In the FWIW department, I wore custom Russell Moccasin Company boots that were light weight, 8 or 9" tall, Vibram kletterliff soled. They were also moccasin toed, which I don't generally like, for all the reasons given above, but they are just fine in Namibia. The cover isn't that dense there, and you won't wear through the top of the toes like you would in Iowa pheasant country for instance. They were not gortexed or insulated, and I did not find that a handicap at all. If I have to file a complaint about them for that job, it is that they are pretty soft on the bottom, the Vibram not withstanding. I can get foot sore on rough, cobbled ground, which is the norm over there (think New Mexico shrub steppe).