I bought Salomon shoes, one of them is too tight

Hello,

I bought the Salomon Men's Wings Sky GTX. the left shoe is comfortable, but the right one is too tight - not wide enough.

I checked - they are both the same size...

so, is there any recommondation - what should I do?

I went from a size 10 regular to a size 10 wide and found the difference marked. I would return your boots and get the wide version.

This is going to sound silly, but is there a chance your right foot is swollen or bigger than the left? If that not the case I'll take them back and try on regular again see if same problem occurs. If so you probably just need the wide version.

Most if not all people have a slight size difference between the left and right feet. Some people are so bad they almost need two pairs of shoes in order to be comfortable. My feet have flattened and increased a size and a half in the last ten years.

I'm told that very few people have both feet the same size! My left foot has always been longer and narrower while my right foot has been shorter and wider. I had both feet measured back when I was in my early 20's before they got deformed by minor things like 5 pregnancies, periodic bouts of overweight and genetics. At this point my right foot is still wider because the bunion there is more advanced.

I have met one person who has to wear an extra sock on the smaller foot!

You might want to have both feet measured by an expert shoe fitter (if you can find one) and buy footwear based on your larger foot. Of course since shoe lasts differ among models (and even more among manufacturers, and many change their lasts yearly), there's no substitute for a good try-on. It's a good idea to walk around for a while with your pack on.

Okay, get a size 10 Vasque and a size 11 Wide Asolo and wear them together.

Wait, I must be an idiot! Get two pair of Vasque (or whatever) and wear different sizes. Expensive solution.

I wonder if I can get the shoe stretched to my foot size. I was offered to use a shoe stretcher, but I'm worried it may ruin the gore tex / other materials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QohsNMsplqI

If you feet are this mismatch I would assume you would know by now. If you don't regularly have this problem with shoes, then the most likely cause is manufacturing variance. I think you have a defective shoe and should exchange them. If that doesn't solve the problem then you can look at stretching the shoe.

Gortex is still flexible, so I would assume you could get some relief to your problem by stretching it. People stretch out hockey skates and those are much more stiff than your hiking boot. I would still only do it if this is a known issue with your foot. Otherwise it is a defective shoe.

Did you take out the wad of tissue paper? (Hey, just askin' questions here!)

No idea what's occurring, but if you think they're mismatched just return them. I've had many clothing items that were mislabeled and given the vast supply chain that supports our wardrobes. Just don't settle for poor fitting shoes, every hike depends on the feet from start to finish.

Cheers,

TNX a lot you guys, I'll go exchanging them today, and get back here with an update.

p.s. sorry about my poor English. I'm not an Anglo...