One hunt in this area will completely round off a new green-dot vibram sole, cutting deep and carving off substantial chunks in the process. What would it do to something softer?
Rocker in a welted boot comes with use.
A rubber rand is a gimmick developed to protect inferior leather and the glued seam between sole and upper. That's it. It serves no other purpose. Waxed roughout leather of appropriate thickness and tan process is about bulletproof.
Well, you've certainly got my idea of "serious backcountry use" pegged to a T.
But I'm not buying your outright dismissal of the rubber rand thing as nothing more than a gimmick. I had to have a pair of custom hand-made all-leather boots revamped after a fairly mundane season of chasing mule deer, elk and a lot of chukar hunting here in WA during my college years. I've not had nearly as bad cutting issues with randed boots and there's something to be said for have some waterproof protection while you're stomping through miles of mushy snow. And, the vibram tread pattern was slippery as [bleep] on wet or snowy sidehills. They were next to worthless whenever the rounded vibram would harden up in the cold and wouldn't "smear". As much as I loved the comfortable custom fit for working in the woods or trail cruising, I grew to hate those heavy bastards for hiking and hunting in steeper backcountry. A newish pair of Kene's k-talon tread, or whatever they call it, is like confidently cruising through the woods in corks compared to hard slippery vibram.
I suppose if a guy wanted a family heirloom to pass down through generations, a pair of heavy old-school clunkers would be a good way to go. For everyone else that can just send 'em back to Kenetrek (or Dave Page here in Seattle) for a retread of softer sticky tread every couple years, an off-the-shelf lightweight boot with a short to non-existent break in period ain't a bad way to go. Besides, when it comes down to "best boot", it's really just a personal preference thing and fit has the final say, within reason.
Personally, I've just grown to prefer a relatively lightweight, well constructed, comfortable hunting boot from a reputable manufacturer that I can have completely re-soled/randed once and then demote to yard work or throw away once the uppers eventually just get too soft and/or start breaking down. FWIW, in the bigger picture, the cost of a new pair of Kene's every 3-5 years is probably a bit of a rounding error for most guys.
