On 27 Feb, 20:36, Phil Cook wrote:

You only need a waterproof membrane in your boots if they are made of
materials that are not inherently waterproof. Treated leather is
already a breathable waterproof material.

I'd go along with that. I've got gore-tex boots but I've been
perfectly happy with ones that didn't have it. proper leather boots
have a tradition going back, ooh, millenia.

For much of the late 90s young blokes in Europe bought second hand
east german airforce boots, which laced up to somewhere near the
chin. They wore them for work, cycling, hill walking, and (in the
case of some I knew) for job interviews. The construction was leather,
leather, with added leather. They were fantastically popular with
people who had no money, and seemed nearly indestructible and
comfortable enough to sleep in.