I am happy that my spouse chooses her clothes based on appearance but not her husband.

Guys tend to choose spouses based on appearance but not their clothes.

I know a really nice guy (well, mostly nice) who is quite open about his preference for a well presented woman. He wants someone who camps and hikes. I told him to find a camping, hiking woman on the trail, ask her out on a date, and see what she looks like in an urban environment before making a judgment call. I go backpacking every month and hiking every week barring unusual circumstances. I just stopped caring once I hit the trailhead. Maintaining a level of femininity is just too much work on the trail - the most I can manage is a wash every other day to keep my hair from matting on my head and making me uncomfortable, and clean underwear. I thrash through brush and drop stuff on the ground. I sit on rocks and logs. My clothes are cheap and comfortable because I am hard on them and they need to be easily replaced.

No one who hikes with me recognizes me on the street, at all, because I'm not wearing my huge brimmed hat and oddly colored clothing. I'm literally two different people. And thanks to all the hiking, I have a figure.

I am very grateful that women tend not to be as shallow as men.

There is a big difference between a "well presented" vs. attractive woman. An attrative woman looks good coming out of the shower. A "well presented" woman may indicate high maintenance.

I tend to gravitate toward men who know the difference.

I had always thought not being "high maintenance" (by some standards, I bet you I'm gear geekier than some men would appreciate ) might be a good thing in the eyes of some... I don't expect guys to schlep my gear, for example.

Tho it's always nice when a guy pops a bottle of wine out to surprise you...

Your first experience sucks because you asked a bad question. Your question was "Any suggestions for a good looking boot and/or pack?" That is very subjective, as a lot of other people have said so. We can't read your mind and see what your preferences are. We don't know what you think is stylish or looks good. You never said what colors you like, or what style features you are looking for. Your profile tells us nothing to even allow us to venture a guess. So, before you get all upset that no one is answering your poorly thought out question, take some time to thoughtfully construct a question that can actually be answered. There are a lot of people that can and will help you, if you ever give them something to work with. Otherwise, go to an outdoor store and find something that you like. REI is a very trendy store that has very fashion conscious boots and packs.

I would add that an attractive woman looks good waking up in the morning.

I am way too old to care about fashion, but I do like to be neat and clean on the trail- even after 30 days. What looks good in the store may not look good after 30 days on the trail. There is just so much that can be cleaned out by rinsing in a stream. Keep this in mind when choosing clothing.

A low-profile smaller pack looks nice - and here is where you will get good advise from this forum. Ultra-light hiking packs are small. Learn to be Ultra-light and you will not have to lug an ugly big pack bag. A painful grimace on your face when lugging a big heavy pack also looks very unappealing. With a 20-pound pack you can actually smile!

The first thing about looking good is to have something that fits - and this is also high priority in function. Do not settle for something that is fashionable but fits poorly. Do not settle for something on sale that does not fit properly.

If there are bugs (mosquitoes) function out-weighs looks. Capris are usless unless you want to live in DEET every day. Long pants or zip-offs are preferable. But you do not need tons of cargo pockets. Walking with a lot of junk in pockets is very uncomfortable- not very functional. Also, mosquitoes can bite through skin-tight pants or tops.

Choose colors that wash well in cold water and hide dirt. This means white is not a good choice. Choose fabrics that do not become excessively wrinlky when hand washed. (you probabaly will have to test this at home) And be aware that some polyester stinks after a few days use. I use Shoeller climbing pants - really tough and never wrinkles. Shoeller is a material - comes in lighter weights and heavier (ski pants).

A very light-weight fun colorful scarf (maybe silk) can also be useful. Tie a colorful scarf around your head - keeps hair out of the face too. I once met a PCT hiker who wore a tie-dye stretchy mini-skirt over tights! No mosquiotes got thrugh her dreadlock hair either!

Shoes - now here function always trumps fashion. If you can find a good shoe that fits and is pleasing to you, great, otherwise get the shoe that fits and just live with this. You really need toe room - I actually think Keens look really good and are great if you can tolerate the wide heel - I cannot. For me the only shoe that fits are Merrells. Serious hikers also usually wear wool socks - Smartwool are best in my opinion. Also get shoes that fit even after feet swell at the end of the day. I use trail-runner type shoes - quit wearing boots 10 years ago. I take Crocks for camp and stream crossing shoes. Cannot beat the light weight. And lots of toe room at the end of day is heaven. And they come in a variety of colors.

I find ArcTerex clothing very well fitting and functional. Very pricy. Clouldveil is another brand that has high quality but what I think is good looking clothes. Also very pricy. Patagonia also has good gear and if something looks good you can usually count on it also being functional.

And one thing that can add lots of fashion is a classy pair of sunglasses! I personally also love baseball caps - so my pony-tail can stick out.

I guess my bottom line is that stick with the very high-end reputable gear and then pick out what they have that you like. Be very leery of no-name brand fashionable gear.

Nothing wrong with wanting fashion IF you can also meet function criteria. If not, then choose function.

And then, with what ever you wear, there is little reason you cannot stay clean and neat. I take a jump in a lake or stream every day I hike - no matter how cold. I wash my hiking shirt every day (therefore it must dry quickly). My mood is just so much better when I pay attention to personal hygiene. Even when I am out 10 days and never see another person. I stay clean to please myself, not anyone else. And if you want to do makeup - go for it -just get the stuff with sunscreen in it. I personally do not do the makeup but use the dry foaming cleaning make-up remover squares (Dove)- very light and useful.

As she so often does, WD pretty well nailed it...

Many of us have had to deal with sloppy, poorly designed clothing that tried to achieve the "outdoor look" at the expense of function. The results can be very bad, even life endangering in extreme circumstances. Thus we tend to regard fashion as The Dark Side.

The companies that WD cited have achieved a good marriage between function and fashion, in particular Patagonia, the brand with which I am most familiar. I would add that the so-called."expensive" clothing is actually pretty cheap when you consider that you can wear it for many, many years. I have Patagonia items more than twenty years old that are still useful.

Even when I am out 10 days and never see another person. I stay clean to please myself, not anyone else.

I, too, find cleanliness to be "functional" in this way. My mood is much better when I do not feel like I have been wallowing in sweat and dust for a week straight.

My daily dip or spitz bath is something I rarely do without. Bugs are never enough excuse to miss out; cold rain with wind is about the only weather that can bump me out of my cleanup ritual.

I now promise to stay nearer to the OP questions and concerns: nice-looking clothes and gear.

Recently I got a boot for a local store with a 20% off over July 4th. The brand is Asolo TPS 535. This is a full-grain leather boot. This looks nice and has a snug fit like a pair of gloves. If you never wore a boot before, it's taking time to get use to. I am in my braking in period and getting use to now. If you decide to get a boot, you have to coming a store to try them out. You might get lucky for an online store, but boot size are not true size compare to regular shoes.