wet weather boots

[270man]

Opinions please! Just returned from a hunt in Arizona high country and my Browning insulated, all-leather boots came apart -- AGAIN!! These are the green leather boots, about 8"-9" high with medium insulation (I suspect something like 400gram-600gram Thinsulate) and lug tread soles.

They are comfortable to hike in but the doggone sole came loose from the upper. This happened during the hunt and, fortunately, I had my ankle-high hiking boots to fall back on. About 5 years ago, my first Brownings did the same thing and I returned them for repair. Browning sent me a brand new pair. Can't complain about customer service. But I can complain about quality of construction. Probably hadn't worn this new pair more than 4 times.

We do a lot of hunting in mud and wet snow out here and I've been considering the newer "pac" boots with rubber bottoms and leather or leather/fabric uppers. I don't need huge amounts of insulation (like with the boots with removable, insulated inserts). This makes for big and clunky boots. The less heavily insulated boots look good in the catalogs but I'm concerned about "hike-ability" -- will they wear well and be comfortable enough for full day hunts in varying terrain.

Any experiences out there with the various brands and types??

Thanks,

270man