They have been around long enough now that it is safe to say they are not just a fad. A simple solution to a mild irritation. Not for everyone and not always that useful but firmly established now and a regular sight at the crag and the wall.

The price was always a bit of a sticking point but with a steady supply and a firm foothold now they have gotten much more affordable. If you have somehow gotten this far complaining about a sore neck without being recommended a pair of belay glasses, have a read of Bertie's review!

Bertie has recently got his partner psyched for routing and has taken every belay opportunity to give the whole range of newest devices a fair trial. From what he has told me, and written here, the Edelrid Jul2 is his favourite. There might be more belay device reviews to follow but I think we've found his go to!

Belay devices are a minefield. Considering the intended use remains pretty unchanged they come in a plethora of different shapes and sizes and they aren't cheap. You would be forgiven for scratching your head and sticking to what you know. Hopefully, Bertie can help to lift some scepticism and show you how this relatively cheap and simple device can replace your classic tube plate! I just wish he'd fiddled with his camera settings a little more before snapping the how-to pics.

The way some people turn up dressed in Llanberis, on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park and with the intention of climbing "Mount Snowdon", you would think they had seen the trip in the window of a sta travel. Constantly baked in sunshine, blue skies and a cafe on every peak (not quite).

The reality of enjoying the great outdoors in the UK is getting drenched. Be it hillwalking, rock climbing or one of the other more extreme options, you will get very wet at some point. Bertie knows this all too well from his non-negotiable, 10 minute bike ride into work.

The Alpine Pro jacket is one of our premium pieces and the flagship of our Montane range. Bert owns one, I'm getting one, Rich needs one and soon you'll want one!

The Edelrid Ohm is a device for helping level the playing field between a heavy climber and their light belayer. Bertie is one such heavy climber and his better half is a light belayer! They jumped at the chance to test the Ohm and below Bertie has outlined his unique thoughts on this unique device.

There is nothing else on the market quite like the Ohm, unless you want to drag sand bags down to your favourite crags. So if you are considerably heavier (or lighter) than your  favourite climbing partner it is probably worth a quick read.

ClimbOn Creme is a greasy miracle cream for fixing bigger wounds and super sore skin.

I once had a reasonable case of rope burn on one armpit, not a pleasant place for scabby broken skin! By applying the creamier version of ClimbOn daily the wound maintained a soft flexible outer, speeding up a more comfortable recovery. On another occasion I managed to chop a shallow part of the skin on my thumb off whilst cutting kindling; ClimbOn and tape had it grow back in a fortnight. It was only skin but all the way into the real fleshy stuff under the white layer.

A top tip, keep surface wounds like this moist, clean and covered. The old saying to ‘let it breathe’ doesn’t work, it just allows a scab to form, slowing circulation and encouraging scar tissue. The cream can separate if you don’t use it for some time, so if this does happen I just squish the bottle around a bunch to mix it up.

- Bertie

Shorts for all and everything short related! I should really get another pair of Ocun Mania shorts - they get a right hammering in the summer. Several months of all wearing and no cleaning, they just keep on going and make no complaint! The fabric seems to clean itself especially when you jump in a lake with them on…

After 2 years all the stitching is intact, the elastic hasn’t failed me and the pockets don’t have holes in so durability gets a 10 out of 10. Apart from not being overly fashionable in design I really can’t fault the shorts. There is also a full length version for the shin-shy or the other 360 days of the year shorts are unsuitable in the UK.

- Bertie

If you’ve climbed on a gusty day you may have lost some chalk to the Lord of Gwynt*, I certainly have! No more, the Moon Trad chalk bags can be closed with one hand and just as easily opened again.

A simple, stretchy, sprung flap snaps over the aperture to seal the bag so when it’s strapped to your back you can either pull it closed or open it again, all very easily. I also found once using this chalk bag I didn’t bother with my bouldering bucket anymore. It's so easy to open and close I just chalk up, snap the flap and chuck it to the mat.

The brim is stiff and the aperture wide for the largest of mitts, they come with a belt and in a bunch of different colours. You can only go so wrong with chalk bag design but these are one of the better ones!

- Bertie

*Note from the editor: Gwynt is Welsh for wind.. Lord of Gwynt? Yeah, I don’t know either.

He may not crank like Megos but he treats his feet to the same tools of the trade. Bertie has been scaling in a pair of Tenaya Iatis for the last 12 months and wants to tell the world what he thinks. With minimal editing it is now coherent and fit for public consumption.

If you are after a soft, technical toe down then the entire Tenaya range is worth a look!