth to death. No Gore-Tex. I have a high tolerance for cold and wet feet as I move/walk a lot when hunting. Would recommend the Georgias if you are on a budget. Most Coastal/Big R stores carry them. I see they have a Gore-Tex version now too. Mine were minimal break in.
The best boot I ever had was 25 years ago. It was a Danner boot made for Cabela's. It was one of the first "Bob" soles. They were a pair that had been returned because the owner said they leaked. They were made from a softer leather and had 400 grams of insulation if I remember correctly. Those boots didn't leak, and lasted me about 7 years, give or take. The only moisture inside was from sweat.
So here again it comes down to each person, as the Marine says. I prefer not to use insulation, and I hate the padded collars. All those two things do is hold in heat so my feet sweat. I like all leather- harder to poke a stick through. I prefer a solid Goodyear lugged sole - again, harder to poke a stick through. I like lace to toe in a size that I can get two pairs of socks into during colder days.
If the snow is over 4 inches I recommend gaiters to help prevent wicking. I had never used them before last year. I had to do a lot of snowshoeing during a storm outage we had this past January. I had just bought a pair of the cheap military gaiters from one of the catalog retailers on a whim. I wore my cheap Cabela's boots with those Gaiters, with or without the snowshoes for 16 hours a day, and had comfy feet the entire time.
You need to try out whatever you are going to wear hunting, in as many situations as you can, before taking them on that "big dream hunt". Don't accept that the priciest boots that show up the week before the hunt are going to feel good at the end of the first or second day. And don't accept that the cheap light hikers won't work for some occasions.
