But- has yours cracked yet? I’ve seen a lot of people comment about this, but never seen it as a real issue, beyond boots that have lived on construction sites and are totaled all around. I picked up a pair of Thorogoods (my first pair of GYW shoes) about 2 months ago and have walked at least 150+ miles in them so far and don’t really see the welt being an issue (after all, at least it can be replaced if needed, ha).