3RD ROCK have collaborated with Taylor Made Holds - a North Wales-based wooden holds manufacturer - to make three customisable training tools: a portable fingerboard, a customisable wooden hold and a mono-trainer keyring. Portable fingerboards, and wooden training holds, are all the rage at the moment - and rightly so. I'll give you my opinion on all three products.

Portable Hangboard - £40

I'm a portable fingerboard evangelist and I think that, in general, they're absolutely great. I almost always take one with me when I'm sport climbing or bouldering so I can warm my fingers and arms up at the crag. This has a few benefits - your fingers are always warm before you climb so that you're less likely to injure them on small holds and you will perform better; wooden fingerboards are friendly on the skin, especially compared to rough rock like grit, and so you don't lose loads of skin when warming up; you can save yourself time by warming up on a fingerboard and then your project rather than doing a few easier warm-up climbs (which often don't get you properly warm anyway).

There are some considerations to think about: a fingerboard is magic for the fingers, but will only warm up your fingers, and arms from pull-ups, so the rest of your body might need some attention before you jump on your project. You also need somewhere to hang it, but I find this to rarely be a problem as you can use a bolt, a sturdy tree or, if neither of these are available, a cam (top tip: take an old quickdraw and tape the gate open - you can then use a clipstick to attach this and your fingerboard to an out-of-reach bolt and 'easily' remove it by hooking it out with your clipstick).

Does the 3RD ROCK x Taylor Made portable fingerboard do all of the above? Yes. Whilst it's extremely simple it's exactly what you need and nothing superfluous. It has three slots, the outer two being 20mm and the inner being 25mm, and you can do a pull-up with hands close together on the top of it. The cord which attaches the fingerboard to the carabiner you suspend it from is also attached to the fingerboard in such a way that it doesn't rotate when you hang on it, which is very good as I've tried a few portable fingerboards which do and that's very annoying.

I find the simplicity of the fingerboard to be great because it cuts out any extra weight and size. It's nice when you're carrying it to the crag not to have a huge, heavy lump of wood in your bag and also on a recent trip to Spain the size of the fingerboard was perfect for putting in my hold luggage without putting it over the weight limit. I can see the simplicity being an issue for some people: there are no slots smaller than 20mm and no pockets or slopers. However, for me 20mm is ideal for warming up and if I want to warm up for pockets I can just use one, two or three fingers in any of the slots (not that I've ever managed to hang my body weight off monos...). I can see the simplicity of the fingerboard being more on an issue if you were wanting to use it for more than simply warming up, e.g if you were taking it on a trip and undertaking a weighted-hands protocol.

The fingerboard is made from FSC-certified Sapele hardwood which, along with the gently rounded edges of the slots, makes it very nice for your skin. It is customisable - you can have a word printed in each of the slots; I went for 'UKClimbing' but you can have whatever you like.

Customisable Climbing Hold - £18.50 and Mono Pocket Keyring - £10

Both these products do what they say on the tin. As with any simple thing in life, it's the quality of the materials and craftsmanship that counts and both the hold and the keyring and well made from the same lovely Sapele wood as the fingerboard.

The hold is a heart-shaped pinch with an incut top. It's the kind of hold that would be fine if encountered on a vertical wall but if you're faced with it on a steep overhang you may want to cry (I know I would). There are plenty of customisable options here: you can have an iconic rock climb printed on the front (The Old Man of Hoy, Midnight Lightning, The Matterhorn, Hatchling, Es Pontas or Ancient Art), text on the front and text on the back, making it a great present for that geeky climber in your life (nb.: sorry, but if you're reading this you probably qualify as a geeky climber).

The mono keyring is designed for mono training on the go - you could hang a weight off it or even your shopping bags... I can't say I'm one for mono training but it is nicely made with smooth edges and surfaces.

Overall

All in all the fingerboard, climbing hold and mono keyring might be simple products but they stand out because they're very well made from very nice wood. The portable fingerboard is especially useful and I'm a big fan of them myself, always taking mine when bouldering or sport climbing. If you're looking for a Christmas present for a climber then these are a great choice.