A friend of mine has been asking for advice on boots; a rather critical subject if you've ever spent any time walking around with heavy weights strapped to your back.
To my mind, there is only one relevant piece of information on the subject:
When people whos lives depend on being able to hike 25 miles a day, day after day, buy boots; they buy Danners.
'Nuff said.
Take care of your feet; god only issued you one pair, and there's no spares available.