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ring sizing

Nkane 1 · · East Bay, CA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 140
Lena chita wrote:

Nope, no pain at all. The joints aren't so much "swollen" as "flattened" maybe? I am not saying that it is a muscle in my joint that is growing bigger. It is the bone itself that got bigger.

Here's an article from couple years back, looking at finger joint changes in climbers. The gist of it that climbers aren't at increased risk of osteoarthritis, but do have widened/thickened fingers, and the extra bone deposits are correlated with duration/frequency/difficulty of climbing. Sport climbers and boulderers had the biggest bone density/size changes, and harder/more frequent climbing also had more of an effect on finger bones.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2100343/

if the OP is training hard, it is quite likely that his fingers will get thicker, eventually

Thanks for this! Super interesting. 

I recently started wearing my ring and discovered two interesting things. First, my knuckles are much larger than the rest of my fingers, more so than other people. Thus in order for a ring to fit over my knuckle it has to be a little rattly once it's on. At first it bothered me but after a month or so I don't notice. No idea if the large knuckles are a result of climbing or if I was born this way.

Second, my fingers change size a LOT. Heat, flying, elevation, climbing, mornings all seem to make them bigger. Sometimes my ring slides right off and sometimes it's a bit of a struggle.

Last, anyone have tips for storing your ring while climbing at the gym or outside? I'm not a necklace guy. But I do carry earbuds in my jeans (usually) and I've been trying to tie the ring to the headphone cord (fun fact: it is impossible to girth hitch a ring. Try it.). Anyone else have tips for a good place to store it?

HBTHREE · · ma · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 30

sorry if this had already been covered,   i didn't read alot of the posts but it seems to me that u have just recently decided to start wearing rings right? Have you thought at all about  getting into necklace wearing, u could get a choker it's like a big ring but on your neck! your neck will prob stay the same size right, there ya go.

Andrew Poet · · Central AZ · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 161
Eplumer400 wrote:

When going to a metal band, look for a metal that can be resized for the future when your fingers significantly change size. Don't get tungsten carbide, as it can't be resized. 

I wouldn't say "can't", but it will be a massive pain in the ass.

Tee Kay · · Seattle, WA · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 110

I've been wondering about this myself. just never put search time into it. Not because I'm getting married (congrats to you!!!!-ick for me :P ) but because I have a bunch of rad rings I bought like right before I started climbing and a year or so after I started they don't fit the same fingers that they used to fit. I need to resize basically all of my rings.
i do have some temperature and hydration/climate related swelling, but it also seems that i've had permanent changes. I'm glad to hear others have had finger size changes because I was wondering about the normality of said changes.

per your season to season question, I like the answer of size now, resize later if necessary. or size larger (peak season) and get a ring guard for when your 'off' season.

obviously don't wear a ring climbing. (i know you said you wouldn't.) TANGENT: i have seen people climbing in rings and it makes me cringe. I also work in industrial health care settings and seeing people on the factory floor with rings on equally cringe-worthy, due to finger loss stories I've heard.

and congrats again!

Erik · · Goose Creek, SC · Joined May 2016 · Points: 115
apoet wrote:

I wouldn't say "can't", but it will be a massive pain in the ass.

Kay Jewelers said they can't/won't resize a tungsten carbide ring. Luckily I had my ring for such a little time that they were able to do an even exchange for a smaller size.

Tomily ma · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 520

I got my wedding band slotted in a constriction on small feet and thought I was going to lose my finger (at least the skin). I nearly crapped my pants. It was the last time I wore my ring climbing; I knew I shouldn't have had it on too. I've since outgrown my ring and lost some silicon options. I just wear a hair tie on my finger, not the classiest but works fine. When I could still fit in my ring, I kept it locked on my locking chalk bag carabiner! Big time deal breaker for most climbers out there. 

Forrest Carver · · Edgecomb, ME · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 150

I'm stubborn and have never taken mine off (silly feather in the cap I know), but it's getting beat to shit and nearly degloved me once. 

Any tricks to make it a bit safer, short of growing up and taking it off? Tape?

Kevin Piarulli · · Redmond, OR · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 1,678
Forrest Carver wrote:

I'm stubborn and have never taken mine off...

Any tricks to make it a bit safer, short of growing up and taking it off? Tape?

Avoid finger cracks and pocket climbing!

Kyle Taylor · · Broomfield CO · Joined Sep 2017 · Points: 0
Forrest Carver wrote:

I'm stubborn and have never taken mine off (silly feather in the cap I know), but it's getting beat to shit and nearly degloved me once. 

Any tricks to make it a bit safer, short of growing up and taking it off? Tape?

I doubt tape will save you in the advent of a circumstance taking your flesh off your finger.

Dude- I too went back and forth on this. I LOVE my wife and it feels weird not having the ring on, I wear it with pride and I even love playing with it when I'm bored or pondering great thoughts... but just take it off while climbing. I bought a few silicone rings and I wear those more often than my nice meteorite ring(yes meteorite). They are convenient, cheap and still let the ladies know you are taken. 

Take care.

cyclestupor · · Woodland Park, Colorado · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 91

Just go with a silicon ring (or 10 of em).  I used to wear a tungsten ring, inevitably I would get halfway up a climb and realize I was still wearing it when I got to the first finger crack.  Eventually I  lost it when it fell through a hole in my pocket while hiking.  I ordered some silicon rings, and a titanium ring.  These days I wear silicon pretty much all the time, and I'll wear the ti ring for special occasions.  I find the silicon ring to be far more comfortable.  It doesn't push against the sides of my other fingers, and it doesn't get stuck when my fingers swell.  I usually don't even bother taking it off while climbing.

Another option to consider is to get a ring tattoo'd on.  But of course that comes with its own set of problems.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

Both my knuckles and my wife's knuckles are big enough to make our rings look too big. A ring that would fit would be way too small to get over my knuckles.

Fwiw, my knuckles are the same size as my dad and uncle. My fingers are much skinnier. It makes me wonder if climbing actually made my fingers skinnier. 

Ryan Hamilton · · Orem · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 5

I have been married for 16 years. I wore a ring for the first 6 or 7 years, but after losing my 3rd ring got lost I just stopped wearing them. My wife doesn't care one bit if I don't wear a ring. She is an active person herself so she doesn't often wear a ring either, usually only if she's going out for dinner or something. I understand those that feel very strongly about their ring, but put it on a chain or something and realize that the symbol of your marriage is your marriage, not a piece of jewelry. 

Tomily ma · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 520

Let the thread die. Feel free to wear your ring when you climb. Feel free to play Russian roulette. Feel free to reuse needles. Or use some common sense. Duh!!!!

eli poss · · Durango, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 525

If you gotta wear your ring, just wear it on a necklace like Frodo

That way you don't have to buy a new ring in silicone and/or in a different size and you never have to worry about forgetting to take it off when you climb finger cracks. Since you won't be constantly taking it on and off when you climbing, you will also be less likely to drop and/or lose it. Keep it simple, stupid

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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