Not derailing but trying to point out what did wrk great for me this season.
The following Items I HIGHlY RECOMMEND! What I Don’t Recommend are knee high Wellington style boots anymore unless walking in water all day
For the first time ever I tried those Hot Hand toe warmers as directed on the packaging underneath just one medium weight merino wool sock and that slips into an 9 or 10”800gram Browning hiker type hunting boot and wear gaiters over them and my feet have been very warm. The boots fit a little bigger too and I believe that gives me some air barrier insulation too. This has been the first year I’ve not worn any rubber “Wellington” type boots and my feet have been much warmer through the season than ever before. Granted, I’m not hunting in swamps and marshes and fording deep streams either.
So my early season boot was the Keen with gaiters, my mid to rut and beyond was the Browning with gaiters and then my all around heavy terrain hiking, saddle hunting 4-5 hour sit boots were the Hanwag trappers.