Going to be difficult with the budget but you may be able to find some factory seconds from red wings that fall within the budget.

Honestly can’t go wrong with either, the triolet is the lightest gore Tex coat that Patagonia makes and mammoth is seen very frequently on skilled mountaineers. I’ve had great experiences with both companies so I’d just go with whichever one has the colors and pockets you want.

Duluth briar pants and the wrangler ranger rip stop pants are great and not too expensive.

I have a pair of Danner Rainforests I got last year and they are not worth the price at all. Maybe worth $260 but definitely not the $440 they charge now. The leather and sole are good but they have zero arch support and the heel counter fell apart immediately leaving the uppers pretty floppy. For $440 you can get sale priced Nicks or Whites. For less you can get the 300 by JK or something similar from Drew’s ore Frank’s.

I’ve noticed they offer significantly less technical gear when compared to a few years ago.

VF also makes the uniforms for the National Park Service and they are abysmal.