In rocky, mountainous terrain in which I live, I require footwear having better ankle support and footbed protection.
The Crocs are fine in the city, suburbs and rural lowlands, and for camp lounging, but not for wandering in the mountains or along bad gravel roads with potholes large enough to hide a housecat.
Somewhere around year 65, after three back surgeries, two heart attacks and realization that my feet were trashed I planted the flag in one spot and stopped the hill climbing, boulder jumping and creek splashing for more sedate camp activities.
The crocks work well for most of that, as do the wooden clogs I use for reenactment camps and the elk hide moccasins I use for the same activity. If I get into a situation that requires real foot wear there are shoes around somewhere.
At this point in life my greatest excitement is the middle of the night run to the latrine and the occasional trip to collect a bucket of water. That is only exceeded by intrusion into camp of wildlife in one form or another, usually skunks or possums and the occasional raccoon but sometimes, if in the right location, a black bear too lazy to forage for himself and coming to camp as a beggar.
I now go to camp to rest and avoid challenge.
All those bushcraft/shtf skills everyone wants to learn are accomplished in the past tense. I have lived out of the back pack for months on end, I have been hunted like an animal and I have hunted others and all of that life and death struggle was done in government issue combat boots that cost $10 a pair because that was all that was available and I wore out a pair each month.
I am not capable of doing that again, and thank God I have never had to do it inside the boundaries of my native land. I am very sure I will never need to purchase another pair of $150 boots as recreational equipment to hold my ankles together and keep my legs from falling off.
Camping in Crocks is better.
I used to wear quality climbing boots constantly, now I understand that a respectable match of steelies outfitted with Sorbothane insoles and worn day by day are almost as great - your feet become acclimated to them and on the off chance that you at any point expected to kick the poop out of somebody they are there.
I’ve put my lightweight boots aside, although they are gortex i think leather are best for autumn and winter weather, even though they have to be treated to keep them waterproof and yes get the best insoles you can.
I have a pair of 30 year old scarpa walking boots they cost me £90, it works out at £3 a year, these are for extreme weather and snow and ice, if nesessary i have some salewa crampons that fit them, these are treated with good old fashioned dubbin.
For everyday use good quality steelies are an excellent compromise, get 2 pair and alternate them, oh and get good wool socks.
I’ve got to the stage where if i’m walking on uneven ground or just gardening, i need good ankle support or i get very bad back ache, ( sounds funny i know). So it’s shoes for tarmac and clogs or sandals for a nice flat lawn, but good boots for rough ground.
Hiax High Liability are good boots, a little heavy but wear well.