You know, boots are as personal as underwear, everyone's feet are different, everyone's usage is different, and everyone's environment is different. I have worn boots every single day for the last 22 years as part of my uniform, and depending on what I'm doing, my choice in boots has varied dramatically.
I have a pair of Danner Tanicus that I wear daily in the mostly office environment of the Ops SGM. For even non-military use,
Danner is your go to for real work boots. They are pricey yes, but many are American made, and carry a crazy warranty. Danner also re manufactures boots once you've used them enough to wear something out. Not many other companies do that any more. I really like the
Bull Run and the
Workman for work boots. The ones in my picture, the
Tanicus is a price leader kind of boot, glued and pressed rather than sewn, but for the office and light work, they are great, these fall squarely in the "work boot" category, roughly equivalent to the
Iron Soft or the
Crafter, with reasonable support, and protection, but not at all designed for heavy loads over a distance. They have a pretty flexible sole, and lots of padding, which is great for daily wear, however these would not be my first choice for the next yomp through RC East.
For that I last used a pair of La Sportiva Trango Trek GTX.
These things are proper rucking boots, with a rigid sole, and very protective vamp. I wouldn't hesitate a split second to walk literally anywhere in any environment in these. I've done 20 mile days with up to 90 lbs and my feet were NOT the limiting factor. If I were moving more quickly, with less weight, I'd want something more flexible, perhaps the Salomons mentioned above. I have a few Salomon trail runners that are very well built.
I have used Vasque Sundowners and a pair of La Sportiva AT (Sundowner clones) for years and years in lighter weight environments with very much success. Vasque and Merrill have both taken a nosedive in recent years however, victims of the "Urban Hiker" consumer. Not even Bear Grylls could save Merrill from some of the crap they have produced lately.
I have a good Garmont Lowtop that I wear for long movements with low weight, like travelling when I expect long walks, urban exploring, etc. They have a good rigid sole, but don't offer the ankle support of real backpacking boots.
For real backpacking you'd have a hard time topping the Asolo TPS 500 series (520 is current I believe) though they dont have the sexy modern materials look a lot of folks seem to go for these days, being full leather outers. I have a pair of these and they straight up match my Trangos for overall support and protection, they are a little warm, so I wouldn't recommend them for temperate use. Its exceedingly hard to find a good warm weather boot with solid support. I hear the Zamberlains are pretty amazing as well.
Boots are one of those areas it pays to get a good fitting, from someone who knows what they are looking at, and tailor them to your use. Its getting harder and harder to find someone knowledgeable as true hiking/backpacking stores are overtaken and closed out by the urban hiker crowd. You really need to know how different products work in order to pick a good boot from internet descriptions and wade your way through the Keen/Timberland/Born set to get to real boots. **Disclaimer, I never leave home without my
Keen Water Shoes.
