"...NO steel toes for cold weather (that should be a gimme), but some people just don't have a clue..."

Not entirely true. I have a pair of Matterhorns that I have been wearing probably five-six months out of the year for about nine years, including some pretty cold weather (as in standing in snow for six-eight hours non-stop), and the steel toes did not bother me a bit. Must have been the Thinsulate insulation.

As for the original question, I think that any well broken in, all leather, boots that fit well and give good ankle support, worn with proper sox, will do for most anything...