does the Gore tex membrane weaken the boots integrity in long term?
I read reviews of some boots which the membrane extra pieces cause blister and breakdown.
Both concerns seems highly unlikely.
I'm more concerned about the bending action of the boot wearing out the nice water proof goretex membrane. It is very thin and delicate. Once punctured the boot isn't very water proof anymore... None of the gtx running shoes I've had stayed water proof for long.
Hiking boots are typically much more sturdy, with less bending in them, so the membrane should stay intact longer. I've never had any hiking boots with membrane (I'm a big fan of Lundhag's "luffare" for boots), but I know plenty that has tried them. They seem pretty much divided into two camps: One advocating the gtx membrane in their boots as the greatest thing since sliced bread. The other group says stuff like "great until the membrane punctures".