Chris - Are you skiing or snowshoeing or what? If you are skiing, and you are thinking of plastic telemark/touring boots with thermo-moldable liners, then those liners are an effective VBL. They don't breathe, and they don't absorb much moisture - just in the fabric that is the inside surface. My experience has been great with mine. I wear fairly thin socks, mostly synthetic, and I air out at lunch if I can and in the evening after making camp. The socks usually dry in the evening or at worst overnight, and the little bit of moisture in the liners usually dries as well. I have pretty sweaty feet, yet I never feel like my feet are wet in these boots, even on days when I am definitely hot and sweaty. You wouldn't need a spare pair of liners - they dry well at night. I take three pair of socks and rotate them.

If you are snowshoeing it's a different situation, and I don't know what setup would work well, since you can't get similar boots for snowshoeing. I have heard good things about Neoprene socks when used with the right liner socks. They work as VBL but are durable and very warm.