Richard doesn't often speak if he can help it but when he does it's usually an indecipherable scouse drawl. We managed to sit him down long enough to put pen to paper and explain properly what it is he likes so much about his new Unparallel Sirius!

Very new to us and fairly new to the world, Unparallel are actually seasoned vets of the shoe building world with a guilded history at Five Ten. Californian shoe sages. You need to get down to Llanberis and try some on!

Rich decided to treat his noggin to some protection. We told him it was money wasted with that little to preserve but he couldn't be swayed. One man's views on the ultralight second generation Petzl Sirocco.

A soft, low profile cradle that can be adjusted with one hand. A magnetic buckle that can be just as easily fastened. Have they thought of everything?

An in depth look at the Scarpa Maestro. Our resident boulder wad hung up his aggressive toe downs and laced up a pair of Maestros; Scarpa's techy all-day fit.

From scrambling and multi-pitching through to bouldering and some indoor routing. Rich put these through the works. Working out how to size them and where their limits lie so you don't have to!

“A string vest?!” scoffed the soon-to-be convert.

Well, yes, it is, but it works really well. The notion that you are going to look absolutely ridiculous in a Brynje Super Thermo Tee is entirely redundant as they do what they do so effectively and really never need to be worn on their own.. It’s a null point you’ll look stupid if you’re caught in it. Why are you not dressed properly? Stop. Try one!

The Super Thermo works by trapping a layer of air beneath your normally next-to-skin tee shirt or base layer allowing that to be regulated by your body. As with any method I’ve used to keep me from freezing to death I have gone the other way and overheated. It is much less likely to happen and so much more comfortable when it does using a Super Thermo though.

For really cold wintery rides or fast moving mountain days I would wear this every time over a conventional base-layer. The superior wicking keeps sweat away from your skin and so that choking close hot sweaty feeling just never happens. The synthetic models are durable and easy to wash and keep clean. Despite an open weave they don’t fray or snag- built to last.

I am sure you have your reservations but I will say that most people I’ve talked into buying one now own two. I’m about to buy my third (a wool one to work in until the boiler is fixed) so through the winter I always have one to chuck on.

- Will

Image: Bert & Alex admiring each others Brynje Super Thermos. You could look this good too!

A great all-round boot for appreciating the British Isles. As at home rambling across lowland moors as traversing exposed ridgelines. Not quite one boot to rule them all but if your budget is tight then this is a good place to start.

As well as wearing a pair myself I've got them on the feet of many a friend and happy customer. A surprisingly technical offering at a great price point.

Image: The picture is of a friend's Rapace GTX Womens. Bought for a recent trip to Scotland, Tem's lengthy review was; "Awesome! but a little cold in the Cairngorms". Fair..

A no-frills functional hoody from Montane. Close fitting, as warm as you would hope it to be and stretchy in all the right places!

A quick look at Ortovox's Swisswool Dufour jacket; part of the larger Swisswool range. This jacket makes use of wool to offer insulation in place of goose down or primaloft.

Super breathable, not as sensitive as down, much lighter than synthetic options, innovative and effective!

Resident punter John has put the lens down long enough to tell us what he has been up to, where he has been up to it and what he likes about the kit we sold him to go and do it! This piece is on his must have jumar companions; a list he has fine tuned through trial and error.

Next month he will be in Yosemite and hopefully by the end of it will have something worthwhile to say..

Back once again, this time with a brief overview of our best selling approach shoe. With repeat purchases from our local rock jocks it's an easy one for us to get behind and John has hopefully explained why you need a pair in as few words as possible.. So popular we got the Gore-Tex version, a second colour, the TX4 Mid and the TX5.