THE PILL OUTDOOR TESTS

Our Outdoor Guide would like to be a tool for consumers and buyers who can, through our tests, have new and detailed information about new products.

The testers we have carefully selected boast an important and diverse background in various outdoor aspects: former athletes, coaches, guides, influencers, buyers and industry insiders.

All of them, in a different way, represent each one of us, which is why we looked for testers who could give us totally different feedbacks.

Carry out these tests has not been easy this year. We had the help of many testers, yes, but their judgment, albeit authoritative, is not enough to review a product, especially in respect of those who, in the research&development department of a company, designed and developed that same product. A product that, after all, may not be suitable for the single person who tests it and who may not even fully appreciate its value. So we did more, we sent digital Google Forms to some of the major outdoor stores and to the buyers that distribute the magazine, asking them to fill out a test for each product they knew deeply or had recently tested. Above all expectations, the involvement in this project has been very positive and the responses and feedback arrived in our inbox were truly hundreds. The resulting feedback gave life to the reviews and evaluations that you will read on the following pages.

START

1

EVALUATIONS

The products are tested in the field, on trails, on rock walls. But it would be difficult to evaluate a product after using it for a few hours, this is only the final step of the entire test chain. Before getting to test a product, in fact, we spoke with those who conceived that product, we interviewed the buyers who sell and use it, we know the previous versions that preceded it, we are informed by the manufacturers of the improvements made. It is at this point that our copywriters have all the elements to write a test.

2

PRODUCT CHOICES

We usually grind out thousands of kilometers a year to attend brands’ sales meetings where next season's news are presented to dealers. Every year there is no shortage of premier events such as ISPO, with which we work closely and where we get an idea of the direction of the market is taking and what is worth turning our attention to for testing.

This year, however, we have almost exhausted the gigs available to attend online conferences and presentations but, apart from the lack of human relationship, it was still worth it. Once decided the products we are interested to try, we request the various models to companies, indicating our preferences and confronting with them about the choices made. We always ask them to send us the products in the same conditions in which they will arrive in stores to evaluate all aspects, including packaging and finishes.

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TESTING

3

PREPARATION

All products get cataloged and a grid is drawn up with the parameters that will compose, together with the general impression, the final report. The products are all checked and the measures declared by the parent company compared with appropriate instruments, if there are no substantial differences we do not report it. We make sure that the product complies with the company declaration. Then the test sequence of the product is discussed for each one of the testers. Every one of them has specific characteristics and particular product knowledge. Adding up all these factors, we decide who is going to test what. As you know, days in the mountains are short and time goes by fast, The Pill staff prepares the products for the test round and asks the testers to use the product on different terrains, both during a light and demanding run, and on different days so that a negative physical day of one tester won’t affect the result. At the end of the tests, a meeting takes place where the data are checked again and each tester is interviewed by asking the same questions and evaluations for each product, at this point we complete the form by inserting judgments and values.

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DATA PROCESSING

END OF TESTS AND FEEDBACK TO COMPANIES

Back to the office, we examine the data collected, processing and comparing them with those provided by buyers from all over Europe via email and from the parent company. Our copy, together with the staff who conducted the tests, compiles the text of the review: this is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks because in just more than 3500 characters the opinions and an impressive amount of data must be summarized. Once drafted, each individual review is checked and shared internally.

Once the tests are completed, the products get cleaned, sanitized and sent back to the brands, we don't keep any of the products tested as some of you might think (although sometimes we would like to). The final report gets shared, with no possibility of modification. An honest and balanced report, the result of the opinions of expert and reliable testers, is then added to the ones coming from hundreds of shops that daily sell the same products, in order to be a valid product evaluation tool for companies and for the final consumer.

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OFF TO THE PRINTERS

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SHOOTING & LAYOUTS

An important part for The Pill editorial staff is aesthetics, in fact we would like our Outdoor Guide to be also a beautiful object to collect and, perhaps, inspire young designers. That's why we often throw ourselves into "crazy" covers as someone in the outdoor market says, but it's our style and our strength (we're not really crazy though). A fundamental part of the guide is obviously the tested products, they must be given the right emphasis, so each of them is carefully shot in our studio, as the companies have sent us, without frills and without any photoshopping. You may then wonder what is the difference between the test we have talked about so far and a review: the review is an evaluation of the product born from the comparison between our experience, the one of the buyers and the company itself. Once we have all the content ready, we finally start to layout. A WeTransfer file and we’re good to go, a few days later you will have your The Pill Outdoor Guide in your hands. You will finding it in your favorite shop or receiving it directly at home (by ordering it online on www.thepillmagazine.com/shop). The guide will remain throughout the season on the counters of more than 1100 outdoor store and who knows how many will be in your homes. Always ready to be read to advise you in your purchases.

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NATURE FIRST

Let’s get back to sustainability. Those of you who already know us, know how much we love nature and our planet. We were among the first in 2013 to have columns about sustainability in our magazine. This leads us to make an informed choice about the paper we print on. The Pill paper is recycled from unsold magazines and books in newsstands and bookstores that have been subsequently macerated. Our 30.000 copies distributed in outdoor stores, in selected newsstands and sold online, are fully distributed and no copies are macerated. You will find unsold items online in "The Pill Collection" packs or distributed during outdoor events. Nothing gets thrown away!

