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The best garden clogs are more than just an easy-to-wear flip flop and recovery slide alternative. Sure, clogs, with their low-profile collar, are just as comfortable. But unlike a flip flop or slide, a proper garden clog is able to protect you from the elements and designed for traction on wet, uneven ground, like hiking-boots hiking sandals.
For many years, the gardening clog was just this, a utilitarian staple of people mostly concerned with function. The clog was worn for gardening, of course, but also by line cooks who needed something comfortable (and health-code compliant) to wear during long shifts. Some clogs, particularly those with beefy, squishy heels, became a common sight in hospitals, where both nurses and surgeons could appreciate the comfort they provided, too.
More recently, the obvious advantages of the clog have made the silhouette go mainstream—a burgeoning trend even. I bought my first pair after my friend Gerald recommended them in GQ four years ago, only to find that everyone else in New York had the same idea. For a few months, you couldn’t get onto a subway car without spotting someone else wearing matching shoes.
Now the garden clog is again in the news, on the feet of Gorpcore cool kids and West Village Girls alike. With so many great options to choose from, I have compiled the following list of the best garden clogs for women and men based on first hand experience and anecdotal advice from the Field Mag editorial team. Below you will find our collective picks for the 13 best garden clogs for this summer and beyond.
The 13 Best Garden Clogs for Everyday Wear
Birkenstock Boston EVA
Price: $60
Why We Like It: Get classic Boston shape in a more weatherproof material.
Birkenstock’s Arizona might be the company’s most well-known design, but the company has been making the clog-style Boston since 1976. You can certainly buy the shoe in the company’s standard cork sole with a suede or oiled leather upper, but I have an endless fondness for the shape rendered in the company’s EVA material. The plastic-y foam is sturdy and much more weather-resistant than the cork models, which tend to soak up any water they encounter.
Crocs Classic Clog
Price: $50
Why We Like It: A technical enough option that will help you access the childlike joy inside you
Most people’s reactions to the Croc exist in two phases: pre-wear and post-wear. The first time I saw one on the foot of another kid in my second grade class, I remember thinking it was the ugliest shoe in the world. After I tried one on though, I could immediately see the appeal. Crocs are made from a proprietary plastic that is quite squishy. This, plus the small bumps along the sole, make wearing the shoes feel like you’re getting a constant foot rub. Pus, they come in nearly 40 colors.
Merrell Hydro Moc
Price: $60
Why We Like It: The comfort of a Croc in a slightly cooler silhouette.
First launched in 2021, the Hydro Moc is a more tech-y spin on the classic plastic clog. The shape is quite similar to that of the Croc, with holes that allow your feet to breathe, but its material is just a little stiffer. The foam itself is fully vegan, partially made from algae. The shoe is offered in a few different color options, with more available if you can fit into “women’s” sizes.
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KEEN Yogui Clog
Price: $53
Why We Like It: A handsomely blobby clog with a unique anti-odor treatment
KEEN makes a wide range of sandals and slip-on shoes, but its Yogui clog is one of its only shoes that looks dropped in from the future. The shoe, made from injected foam, looks oddly like a classic slide, albeit one that’s been left out in the sun long enough for the toe box to melt into three distinct strips. The shoe is quite roomy inside, allowing your toes to splay out comfortably, but also includes soles with Keen’s pesticide-free anti-odor microbial treatment. If they do start to smell, she shoes can also be cleaned with soap and water.
Seavees Bodega Clog
Price: $110
Why We Like It: A rubber clog with #menswear energy.
Seavees is an American brand that fell into non-existence in the late 20th-century, but has been resurrected after its company’s current CEO found a pair of its original sneakers in a secondhand shop in Tokyo. The Bodega Clog is one of its more recent styles, built out of rubber with a memory foam insole. We dig the vintage-inspired pull tab.
