I am familiar brand, but I have never tried them. What is it about the soles that has you concerned?

Here is a picture of the sole: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/goldmountainmining_2192_39398156

It is soft and very flexible, but with all those little knobs, it doesn't quite give you the connection with the ground that I love so much. There also appears to be a slight drop from heel to toe, probably about 5 mm. It is durable, though, and I expect my pair to last several years.

As for the shoe itself, it's completely made of leather, so it stretches over the first couple of wearings to fit your foot perfectly- including allowing for toe splay as you walk. A lot of online dealers boast a "fully-padded insole", but it's so thin that I can only tell by actually pressing it inbetween my fingers. It's also not as breathable as I would ideally like, but it's only really when I'm stationary (I think they breathe better when I'm walking around), and since I tend to slip off my shoes when I'm at work or class, that's not a problem. In fact, that makes these shoes perfect, since they slip on and off so easily, and are worn without socks.

I think I'd like to try a pair of the softsoles (completely leather all the way around), but I'm concerned that they won't last as long. Plus, when the ground is cold and wet I think I could use the extra buffer.. I'm just not sure how "minimal" they are. Certainly more than the average shoe, but probably not ideal, either.

For warm feet in cold conditions, I wouldn't sweat a bit of heel drop.

A 5mm heel drop isn't that much, although ideally I prefer 0mm. Some shoes I review and like have drops in the 4 - 6 mm range. It is especially difficult to find flat, warm shoes. In winter, at least for now, some compromises need to be made for warm feet. Almost all of the zero-drop ones are thin-soled and can be quite cold in winter conditions. About the only exception to this rule is the Altra Instinct and the Altra Adam, which are completely flat and have some foam under foot which provides insulation. I haven't found anything like that in a more casual shoe though.

If you have the budget, Russell Moccasin could make what you are looking for. They make completely flat shoes, very durable, and could even add some insulation for you. They are a custom shop and make practically anything you want... for a price. They are incredibly durable though.

I'd love a custom pair of shoes, but unfortunately, I'm a college student and everything I buy puts me in more debt, lol. I do have a budget for clothes and shoes (seeing as how most of what I wear I bought when I was a teenager), but I'm trying to stretch it as far as reasonably possible!

Thanks for the suggestion, though. Maybe when I've got a decent job I'll do that! :)