I second zalcos suggestions. I would add shoe covers to quickly cover your boots if you are going to take them off every time you go inside

Look for a waxed coat. Barbour makes nice ones.

Look at Carhartt for a coat, they are made for work.

What kind of conditions will you be walking in? I agree big vibram soles hold muck and then release it, but they also give you traction. Don’t give up good footing for dirt.

Oooh, I can get a Carhart locally, and stimulate the local economy at the same time . . .

If you wash wax coat, you have to reapply the wax. Total pain. But I DO love my Barbour coat!

Having grown up with "barn coats" and rubber boots, I fail to see how Hunter boots are a thing. They are gum boots! With a fancy "Hunter" label that sell for 100.00 or more. Our Co-Op sells rubber boots for 20.00 and we always used last years or the years before's coats for barn coats. My advice is don't overthink it and certainly don't buy new "barnwear."

I wear Muck Brand boots every day. They make a lightweight one for summer. They are the only boot that comes close to holding up to my abuse. A pair used to ast 4 or so years, and now they last 2 years.

I got a Carhartt waterproof jacket at Tractor Supply back in November that is PERFECT. Warm, but mot too hot, lightweight, and WATERPROOF.....the first time I have gotten one That is actually that!!

The tag says 103909 Blk.

My kind of gear -- I love my Muck boots in the garden! I also have Sloggers which are inexpensive, made in the US, and come in fabulous colors and patterns. :) Both have soles that can hold and later release packed mud if the conditions are right though, so if they're messy I hose them off or just slip them on/off at the back door, in exchange for crocs. Lol.

I've had my muck boots for years and really like them.

I think the Hunter boots are a "thing" because they look like traditional Wellies, which seem to speak to a certain outdoorsy British lifestyle. I think they're cute, but understand how others view them as purely utilitarian with a ridiculous price tag.

Slightly OT, but when we assisted at a medical clinic in the Panamanian rainforest, we became aware of how many of the indigenous people we served arrived wearing muck boots. This is a common and somewhat practical solution for the environmental conditions there, but those folks suffered terribly from foot fungus infections. It was one of the primary jobs of our clinicians to educate the community on proper foot and boot care.

Ok... back to the topic. 🙂

Ida I do remember that discussion about how to keep your feet dry in hot, wet, muddy conditions. I'm not sure how hot it will ever get for me, but definitely wet and muddy. I have always worn leather boots with steel toes if possible, and vibram soles. They can hold up to the kind of work I do with my feet, given the fact that I am always digging, hoeing, weaseling, spading, edging, climbing, etc. The theory behind my recommendations is that those kinds of boots could hold up to the level of wear and tear you might be giving them, and provide the necessary gripping and water tight performance. That's why I generally don't like the rubber "muck" boots since they get holes/tear under the kind of use I put them to. I don't like to throw out all that plastic from the cheap ones, and don't think the more expensive ones are worth it. I have a pair of LL Bean ones. They aren't easy on and off though, the ones I have are boots that lace up. I do like the rigged soles they have, less grip on the mud. That's my big problem, the mud that gets into the traction features on the soles. I take the boots off, but my mudroom is getting a ridiculous amount of mud in it. And I clean my boots too, before entering, so I have to work at this from multiple angles. Something as simple as "rubbers" to slip on my old walking shoes might work for some activities.

As for the coat, no Carharts or much of any type of work clothing available in the traditional tractor supply places that sell it around me. They don't want you lingering and trying stuff on, so they have downsized their clothing offerings. A jeans jacket would be nice too. I have one, and that's what I have been wearing, but it is my Mom's and is relatively nice and i don't want to wear it out doing yardwork.

I'm literally sifting rocks and dirt and washing the rocks to clear the mud every day. Plus digging many new garden beds and planting trees, etc, etc. More plant care than ever even though I am not working! At work i mostly maintained, which was weeding and pruning and trimming and putting down wood chips and mulch, now I am doing installation at home

Pink, have you looked at Bogs. I love that they have handles for pulling on and off. They come in different heights(and are so cute)

I muck horse stalls, clear brush, chain saw etc, my "mudruckers" stand up to anything! They're supportive and comfortable. I encourage you to give them a look.

