Would you rather go back to the old gumby boots ??
When looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the WWB, I don't think we should limit ourselves to a either/ or comparison with the boot system that came before. It would be more valuable to compare the Canadian WWB to other goretex-lined boots available from others companies. This would be an "apples to apples" comparison rather than the "apples to oranges" comparison of the goretex-lined, goodyear-welted WWB to the non-goretex, clued construction of the Mk III.
I think the WWB has some serious weaknesses. As already mentioned, the sole is composed of an extremely hard rubber compound that gives no traction on slick surfaces, including ice, compacted snow, etc. It is important to keep in mind that this compound was deliberately chosen by Clothe The Soldier (CTS) even though its shortcomings were known at the time, because it was expected to be longer lasting than a softer rubber that offered far superior grip. When the boots first came into service, there were numerous complaints. I recall CTS published a response in the Maple Leaf stating something along the lines of, "the reason soldiers are slipping in our boots is that the soldiers are wearing the boots in too-cold weather, and the soldiers are
walking too fast". Their advice to soldiers was to, "wear them only in above-freezing temperatures" and, "adjust your gait according to the conditions". I thought this a bit rich, pinning the blame for the boots on the people who wore them.
I think another weakness of the boots is the extreme weight and clunky construction. Goodyear welting, the process of stitching the boot upper to a "welt"(a sort of midsole) and then stitching the sole to the welt is a 140 year-old technology developed for men's dress shoes. Its advantages are that it is a very secure means of attaching the sole, and it allows for multiple resolings of the boot. Its disadvantages are that it is an extremely bulky and heavy means of construction. I've been wearing a pair of goretex lined combat boots for the past 2 years that are made by the Dannish shoe company
Ecco. The sole is attached by injection-molding, whereby the upper attached to a light midsole, is placed into a mold and the sole is injected directly onto the upper. This creates a much light boot, with a sole as securely attached as in goodyear welting. The disadvantage is that it is more complicated to resole. My ecco's in a size "effing big", weigh just slightly more than
half as much as my WWB's and offer comparable support and are much more comfortable.
I have a few more boot points but I think I'll leave it at that for now.