I had the same issue when i first moved to wyoming. Read for a month and found zamberlain are the best. Went to cabelas and paid almost $600 after tax for a pair. They fit well, walked well, and in 6 months of little use my feed were splitting out the sides and chunks of the sole were missing. One day i was in the sporting goods store in saratoga. Bought a pair of danner pronghorn. excellent boot and can be found under $200. i like the 400 mg thinsulate ones for year round use. if i end up somewhere thats 85 degrees in summer feet sweating is not an issue. When its 24 degrees at 6 am on august 3rd my feet dont freeze. Ive used them exclusively since 2022. Packed out all sorts of animals over tough terrain. One year i packed out a whole bone in quartered mule deer with the head in my frame pack at night with no moon light over 1/2 a mile of crossing ravines 30 feet deep. No trouble. pair from 2022 is looking a bit scraped up but still going strong. I bought 3 pairs, one stays nice, one gets normal wear and tear, and the first one that is non insulated gets the absoloute abuse situations.
This means a lot coming from a guy who is almost 300 lbs and doesnt mind walking 12 or 14 miles in a day with a 50 lb pack plus a rifle plus optics. some of the places i hunt are up and down multiple ravines that are 800 feet deep of steep loose rocks. The easiest place i hunt has me scrambling over 80 foot tall granite formations.