Clark Desert Boots & Mukluks -- both good concepts.  If I ultimately fail at making my own, I'd probably want to get a pair of one of these types and have it resoled with a flat piece of 6mm vibram soling material.  Having 1/2" or more of sole thickness seriously reduces ground feel.

The sodhopper is probably the ideal shoe for what I'm looking for.  It's just hard to fork over that kind of cash on a wildcard outcome.  At least if I fail at making my own, I learn some fun leatherworking skills in the process  

The crepe soles on my Desert Boots are so soft I can feel the smallest twig under my feet - better than my house shoes. If you do get some, wear them a bit before deciding whether to re-sole.

QuoteOriginally posted by Bladepeek:
The crepe soles on my Desert Boots are so soft I can feel the smallest twig under my feet - better than my house shoes. If you do get some, wear them a bit before deciding whether to re-sole.

It's the heel on those that turned me off.  I want a dead-flat, natural footbed.  Forgive me for being so darned picky.  But after learning what works for me on 20+ mile hikes and runs, I'm pretty stubbornly committed to those features.