I can comfortably pack in a week's worth of hunting gear up a trail wearing lightweight merrell trail runners. I also use those for getting quickly up a trail or up a hill in the morning as they're easier on everything than boots. But I put real boots on at the top, and wear boots period for packing meat.
I'm not too sure that boot weight is super relevant used in this way. The old norwegian welt type is very heavy to hump up a hill, but a real godsend for packing meat down. Newer ultralight Charmoz or La Sportiva types are fine but they don't keep you upright like the old leather, having used both. The UL sportivas almost have a hinge at the ankle which gets annoying on a sidehill, no matter how tightly tied.
