Huh, I've been a diehard goretex (or similar membrane) fan for a long time... I sweat a lot and the darned membranes are the best way for me to keep my feet dry (although I tend to hike more in humid environments than dry heat). I had no issues with the Grand Canyon in May (~35ºC or so?)
I had the older Salomon model (XA 3D Ultra 2) and they lasted a very short time of non-intensive use*. Main body and sole separated in less than a year (got it glued back) and the outer cover started tearing shortly after. I guess I got a bad pair, but after paying 120€ for that pair I've never given them a second chance. The zip system was very cool, though, and a couple of my friends were super happy with theirs... enough that they'd recommended them to me.
These days I have three types of outdoorsy shoes:
-Mephisto Allrounder Rake-Off (
RAKE OFF-TEX). It's like wearing a glove. Super comfy. They've lasted ~3 years a pop or so, but I wear them quite extensively for most non-strenuous stuff (including walking around the city).
-Chiruca boots. I alternate between the Somiedo and Xacobeo models, because the fit is not always
exactly the same over the years, and sometimes when the current pair needs replacing I have to get one of the other models
(yes, I'm very picky with shoes
).
Chiruca-SOMIEDO 12 GORE-TEX - Chiruca,
Chiruca-XACOBEO 05 GORE-TEX - Chiruca. They've served me and my dad very well for about 15 years now (longer for my parents). I basically wear nothing else throughout winter (except at work), and these things easily last 3 full winters before the sealing starts being compromised. I'd wager I put 3-4000 km on each pair. Super comfy for roughish terrain hiking, IMO, and leather breaks in very nicely...
-Asic running shoes. I've been using a pair of Gel Pulse 7 trainers that have performed admirably (although I'll be replacing them this summer... the outer cover looks like it's gone to war
). I'm heavy so I need well-cushioned trainers or my knees get blasted. Can't recommend these enough.
As you can see I'm all for durability and comfort
... I firmly believe that with shoes the price tag is the last thing I should look at. I also got a second pair of Quechua (Decathlon brand) boots that I got to have a backup pair for the US road trip, and my feet have never agreed to them despite the tryout at the store being alright. Definitely not worth the 60€ saved, at all.