Slogger Rain & Garden Shoe Review

Sloggers quality, affordable shoes are a great choice for beginning gardeners and homesteaders

If you are like me, you spend a lot of time in the garden and doing homestead chores. And if you are like me, you have tried using older running shoes or flip flops (are these the state shoe of Arizona?) – but found that they just aren’t up to gardening and homestead chores. That is where garden shoes come in – they are designed to provide comfort and function.

If you are considering trying garden shoes for the first time, I recommend Sloggers Rain & Garden Shoes as the best gardening shoe for beginners due to their overall quality, features, and price.

I am no stranger to Sloggers Rain & Garden Shoes. I have been wearing them multiple times a day for the last year while I garden and do other homestead chores such as caring for my horses, chickens, and ducks. They have been a quality, affordable option that allowed me to determine what I really need in a shoe for these tasks.

What Are Slogger Rain & Garden Shoes?

Slogger Rain & Garden Shoes are waterproof slip-on shoes that cover the heel. They are made in the USA with some recyclable materials. The fun, colorful patterns won’t come off and the shoe and removable insole can be hosed off for easy cleaning. They are designed to handle the elements that homesteaders face – from a rainy day to messy coops and animal areas.

Key Features

• “All-Day Comfort Insoles” that are removable, replaceable, and washable

• Soles feature treads with heavy-duty lugs

• Fun, colorful patterns

• Easy to slide on with covered heel

• Waterproof & easy to clean

What Are The Top Features to Consider For Garden Shoes?

Here in the desert, my property has uneven, rocky terrain. When the monsoon rains roll in, we experience muddy and slippery conditions. So I need a shoe that can protect my feet from dirt, mud, and debris while also providing traction in slippery conditions. Here are some key features to keep in mind when shopping for gardening shoes and how I rate Sloggers:

Traction

The soles on Sloggers feature a very deep lug designed to provide good grip on slippery surfaces. I find they give me great traction in wet conditions. Mud can pack into the treads, so I appreciate that I can quickly and easily hose them off so I don’t bring the muck into the garage.

Comfort

I am outside a minimum of 6 times a day for gardening and animal chores. I have chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet, so I need a shoe that I can easily and quickly slip on and off. Slogger shoes fit the bill.

Depending on the gardening activity or homestead chore, I find I can wear these shoes for about 4 hours before I begin to experience discomfort. The “all-day comfort insoles” are not up to the tasks of providing comfort for digging with a shovel or for really rocky terrain.

These shoes are somewhat less flexible than a running shoe or Croc. While I find them fine for my daily use of light gardening and homestead chores, I would not wear them for running errands or for walks. These are gardening shoes, so I don’t expect them to be multi-functional.

My biggest complaint with the Sloggers is how hot they get when I am in direct sun when it is over 90. The heat in the shoe builds over time and I find my foot becomes burning hot. I have learned to plan these activities for other times or wear different shoes.

Since the majority of my wear comes from lighter gardening tasks and homestead chores, I have found the comfort of these shoes to be fine, especially given their price point.

Durability & Protection

Anyone spending time in the garden or doing homestead chores knows that these tasks can be tough on shoes. Between the mud, the rocks, and the sharp plants, it’s important to find gardening shoes that are durable and protective.

Gardening shoes should have closed toes to protect you from stubbing your toe on a rock or root and from allowing insects or other debris into your shoe. I find Sloggers protect my feet from the various unpleasant assaults gardening in the desert brings. I can kill a scorpion or walk on my somewhat rocky soil without worry.

While really large, pointy rocks and long mesquite thorns can be uncomfortable even with these shoes on, I find I can easily avoid them.

I have owned 2 pairs of Sloggers, and each pair lasted about a year. I needed to purchase a new pair because the back of the heel cracked open. I am starting to see the same issue with the second pair.

I did have to replace the insoles in each pair after about 6 months of use. Since the included insoles are removable for washing, it is easy to replace them.

