I have an old pair of soft leather ankle boots that are only 16oz per boot in size 12. They do have a gortex liner but are other wise unpadded. The sole isn't to thick, which is nice, but they could use some tread pattern, even waffles. I do like them alot. I use them sometimes Fall/Winter/Spring, around town, dayhikes, and overnights. The other thing I use are 6oz Adidas Adizeros, even in winter. I like the way they drain so well. They could be a little more protective, but I like the thin sole, and the simple waffle works amazingly well on ice and snow and wet rocks. Thinking about resoling the ankle boots as ankle moccasins.

I like this company and would love to try them but can't afford them. They are 1.5 hours away though so I will drop in sometime and beg for a deal.
http://www.quoddy.com/

Another interesting maker of traditional leather stuff:
http://www.arrowmoc.com/

In terms of more mainstream plastic stuff, I find Inov8's entire lineup very promising and would love to try them on, from running flats right through to hikers.
http://www.inov-8.com/

I like the way all three of these companies offer a reasonably limited lineup, which should mean the product line won't be discontinued too regularly. I have lost patience with mainstream shoe companies the way they offer mostly crap and keep changing models. The original Adidas Adizeros were great, but now I see they have 20 different Adizeros, but they are mostly crap and nothing I want. They claim to be superlight, yet they've gotten heavier, and the sole looks less grippy and/or overbuilt and gimmicky, and they look like they won't drain as well and absorb more water. Should have bought 3 pair, but shouldn't have to do that.