After a bad experience with a couple pairs of inexpensive boots , my podiatrist suggested Goretex hiking boots. I am in a garden center--wet, gravel, mud, blacktop, uneven surfaces, up and down a hill all day, cold, hot,you name it.

I absolutely love them--sturdy, lightweight, waterproof. They fit my narrow feet and they're comfortable! They were about $70. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that myself--I kept looking for women's heavy duty work boots and hated the weight and ugliness. And price. And having to keep treating the leather to keep them waterproof.

Are you sure you don't want to just buy another pair of hiking boots?

I switch to really good walking shoes--New Balance--which are pretty well water proof, in hotter weather. They don't last for more than 6 months or so at work. I sometimes stock up when there's a good sale. Getting bark dust and pumice inside the shoes is annoying. Don't have that problem with boots.

Bludstones. Expensive but worth every penny.

I'd check the hiking boots at Sierra Trading Post. They have a huge selection, and excellent prices.

I'm in my third year on a pair of Ecco Receptor's, and they are wonderful boots. They're extremely lightweight, with very tough construction, great treads and a Goretex liner. They were half-price.

Sierra has a huge selection of women's shoes and boots.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sierra - Women's Shoes and Boots

I have steel-toed Wolverines that i love. They protect my feet when I'm doing really heavy work. I noticed that the bottom of my left foot would be sore for days after doing a lot of shoveling/forking if I was wearing regular New Balance cross-trainers. I'll still wear shoes like that on light work days, but for heavy days I love my Wolverines! I think I got them at Academy and they were about $90.

I'm not a lady but if you need steel toe boots check out carbon fiber "steel toes" .. they still meet ansi / osha standards but are much lighter and comfortable.

Good Day ...

Logger boots. I am also a woman, and sometimes I have a hard time finding a man's boot small enough to fit me, but they make them. I spring for a new pair of them each spring and they last till next spring. The arches of my feet hit a lot of spade blades and pound miles of pea gravel and they need a no nonsense sole. You can buy a ultra light weight boot on the cheap at the *marts. A split cowhide and very comfortable, but they don't hold up as well and I need to change off often with them or get heel spurs from the constant pressure points on the heels. But the expensive loggers don't seem to have that problem. You get used to the weight quickly and when you take them off at the end of the day, your feet don't hurt.

Some things to think about:

Durability and structure often add weight, so you have to consider which you value more.

A logger boot typically has a higher heal. These are very durable, but you lose a great deal of lifting ability with the raised heal. I know that sounds rediculous, but I found that I could not do certain things that I could a few days before while on a construction crew. An older guy on the crew saw me struggling to do something that I routinely did and said just four words to me - "its your #$%^*&^ heels". I switched to my old boots the next day and was back to normal.

You have to weigh the benefit and consequences of soles as well. Traction can equal tracking mud.

Goretex is expensive, bur waterproof, breathing, light boots can be a great thing. I found that goretex failed for me rather quickly when I did maintenance. I don't know if it was fertilizer or what. I had a great pair of Danner boots ($200 over ten years ago) that leaked after a month.They replaced them and they leaked after another month. I bought a different brand with the same result.

Waterproof boots that are not Goretex can be cheap but tend to be like putting your foot in a plastic bag. No thanks.

I settled on Timberland boots that you would treat with silicone or mink oil. They were light weight, hade just enough tread (sort of salmon to tan colored sole with natural leather upper). I actually was having them shipped o Idaho from Massachusetts (pre-internet boom).

It comes down to lots of variables that are going to affect each individual differently and have different pros and cons depending on exactly what you are doing. What is best in one situation is really bad in another.

Great thread ... I've been looking foa another good pair for years. I have a small nursery/farm which gets really muddy.

My best pair of women's boots were a pair of Vasque hiking boots that came high up on the calf. I wore them til the leather split and I had to throw them away. I have tried all different boots since then and haven't settled on anything I like.

Waterproof is a necessity, walking thru mud over my ankle in the donkeys pastures, I need something that will keep my feet dry and won't come off. And comfort, I have bad feet, high arches and a fused ankle.

I've looked at some of the boots mentioned above, will have to look again now that mud season hopefully will soon be upon us ...

I've been wearing a great pair of Red Wing boots since November -- but when I checked the Red Wing web site yesterday, I noticed they didn't offer my model any longer.

Red Wings are the only boot for me. The longer you wear them the more comfortable they are. Made in the USA is important to me. You have to use mink oil or something to keep them from drying and cracking.
Avoid cheap, foreign boots, they're not comfortable and they don't last.

The best boots for you, and another person will not always be the same, different feet, different wear patterns.

I buy Merrill boots, waterproof, mid height, they are comfortable because they fit MY feet to a T, and last about 6 months. I started wearing them at the nursery and my legs never got tired even after all day on them.

Now I think I buy them from habit, but always on sale. Once you decide a style or brand is for you you can usually find them online at a good price. ( Sierraoutdoors or shoebuy) but make sure you have actually had them on your feet before plinking down 90-100 bucks.

OH, unsolicited advice, try 'darn tough' socks from vermont, you'll love them!
deb

I got some sketcher waterproof boots a couple of years ago. I thought they would be just for pretty,but they're great for work. Bouncy soles and they really are waterproof.

Depends on what you are doing. If doing heavy work,
or working around people who are doing heavy work, then steel toed boots are a good idea. The first time someone
drops a paving stone on your toe you will agree.

When I'm potting up, I like to wear water booties. These
are the neoprene boots sold for kayaking. They are lightweight, snug enough at the top to keep the dirt out.

Generally I like thse when working in a setting that requries nimble footwork too.

Warning: They have a very soft sole. You will know every rock, every stick. If you go around your garden at home barefoot, you may like these.Rocky Mountain House,ab

2ndly, your feet sweat a lot in them. They get stinky,
but you can run them through the wash.

LawnGrips are made especially for people in the landscaping & garden trades. Several styles available-- tie-up, slip-on, even steel-toe.
Sorry I don't have a link, but you can Google and find.

The toe part of the boot is made of a rubber-like material and the heel and upper part is like a sturdy athletic boot.

For lawn maintenance, digging holes and working in the garden, I really like LawnGrips. Tough shoes, comfortable, feet stay dry.

Red Wings without a doubt. Free oiling and replacing of laces too. Very comfortable and Thinsulate will keep your feet warm in the winter and dry in the summer. I would recommend Goretex for wet/muddy conditions, not for pesticide application. At a recertification course a year or two ago, a local Dept. of Ag. inspector was speaking on regulatory this and that and mentioned that some inactive ingredients in many products such as Round-Up turn Goretex into a gel-like substance, so at some point they would not be waterproof anymore.

I also don't wear the same boots more than a day or two or maybe three in a row, really depending on what I'm mainly going to be doing that day.

I also prefer higher boots, at least covering the ankle. None of my Red Wings I've owned have done this, even lower boots, but any hiking boots I've worn tend to get a lot of dirt/mulch/etc. into them. At this time of year with unloading of trucks, moving plants, loading mulch with the Bobcats, and so on I'm constantly taking my boots off to clean them out.