Finally, a blog just for the ladies…
When it comes to fitting ladies in comfortable coveralls that will take a hard day’s work without complaint, and by hard day’s work I mean the same work that men do (but better, amirite ladies?), the best options are the ones designed to fit a woman.
There are many obvious reasons why donning a pair of men’s coveralls is a terrible idea for women, starting with the fact that they might be kinda stinky. Men aren’t the best detectives when it comes to discovering their own body odor. Smells get trapped in fabrics, and you know the drill… Hard pass.
Oh, you needn’t look over your shoulder. The fellas lost interest when they saw “ladies” in the title. We can be frank here… and by Frank, I mean Francine.
When shopping for coveralls, like finding the most comfortable undergarments, women should shop for and purchase the ones that are best suited for their needs.
That means they’re ideal for the…
- Job or task
- Climate
- Wearer’s fashion tastes
You read that right, fashion.
Wearing workwear no longer has to be a fashion disaster. Even the fellas are starting to make sure their tough-guy pants fit tight around the booty, and I don’t mean boots. It’s a brave new world, ladies and gentlemen.
Demand for the women’s category is typically lower than for menswear, so we carry fewer styles in the women’s line than we do in the men’s, but it’s a heckuva lot more today than when our family started this business.
Like I said, brave and new world. Alright, ladies… these are your best options for women’s coveralls.
ONLY women’s winter work coveralls
Before we dig into benefits and features, let’s get on the same page about something. It might be cute to put on a man’s (FRESH and CLEAN) shirt or some such clothing item… heck, it might even be comfortable… but it’s never practical to leave the house that way.
Wear what you prefer, of course, but know that workwear brands work tirelessly to design clothing to fit as many bodies as possible. In this case, we’re talking women’s bodies.
There are plenty of options designed with the unique shape and needs of a woman’s body that wearing menswear is not necessary. In fact, it’s downright silly.
For that reason, unlike in some of our previous blogs where we’ve suggested that women select an appropriately-sized men’s shirt in a pinch, we can’t make that move here.
There are simply too many factors in full body piece of workwear to cram your body into the wrong cut for any length of time. Forget it.
Besides, it’s not like you don’t deserve to own the right garments, especially if they’re for work. You can shop for sizes you recognize, and expect they’ll fit you right when they arrive.
So, let’s agree: you only shop for women’s coveralls, k? Good.
In a pinch, denim coveralls can work
The her-story of workwear owes much of its narrative to the manufacturing of denim coveralls or in this case, overalls. The only difference between the two is that coveralls literally cover all.
Overalls are like pants with a bib and suspenders.
For many of the brands we carry, that’s where they started: manufacturing overalls and coveralls for miners, loggers, mechanics, and laborers in many fields.
Sliding into a pair of denim overalls, like the Ring Spun Bib Overalls by Key, feels like plugging into the great timeline of history. You know, when you’re wearing them, that you’re part of something much bigger than yourself.
If it’s warm enough, you might even feel pretty comfortable in them. But, denim overalls will not generally get the job done in frozen climates.
The exception is if you are working between warm and cold environments, but spending most of your time indoors. A good example would be someone employed in food refrigeration, shipping or processing, something like that.
Denim, even with thermal base layers, can get cold and stay cold, even stiff. Then it can chaff, and that’s never good. Wear them if you have no other options, but try to get yourself in something better suited for the cold ASAP.
Check out Key’s Denim Overalls anyway
Ideal comfort for wrenchers in women’s mechanic coveralls
Working in a garage provides some of the toughest conditions for workwear. Garage doors fly up and down, garages themselves get hot and then cold, and the cars generate heat. Even worse there are burn hazards that not every workwear garment can handle.
Cue: Bulwark FR.
If the Knights of the Roundtable were alive today, they wouldn’t wear chain metal, they’d wear Bulwark. They’d probably wear Bulwark’s 4.5-ounce Nomex IIIA Premium Coveralls.
And yeah… if they had the option between chain mail and the women’s coveralls from Bulwark, they’d be wise to pick the women’s wear. Here’s why…
They’re flame resistant with an Arc rating of STPV 4.4 calories/cm². That’s easily tough enough to take on the flames of a dragon’s breath, something that would melt chainmail so… have your pick fellas.
Bulwark’s coveralls are ideal for the garage because they truly cover all, with long sleeves. They also come with some nice benefits.
The zipper is a taped brass break-away zipper concealed behind a snap at the top of zipper near the neck. This keeps the zipper from touching your skin, but also from collecting debris like ice, snow, and dirt. That means it will actually unzip when you want out.
These coveralls also have plenty of pockets to stash… whatever… two on the chest, two on the sides, and two on the hips, plus one more on the thigh.
That’s seven places to stash enough Kleenex to hand the fellas when they’re crying about burns and being cold because they bought the wrong workwear!
If $115 (price as of this writing) is a little steep for your budget, Bulwark makes a slightly better-budgeted version of those coveralls, their 7-ounce Excel Comfortouch coveralls.
That pair is arc-rated to 8.6 calories/cm², likely because they’re twice as heavy.
Your best solution is insulated women’s coveralls
Whether you need coveralls for play, work or hunting, there is nothing that will keep you warmer than insulated coveralls. Unfortunately, there are no coveralls for women that are fully insulated, not that you would want to wear for too long. They would overheat.
This is one case where a pair of insulated overalls will do a better job. You would need to wear them with the right weight jacket, something you can unzip or remove if you overheat.
For the hunter, Berne makes a very popular camouflage insulated bib designed to take everything mother nature can throw at you and come back fighting. The Berne bibs have endless pockets to stash a ton hunting gear, and they have a water-repellent finish for those wet, cold days.
For non-hunting days, they work fine in most other capacities because they’re Berne. They’ve been making workwear since 1915.
If camo isn’t your thing, Berne makes a similar set of bibs in solid colors, but so does Key. The Berns version is much like their camp bibs. The Key insulated bib overalls come with a 12-ounce duck, making them a little tougher than the Bernes.
Insulated overalls will keep you so comfortable, you might prefer not to take them off at the end of the day. It’s like walking around in a quilted blanket.
Yes, it’s a lot of options, but if you stick to the job, climate, and your tastes, you should be able to find the right coveralls.
The big question is: How long are you going to let your legs freeze in the wrong workwear? Heck, there may even be time to slide this one onto your beloved’s holiday shopping list.
We’re huge fans of workwear as gifts.
Shop ALL women's coveralls
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.