Advanced searching of multiple categories

Hi guys,

I am really sorry to be posting this question because it seems almost obvious, but I have tried searching with no avail.

The products I am selling can be described with approximately 8 top level categories. Each category is broken down into various subcategories that further describe the product.

I want people to be able to browse for products based on the categories, but also be able to specifically search for products that fit their needs. Is it possible to implement a search that has checkboxes for each subcategory the person wants?

I will use an example:

I sell boots. They are either leather or synthetic; high cut and low cut; work boots, casual boots, and dress boots.

Is there a way to give people a page where they can select leather, high cut, work boots and get all the products that fit this?

Are categories/subcats the way to do this or should I be looking at attributes? I still want people to be able to browse around.

Thanks in advance. I will continue to search the forums, but maybe my search terms aren't correct.

After more searching, it seems my problem is like the one covered in these two threads:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69135&highlight=attribute+search

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52499

Could somebody verify?

After spending a long time on the forums, I think what I am looking for is related to attributes.

And as I understand it, attribute searching is currently not possible. Am I on the right track?