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GOODBYE, IT'S BEEN A BLAST

We are sure that each one of you thinks that when the tests are finished we keep all the products in our editorial office but that’s not possible. Returning them is the most painful part, after having lived every single item, how can not becoming jealous of them? But we have to say goodbye to them until next year, when we will probably meet their updated sisters or brothers.

OUR PROVEN METHOD FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS.

Our proven method for more than 10 years requires a lot of precision, countless kilometers by car, presence at all the presentations of the collections, and, apart from this difficult year due to the Covid situation, the presence at all trade fairs. We got away with hours and hours of online calls, which add up to days, where each company presented their new collection to us. Summing up all these experiences, we have developed an effective method for carrying out the various tests. It may seem a simple task after all, but a good job requires experience, in-depth knowledge of the product, organization and a team of qualified and motivated people to repeatedly test the products with a careful eye, ready not to spare themselves on critical issues and merits. But above all we believe that humility is very important in this type of work, because as much as we can try to be objective and professional, we are also subjectively influenced by the various brands, and a not very lucid analysis would not be respectful towards research&development departments that constantly seek solutions and improvements in their products. Our work must also always be questioned, there is the possibility that a product has not been understood by our testers.

TRAIL TESTING

MOUNTAINEERING TESTING

Jacopo Alberti

Mountain Guide

Mountain Guide since 2019, he’s also a yoga teacher. Passionate about foreign languages, oriental philosophies and meditation practices. He loves photography and video post-production.

Tommaso Bassa

Coach

He lives in the Vicenza area where he works as a Coach in Destination Unknown Coaching and in two local running stores as a specialized technician. He alternates running with via ferratas and bike rides.

Claudio Bastrentaz

Mountain Guide

Mountain Guide since 1995, he works in the Aosta Valley Alpine Rescue as a helicopter rescue technician and central operator and has been following the regional alpine skiing team as an athletic trainer for more than twenty years.

Filippo Canetta

Ultrarunner

He lives in Milan where he fights for the redevelopment of greenery, air quality and sustainable mobility. He is the founder of the brand Wild Tee and co-founder of the store Runaway Milano.

Filippo Caon

Ultrarunner

He was born in Vicenza but moved to Trento to study musicology and to run in the woods around the city. He has way too many interests, he writes about music and mountains.

Manuel Crapelli

Ultrarunner

He lives in Varese where he works as a marketing manager in the green economy sector. Always a passionate sportsman, he’s devoted to ultra running and a fan of cycling, skiing and boxing.

Davide Fioraso

The Pill Test Coordinator

He lives in the Treviso area but was born in Friuli Venezia Giulia. He works in the naval sector but his head is always in the mountains. In his spare time he is the editorial coordinator of The Pill Magazine.

Simone Fiorito

Store Buyer

He lives in Savigliano, in the province of Cuneo, where he runs a sports shop dedicated to the mountain. During the winter he takes care of the assembly and maintenance of skis, his greatest passion.

Maurizio Gaillard

Mountain Guide

Mountain Guide since 1983 in the Aosta Valley, he alternates excursions at high altitudes with the management of a small B&B welcoming Italian and foreign tourists who love the mountaineering world.

Davide Grazielli

Coach

From Pieve Ligure, he is Head Coach for Destination Unknown Endurance Coaching but he spends his free time remembering how beautiful it was when he ran too instead of just making other people run.

Alessandro Locatelli

Ultrarunner

From Milan he then moved to Bassano del Grappa where he works creating logos and graphics for outdoor companies. His love for running led him to create Buckled, a podcast about the world of ultra races.

Marta Manzoni

The Pill Test Vice-coordinator

Born and raised in Milan but she has always felt like an animal in a cage. She now she lives in Val di Fiemme. A professional journalist in the outdoor industry, an outdoor sportswoman and passionate traveler.

Paolo Marazzi

Mountain Guide

Mountain Guide, he is part of the Ragni di Lecco group and Milano Adventure. Every year he flies to Patagonia to discover and ski in unexplored and almost unknown places.

Elis Martis

Mountain Guide

Founder of Peakshunter, he has been a Mountain Guide since 2015. He has always loved exploring, always looking for new challenges and planning experiences to share with the people he accompanies.

Paolo Molinari

Aspiring Mountain Guide

Originally from Varese, he now lives in the Aosta Valley to train and cultivate his passion for the mountains, mountaineering, skiing and climbing. He is an aspiring Mountain Guide.

Luca Podetti

Store Buyer

His blood, legs and heart are from Trentino, now he lives and works in Milan where he opened Runaway, a shop specialized above all in trail running. His greatest passion is the mountains.

Silvia Pergami

Mountaineer

Passionate about the mountains and the outdoors, she lives in Bergamo where she works as an architect. In 2012 she met Elis and with him she created the project Peakshunter.

Gabriele Silvestri

Aspiring Mountain Guide

He was born in Turin, he competed in the Aosta Valley circuit of alpine skiing until the age of 15 and then became passionate about cycling. Aspiring Alpine Guide since the beginning of 2021.