Not saying my breathables are bad, just they are not up to the amount of cruising I do in the pursuit. I have korker boots which I both love and hate. Way more comfortable than anything else I have worn (out) but the lack of felt right to the edge of the boot makes some of the crazy wading I do pretty scary (missed a really got photo op of one our more famous locals doing a dip in the river while wearing korkers , fortunately in shallow water) . Neoprene just has way more insulation value for winter steel and thicker boots for the wear factor. I have never worn gravel guards with my Seatux and I usually get 2-3 years out of them (and yes I am usually dumping gravel out of them at the end of the day). I must say that other than the heels, my milanos have not leaked at all and I often wade to within a couple of inches of spillage (often one inch including hiking them up as high as I can).
Well off to search for cutties or steel!!