I've been humming and hawing so much on new SPD winter shoes. I currently have a basic MTB shoe which are falling apart and offer no thermal/water protection at all. I typically bring an extra pair of socks to work and have my work shoes, but its high time for a new pair.
For the past few months, I've been eyeing these:

Northwave Extreme Winter GTX MTB SPD Boots 2016 | Chain Reaction Cycles

or

Northwave Celsius 2 GTX Winter MTB Boots 2016 | Chain Reaction Cycles

Both shoes from from Northwave and seem to offer the type of protection/quality I'm looking for, but crazy prices.

What do you guys use for those really heavy/wet days? I may end up biting the bullet and spending so much on these shoes, especially if they really keep your feet toasty and dry like they claim.

Would love to hear some comments!
Luckily in Vancouver the weather has been holding out but I want to get a new pair ASAP.

EDIT: And I should say, I dislike booties and shoe covers. I've had a couple of pairs but they've never worked well, and its extra stuff to carry around.

Also, to those responding, can you comment on the closure mechanism you prefer? That's the main difference I see between the two shoes linked above- I really like the "power snap" closing mechanism vs the "speed lace" system.

S.