Confused about hiking boot choices..

Jesse, I hear you. When I lived in Santa Fe, NM for several years I was still in boot mode. On the other hand in my experience, if you are in true "sand pouring in" conditions boots might not keep it out entirely either. With the trail runners I can stand on one leg without taking off my pack, take off the shoe, empty it out, and put it back on in a matter of seconds. In boots you may just wait since it is often a big to-do to get them on and off. There is a bit of an analogy here with the water/Gortex issues. If you are in a place where there is soft sand for extended periods then, like water, the boots are nice right up until they get sand in them too, and then they are worse.

Full on boots to keep sand out might be what my dad would have called "five lbs of solution for a 1 lb problem". I guess in this case that's not even a metaphor. The solution that a lot of us use is not to use trail runners with super permeable uppers in those conditions, and to add a micro-gaiter like dirty girls. This covers the top of the shoe and seals off the ankle hole reasonably well. This works pretty well for cumulative sand and grit gradually seeping in.

In conditions that are in the extreme for sand – for example trekking up a 600 foot dune in the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave, I would still want runners since your feet are going to be sinking a lot into the sand, and occasionally even up to the calf, so dumping your shoes or boots multiple times is inevitable. I hate sand in my shoes, and pebbles even more, but only in boots were these ever major issues for me, and now I get it out of there right away.

I love my Quest 4D's. I have a bad right ankle that has been broken twice and sprained more times than I can remember, so after the last sprain 4 years ago I got the 4D's. Excellent protection, waterproof and the do breath fairly well. They have held up over the last 4 years but I may be replacing them soon.

Last fall I also picked up a pair of Salomon X Ultra Mid's. I really love these boots. I haven't been in the rain with them yet, but they are super breathable. I wear these mostly here in Alabama where the terrain is not as rough as the mountains out west or in the Alps.

I am seriously considering taking the X Ultra's on a vol biv (hike & paragliding) trip in the French Alps later this summer. Last year I would not have considered taking anything but the 4D's.

As for weight, the 4D's are on the heavy side. I wear a US Size 8 and my 4D's are 21.7oz per boot while the X Utra's are only 14.7oz per boot.

I've tried breathable shoes with light synthetic socks. When I go through water that's more than 1 inch deep, they get wet. Takes all day to dry. It's worse in colder weather. Not my prefered solution.

I've tried Gore-Tex shoes – much better for the conditions I'm in. I can cross streams on rocks or logs so they don't get wet. I occasionally have to walk through water 2 inches deep and they stay dry. My socks only get damp from sweat on the bottom, which is unavoidable.

Gore-Tex mid height boots are heavier and my socks get more damp from sweat. The only advantage is I can walk through water that's a couple inches deeper.

If the conditions were deep streams to walk through and it was hot so they'de dry out quickly, breathable shoes would be best. Nice when you get to a stream to just walk through, rather than searching for a dry way across.

Thanks again guys for sharing your wisdom. What it does sound like is eventually I'll end up with a pair of boots, and trailrunning shoes. Boots for harsh conditions (scree etc) and trailrunners for when it's going to be warm and if they get wet they can just dry out in the sun.

Why “waterproof” shoes will not keep your feet dry
Minimizing the effects and aftermath of wet feet

I don't agree with Andrew

I have gone on many wet trips – rain, wet grass and brush, melting snow – and my boots stayed dry. Well, maybe slightly damp from sweat. But much drier than with non waterproof boots.

I do wear gaiters. I remember a trip I forgot my gaiters and my boots got very wet.

And I did several trips with breathable shoes and my shoes/socks never really dried out. But I don't do many hot trips when drying out would be easier.

And wet, "pruned" feet are not good. Encourages fungus. More likely to get blisters. Although you can put stuff on your feet that may obviate that.

"Why waterproof shoes *may* not keep your feet dry" would have been a more appropriate title.
They can and do work much better in wet environs with mostly shallow crossings, where ventilated shoes only guarantee that your feet will be wet all the time. I don't use them for hiking in my part of the Southeast.
Different conditions call for different gear. There is no "best", only what works for where and when you are.
GoreTex shoes and eVent gaiters are my standard footwear for hiking/backpacking, which is why my feet stay dry and comfortable when it's wet and muddy.

I just use 1.1 oz/yd2 breathable nylon gaiters. Weigh less.

Every 4 years they start to get shredded so I make a new pair.

For some reason, water just runs down the fabric to my boots to the ground. Combination of the nylon and the Merino wool socks. Socks stay pretty dry.

Also, keeps dirt and dust out of shoes.

"Different conditions call for different gear" – +1