Boots... Which ones?

Whtever they're for, fit is crucial and somebody else's suggestion has no reason to bear any relation to the particular fit of a given boot on your feet.  So get out there and try them on.

For general fieldwork my old department (Leicester Uni) suggested wellies.  Various of us felt we knew better and wore walking boots, but the proportion of wellies increased as time went on.  Cheaper, tougher (especially builders' site wellies with steel toecaps) and more waterproof than walking boots, all of which are handy if the work requires you to stand in unpleasant goop for half an hour making notes.

Pete.

There is a reason why farmers (I am an ex-farmer) dont wear walking boots. My daughter was at Camborne School of mines - she didnt use walking boots much either.

Walking boots arent made for 24/7 use (as a rule) whereas industrial footwear has it in mind that people do 8 or 10 hour shifts 5 or 7 days a week.  The only problem is weight - steel toe caps add some grammes!