Groove Life Silicone Rings for Active Travelers: 100 Day Review
Updated: Nov 25, 2019
Article by Brent Robillard and Photography by Caroline Bergeron
I have misplaced (read: lost) three wedding bands in the last twenty-two years. The ratio may not sound too bad, but wedding bands tend to be expensive, and, well, they are supposed to be symbolic, and therefore valuable for another reason.
I don't consider myself to be thoughtless or absent-minded, but certain conditions breed certain outcomes. Valuable wedding bands just weren't meant for active travelers. Whether you are paddling, or hiking, or just swimming in the ocean, there always comes a point where you remove the ring because you are afraid to damage it, or, ironically, you are afraid to lose it. And then, before you know it, it's gone.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
My wife solved the problem on my last birthday. She bought me a Groove Life silicone band. It's been on my finger, without removal, for the last 100 days. Safe and sound.
Peter Goodwin, Groove Life founder, came up with the idea while he was living in Alaska. He needed a ring to match his adventurous lifestyle. From a company of one in Port Alsworth, it has grown to employ fifty staff in a renovated school in Tennessee.
The rings are fashioned from medical grade silicone which makes them next to indestructible, but the innovative aspect is really the system of "grooves" on the underside which allow the ring to "breathe." This, coupled with their low profile, makes the rings incredibly comfortable. They literally fit like a glove.
I have already undertaken a three-day wilderness paddling trip and an ocean-side vacation in Cuba since my wife gave it to me. As I say, it has not left my finger. But more impressively, I really put it to the test at the gym. I lift weights three days a week. I was certain the serrated grips on the Olympic bar would quickly chew away at the silicone. But after more than 30 sessions, I can report that the band looks as though it came out of the box yesterday. Not a mark.
And you know, I like it better than any other band I've ever owned, even aesthetically. Caroline knows me better than anyone else, and she chose the exact style that I would have selected for myself: Topo Original. And there are hundreds of "off-the-shelf" styles to choose from with further designs available through customisation.
They are so certain you will like the ring that you have thirty days to return it or exchange it free of change. They are so certain of its quality that they offer a "94-year unlimited warranty. If it's taken in a shark attack, they will replace it. If you damage it wrestling grizzlies, they have your back.
Seriously, though. They're great. I love mine. I want a pinky-ring for the other hand. Maybe for Father's Day?
Do you own Groove Life gear? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.