For six months last year, once a week between May and October, I put on a pair of overalls and played farm girl as a volunteer on a near my home in Boulder, Colorado. I鈥檒l soon start shifts for this summer. The experience has taught me a lot: That everything on a farm has a purpose. That nothing on a regenerative farm is wasted. That hard work is rewarding, as is caring for others, even if (especially if?) they鈥檙e goats. And that overalls rock as workwear.
When my stint on the farm started last year, my husband bought me a pair of as a birthday gift. I鈥檇 owned a pair of super-baggy denim overalls in my 20s that I really wish I鈥檇 kept. But I hadn鈥檛 worn a pair of overalls since. Despite feeling a little, dare I say, sheepish about looking like I was playing dress up to rake some urine-stained bedding, I stepped into my new overalls, pulled the shoulder straps over a grubby t-shirt, and reported to my shift.
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Dovetail Freshley Lightweight Overalls
I instantly appreciated the durability of the fabric, as goats nibble on clothes. I also appreciated the fact that I could reach high or low and not bare my midriff or look like I was playing plumber instead of farmer. And since the bulk of my stint took place in the summer months, I was grateful that the overalls were made of lightweight ripstop cotton (with a touch of nylon and spandex for stretch) instead of heavy canvas or denim. The fabric is tough enough to withstand farm work stress鈥攖he reinforced knee and cuffs help鈥攚ithout making me overheat. It鈥檚 also rated UPF 50 and sheds water.
The stretchy suspenders and gusseted crotch allow full mobility whether I鈥檓 filling a bucket full of water with a garden hose (cue 鈥淭here鈥檚 a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, Dear Liza鈥 running through my head) or carrying said bucket across a field to the kids (adorably rascally baby goats).
But the pockets, oh the pockets. The 15(!) pockets on my Dovetails are almost my favorite part about them. Loading up these pockets reminds me of 鈥渕oving into鈥 a backpack鈥攐rganizing my stuff into multiple pockets鈥攕omething I freaking love. Packing a backpack always kickstarts the adventure ahead, and I love the sensibility and strategy of smartly designed pockets that I鈥檝e smartly loaded.
I feel similarly about the overall pockets in that they have made my life easier while satisfyingly organizing my stuff on my person. I stick my phone in a zippered pocket on my thigh. I place a lip balm in the fold-over pocket on my chest. I sometimes tuck sunglasses away. Truth be told, I don鈥檛 have a lot of gear/packing needs for working with the goats, but the pockets keep what I do need safe and right where I know where to find them.
My absolute favorite thing about my overalls, however, is that they make me want to work. At the goat farm, I arrive in my overalls, ready to kick the goats out of the barn鈥攚hich is also entertaining鈥攕o we can rake soiled hay, shovel it into a wheelbarrow, wheel it on over to the compost pile, and repeat before spreading new bedding. I carry the full buckets鈥攁 great strength training move, especially for my aging bones. I sometimes set up the electric fence used to move the goats鈥 grazing area around the farm, if we鈥檙e moving it that day.
And then we walk the goats on leashes to their grazing pasture where they happily gnaw down the weeds while aerating the ground with their hooves. Walking the goats is my favorite part of the 2.5-hour shift. Holding multiple leashes, each one connected to a goat, isn鈥檛 easy鈥攖hey鈥檙e like large, crazy, stubborn dogs鈥攂ut it makes me smile every time.
My Dovetail overalls have served me well on the goat farm, but they鈥檝e also inspired me to set my alarm for 6 a.m., hook them over my shoulders, and head out into my own backyard to peter around cutting back plants, raking leaves, and irrigating my garden as the sun comes up. I鈥檝e put on my overalls, and a pair of , to aerate my lawn like the goats in the fields, and spread weed and feed. (Crampons may not be as good as an actual aerator聽 for this job, but hey, I鈥檓 more gearhead than landscaper.)
Dare I say my overalls inspired me to sand and stain a picnic聽table鈥攁nd they worked great for the job. My list of chores I plan to do in my overalls is growing. They inspire work. They inspire me to get shit done.
Sure, I could play homesteader in regular shorts or pants. I could work on the goat farm in other clothes. But, built for any job, my overalls make me work better, and more often.