The biggest issue I have with the rubber soles is they don't hold up to spading, shoveling, edging, etc. where you have to push with the sole of the shoe on the tool.

These Llbean comfort mocs would be perfect, and I got a pair, but they don't' fit right, my toes get pressure after long-term wear, and it really does a number on them. I already ordered a half size up, that doesn't seem to be the issue. They felt OK in the store but wearing them long term they were bad for my feet. Just put them on the other day and at the end of the day was back to the same old toe problems.

Muck boots do hold up. I use them for everything.....gardening, horse work, everything. I wear the inside out before the outside. Other boots cannot hold up to the horse urine. I wear the “mid”. I went to the Carhartt website, and they have a nice waterproof jacket that can be ordered directly. It is brown on the bottom, and navy on top.

Pink, if you liked the idea of the LLBean comfort mic, take a look at the Merrell Jungle Moc. Very similar shoes, fit is different. https://www.merrell.com/US/en/jungle-moc-esd-comp-toe-work-shoe/32731W.html?dwvar_32731W_color=J17740#cgid=women-footwear-work-boots&start=1

I think this jacket is nice.

https://www.duluthtrading.com/womens-duluthflex-fire-hose-coolmax-jacket-47712.html?dwvar_47712_color=CHR&cgid=womens-outerwear&ev3=#feature=wm9&start=15&cgid=womens-outerwear

My son loves the same fabric, shirt-jac, he actually loves the shirt-jac concept and has this one, as well as a few other brands, He wears ‘em over sweatshirt like you mentioned you might. https://www.duluthtrading.com/mens-burly-duluthflex-fire-hose-trim-fit-shirt-jac-89303.html?dwvar_89303_color=BIK&ev3=#q=firehouse%2Bcoat&lang=default&start=9

Yeah I kinda figured ultimately I was going to have to mail order the boots and jacket, (sigh) which is why I posted the question here, with mail order I have access to more brands. I've worn out the Llbean shoe selection, but I still find a lot of my jackets and outerwear through them. My last jacket was a windbreaker with fleece lining from Lands End. The fleece I wear all the time, but again, the jacket doesn't wash well. A lot of those windproof, waterproof jackets get dirt stains that don't come out, unlike something like cotton duck or denim. I can always slip a windbreaker over a cotton jacket, but when I don't need waterproof or windproof, washable is key. Particularly now in pandemic times when I am more often washing stuff that I wear out to the stores and other necessary errands where I'm in contact with people.

Oooh LocalE I just remembered I have a shirtjacket like that somewhere. Gotta find it, it's somewhere in with my packed away spring and summer clothing which I am slowly recovering. This time of year is so precipitous, I still have to keep my winter stuff around because we can have both winter and summer levels of weather in one or two days time.

I have an LLBean barn jacket for at least 20 years. Washes beautifully and wears like iron. I need a pair of muck boots and would love a pair of British wellies, but I have trouble getting my foot into high boots now-ankle doesn's seem to flex as it used to do. Might try to find some shorter ones. Those that localeater shared with the handles might work if they have a slightly higher version. Off to check! Thanks!

IPink, my DS works out in all weather and he loves the shirt jac. He is a mason and they are laying stone in Feb, in Maine. They dig deep foundations for the stone walls well below the heave.

He loves this one from Bean, it has SNAPS! not buttons. Dont you just love a snap front shirt-jac. And, big pockets. https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/121614?page=men-s-katahdin-iron-works-bonded-waffle-fleece-shirt-jac&bc=514752-514753&feat=514753-GN1&csp=a&pos=27

It's been washed about 100X and is wearing awesome.

I do know this, zippers seem to be a problem for me, they now seem to wear out long before the actual coat. I have two coats that I used to wear all the time in the winter, that are fine other than the zippers are useless.

Zippers are a big complaint of mine too. I have discussed it with the people at Bean. Their jackets used to last forever, now they, IMO, fail at the zipper. That is why I am liking Carhartt and Duluth Trading more and more.

l Pink - re: jackets with failed zippers. If they would work otherwise for your yard work, could you add velcro straps to keep them closed? Won't look pretty but may provide a solution at little cost. Good luck. Just looking at your rocks makes my back unhappy!