I just finished an 11 day backpack AK Dall sheep hunt using a pair of Scarpa Kinesis Pro gtx. It rained or snowed 9 out of 11 days and the ground was very wet. My feet were dry the whole time which was not the case for the guide wearing a new set of Kenetreks. He also fought heal blisters as well. I switched to Scarpa from Lowa Tibets mostly due to fit but both pair of Lowas had a hard time keeping water out after a year. The only issue I have with the Kinesis is the stitching on the heal is wearing considerably from the shale slides. First lite gaiters held up very well.