Hi Wendy,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us, we really appreciate it.
It’s actually normal for the upper knit and ankle opening to be a little firm to start! Over the first few wears of your new shoes you’ll notice that the upper knit and ankle opening will stretch to accommodate to tailor to your foot shape. The reason you want this is to make sure no water comes in through the ankle, and the only way to ensure this is if you allow the shoe to mold to your ankle shape. In order to do that, you do need them to be tight at first and then only stretch when they’ve learned your specific foot shape.
Not to worry, after a few more wears the ankle opening will have loosened up to become the perfect fit for your feet. Lots of customers use a shoehorn in the meantime, which should help. You can also place a pair of balled up socks inside the shoes overnight to help speed up the stretching process.
“I am very pleased with my Vessi purchase! It’s only been a week, but in the PNW, I’ve had lots of very rainy days to test out the primary function of these shoes. They are indeed waterproof and mud slides off easily too. I’ve seen mixed reviews on comfort, but for me they are very comfortable. I wear an 8 or 8.5 in most shoes, so I went for an 8. They fit great from day 1. It’s early on, but from what I can tell, they seem very durable. My one concern is that my feet were a bit cold on chilly mornings. I might need warmer socks to wear them all winter, or I might go for another pair of shoes on days that are below freezing. However, this makes me think these will be cool enough to wear in the summer too.”
“Comfy immediately!! Don't rub the back of my heels. I'm a size 8 with slightly narrow feet. these have a roomy fit & are better with socks though my heels don't slip, so I wear them barefeet for a quick walk with the doggy. Nice sleek look and I'll wear them to work on rainy days. Don't make my feet sweat!”