Hunter Neoprene Gardener Clogs
Price: $95
Why We Like It: A neoprene clog from the royal's favorite boot maker
You can think of Hunter’s clogs as the company’s iconic rain boot after an aggressive, mood-altering haircut. With the same tread along the sole, the clogs are similarly built to handle heavy rain and muddy conditions. Hunter shoes have a slightly preppy association, buoyed by the fact they keep being worn by royals and former royals. But styled properly, they can feel contemporary.
Blundstone Premium Leather Clog
Price: $175
Why We Like It: A leather clog that can actually handle weather.
The pull-up tab Blundstone Chelsea Boot is as wearable as shoes get—with a chunky, friendly silhouette and a comfortable foam sole that breaks in beautifully over time. The company’s newer clog style offers a lot of the same advantages. The water-resistant leather has to be cared for a bit more actively than rubber and or plastic, but the work is well-worth it for something that looks this handsome.
Gardenheir Italian Garden Clogs
Price: $78
Why We Like It: A gardening clog with a "Ciao Bella" mindset.
Where the vast majority of clogs are quite chunky and bulbous, the ones from Gardenheir are much slimmer. Made in Italy, the shoes have a silhouette that looks more like a leather loafer than a Croc. But these are just as weatherproof and slip-resistant. As a bonus, the shoes feature a removable cork insole that offers a bit more extra support.
Aime Leon Dore Diner Clog
Price: $175
Why We Like It: Technical enough for back of house work, handsome enough for front of house life.
Despite being just over a decade old, Aime Leon Dore has already become a tentpole brand for many menswear enthusiasts. It has an impressively deep catalog of shirts, accessories, and footwear, including its Diner Clog. The shape is simple and quite elegant, with little external layering that would break up the look. But just because it’s called the “Diner” clog doesn’t mean it is a wimp in the weather—the material is completely waterproof.
Calzuro Classic Without Holes
Price: $125
Why We Like It: Good enough for your surgeon, good enough for you.
Calzuro’s clogs were initially created for surgeons, who needed something that would be comfortable enough to wear for long sessions at the operating table. This fact might make you think the clogs would be relatively staid and plain-looking, but the Italian shoes are sold in a wide range of bright, saturated colors. Even the gray clog has a slight metallic gradient that makes it stand out in a sea of other rubber options. One note: if you want a heel strap, you have to purchase it separately.
Bedrock Sandals Mountain Clog
Price: $160
Why We Like It: So comfortable even ultralight obsessives consider bringing it along on their adventures.
Bedrock Sandals is primarily known for its minimal Cairn sandal, a Vibram-soled sandal it updated over the last decade with feedback from the brand’s fans. But since late 2023, the company has also sold a handsome Mountain Clog. The shoes, also built on a Vibram outsole, feature a suede or nubuck leather upper with a soft polyester mesh lining. The flexible shoe is quite breathable, though not exactly weatherproof. This is a clog more intended for a sandy desert or beach than a muddy trail.
Salomon RX Slide 3.0
Price: $90
Why We Like It: A piece of recovery gear built as intentionally as its accompanying sport gear.
Salomon was an initial beneficiary of the Gorpcore renaissance of the last few years, where fashion folks started incorporating technical pieces of outdoor gear into their rotation of staples. Thankfully, this didn’t go to the company’s head—they’re still designing their gear with function first. Case in point: the company’s updated recovery slide, made with a comfortably cushioned EVA sole and breathable mesh upper fabric.
Brain Dead x Oakley Factory Chop Saw Mule
Price: $165
Why We Like It: An ahead-of-its-time design, thankfully resurrected by one of the boldest brands in the business.
The Oakley Chop Saw was a silhouette that the company first released in the aughts, but was probably just a bit ahead of its time. Just a few years ago, as part of a long-standing collaboration, the team at Brain Dead got Oakley to rerelease the shoe in a few new colors. They also worked together on a mule version of the sneaker, with a much lower profile and in a few slick colors. We’re quite partial to the slimy celery version, shown above.
Published 05-27-2025