Overall, with my level of wear and activity, I find Sloggers deliver great durability and protection for the price.

Waterproofing & Breathability

Between watering my garden and daily water changes for my ducks, chickens, and horses, I need waterproof shoes to keep my feet dry. Sloggers deliver on their waterproof claim.

Because they have a lower ankle height, I do have to be careful of the depth of puddles I step in. Water can go over the top of the shoe and soak your foot. I have Sloggers Rain & Garden Boots for times when I need to walk in deeper water or mud.

My feet are prone to sweating. For that reason, I wear wool socks year-round, no matter what shoe I wear. When it is warm here in the desert, I have found that my feet do sweat when wearing my Sloggers. My wool socks wick away the moisture, so I do not experience any problems with blisters. When my socks are damp, the insoles get damp. I am glad the insoles are removable and washable.

While the waterproof material and enclosed shoe limit breathability, I find that keeping my feet protected from water is much more desirable than breathablity. Waterproofing is the important criteria for me, and Sloggers quality is top-notch here.

Stability & Support

These shoes sit low on the ankle and are not designed to provide significant ankle support and stability. I do find that if I step on a larger rock that can roll, I will roll my ankle. This is easily avoided since I can see those rocks and walk around them. I do not expect the best gardening shoe to provide stability for rough terrain, so this isn’t a major factor in my review.

With that said, I do find Sloggers to provide more stability than garden clogs. When I wore Crocs, my foot shifted from side to side and front to back. I felt they were much more likely to cause me to injure myself. My foot does not slide from side to side or back to front in my Sloggers. In this area, they provide great stability to me.

I have arches that are slightly high, but not overly so. I find the arch support in the insoles to be fine for my purposes. My arches and feet hurt if I wear these for more than about 4 hours or if I am doing heavier activities. Since I am not wearing my Sloggers for long stretches or heavy activities, I feel the arch support is fine for me.

Sizing & Fit

As I researched options on the internet, I found that most complaints with garden shoes involve sizing and fit. And slogger shoes are not any different than other options in this area.

I don’t know why, but garden shoes seem to only come in whole sizes. Sloggers shoes only come in whole sizes, not half sizes. Please note that if you order from Amazon, the half sizer insoles are a separate purchase at the time I wrote this article.

My slogger shoes fit me better than garden clogs like Crocs. I found Crocs to be overly large on my foot, which made me feel like I was slipping and sliding around in the shoe. Even though they are a slip-on, my sloggers fit close enough with my socks to keep my feet from sliding around.

I would not recommend wearing these shoes without socks. If I wear them barefoot, I find my foot slides around, gets sweaty and is more prone to blisters.

What I Like

• Excellent quality for the price

• Waterproof

• Great traction in wet conditions

• Comfortable for light gardening and homestead chores

• Protects against rocks, insects, and other sharp objects

• Made in the USA & Recyclable

• Fun prints

• Easily cleaned shoe and replaceable insole

• Slip on shoe that provides some stability and support

What I Don’t Like

• Uncomfortably hot in direct, hot sun

• Not suitable for digging with a shovel or heavier gardening tasks

• Not comfortable for all-day wear

Sloggers FAQ

What Are Other Reviews Saying?

The positive reviews seemed to match what I like about Sloggers. One of the top positive features mentioned about Sloggers is the fun, stylish patterns. Reviewers also appreciated that they are waterproof, easy to clean, and affordable. Many people do find them comfortable, including wearing them all day and running errands.

Reviewers mention issues with sizing and discomfort most often as negatives for Sloggers. These include complaints due to the lack of half sizes and the problems created by the half sizer insole. Many found the half sizer insoles made their feet sit too high in the shoe, which made the shoe too tight. Others found the shoes to be too narrow or fit too snug. Several mentioned that they experienced sweaty or hot feet, while others complained about the lack of arch support and lack of cushioning, which led to the shoes not being comfortable.