Thanks for the feedback, Gershon, and for taking it in the spirit intended (! internet can be perilous sometimes).

DARPA has certainly had a long time to improve combat boots, and it's certainly true that taking care of a soldiers feet is important. I actually wore German army paratroop boots sometimes when I was there, as they seemed better than what we had (certainly warmer).

The boots back in the 70's and early 80's were bad enough that there was certainly plenty of room for improvement.

Interesting what you say about a shoe rotating. It might be that mine do that, but if so I don't notice. And IMO, trail runners do a wonderful job of energy transfer. Better, since I replace these every 500 trail miles or so, I also sort of start fresh periodically; I wonder how well the energy transfer works with combat boots after a thousand miles or more? Depends on how much is done by the boot itself, and how much by whatever inserts come with it (or are put in it).

In terms of testing "how long does it take to dry" --- the point here is how long it takes when the boots are worn. The mechanics of walking plus body heat make a big difference in drying out footware. Traditional Frankenstein-type hiking clodhoppers take essentially forever to dry that way (okay, forever is a close approximation, if you recall limits from your pre-calculus days ...). It does sound like these softer (and perhaps thinner?) leather boots will do a better job there.

One thing that traditional boot supporters point to is "ankle support". With perhaps thinner and softer leather, I wonder if you get as much of that? It's never been an issue for me, but it seems of great concern to some.

My personal sense is that a lot of time when people buy boots, they buy them out of ignorance of the options, and a certain degree of fear. Or at least, concern based on limited experience. But indeed, maybe there are good boot options out there that are better for some folks even in really "fair weather" situations.

For me, thinking about this topic is all about being able to give good recommendations. Too often still in the outdoor organization that I volunteer with, one gets the sense of "if you don't hike in boots you'll die", or at least something implied along that line. So I guess if you get pushback on this, it is in part because of some of that stuff.