They are really too wide since they are made to accommodate a man's generally wider feet. I wear a woman's 7.5 - 8 depending on what type of shoe it is and what type of sock I will usually be wearing for the time of year.  So I bought a size men's 7 M / Women's 8 M. What they don't tell you is that the boots are actually marked as "women's 8 - 8.5, so the next smaller size might work better even with a thick sock.  Anyways, I put on thick wool socks, pulled on my new Mucks, and headed out to prune apple trees and do general clean-up in the orchard.

I wanted steel shanks for gardening with a shovel, and these were the only ones I could find.  I think they will work fine for that, but I need something more nimble, that my feet move around in less, and that I can also use in the summer with less sock. The deeply waffled soles picked up a lot of gunk, so they weren't invited to come back inside; I left them on the deck to dry so I can knock the stuff out more easily.

These boots provide very stable footing, and I didn't really notice them while I was busy with the work (probably about three hours at 48 degrees), my feet stayed nice and warm, didn't get sweaty, and the boots were pliable enough that they didn't put pressure against my ankles when I was crouched down.

I have since ordered some size 6 M US Big Kid MuckBoots (in Dusty Pink, no less), which I will add to this review when they arrive.  I wish I had thought about this option first, because I've had a lot of success with wearing youth sized shoes (they are often made on the exact same lasts as the comparable woman's sized shoe), and they always cost a good bit less than adult sizes. The kids boots don't have the steel shank and will be a bit shorter, but will probably be better for general garden work, and maybe even for light hiking.

In all, these will do for heavy garden chores that don't require much agility, but it you have a daintier foot, check out the kid's Mucks too.