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I found the coolest notebook holder. I got back into doing shorthand again this year after a long absence from it, and am now teaching it to my son as a note-taking tool as well. I found these wonderful steno pad holders by Tactical Notebook Covers that are just perfect for note-takers who are always on-the-go. The larger one holds a 6"x9" steno pad and 5 pens, plus it has inner and outer pockets that are perfect for holding whatever else I need, including my pocket shorthand dictionary. It's one of the best practical tools that I've come across in a long time. We just love ours! It's lightweight, and quite frankly, I'd rather carry this around than a purse! Their covers come in different sizes, not just steno pad size. I bought two of their 6"x9" steno pad holders. I haven't had them long enough to comment on durability, but as the company seems to create these holders for military and law enforcement, I think the durability is probably a given. (By the way, I have no affiliation with the company whatsoever... I happened to find them on Amazon originally when I was shopping for fountain pen-friendly steno pads.) Here are photos of mine. Front of the holder, with optional customized removable embroidered name tape (which attaches with velcro): Inside view of the pen holder (which is covered with a velcro flap to keep the pens safely inside -- there are 5 elastic loops inside the pen pocket to hold the pens snug... but there is plenty of extra room in there for additional items, too); also, here's a view of the inner pocket with a clear cover (good for holding reference materials, like shorthand brief forms!): Inside view of the steno pad holder (a zipper closes this section): View of inner pocket: Inside tag of the manufacturer: View of the back outside pocket, which closes with a zipper (perfect for my pocket shorthand dictionary!): This is just perfect for taking along to classes for note-taking... everything is all ready to go and perfectly accessible when I need it. There is plenty of extra room for the usual pen-related goodies (ink cartridges or whatever else you need). I definitely give the product two thumbs up!

I got back into doing shorthand again this year, after 30+ years of neglect! That led me on a search for steno pads that would work with fountain pen ink. Here are two that have worked for me: Ampad Pastel Orchid Steno Pad and Skilcraft Bagasse Steno Book. Both are Gregg-ruled (which means 3 spaces per inch). Ampad Pastel Steno Pad -- Orchid ($13.99 for a 4-pack on Amazon -- free shipping if you have Prime) The sheets are supposed to be orchid in color, but they look more like a light blue to me. The sheets are quite thick and have next to no show-through. The ink does not feather. It looks like this company makes a Dusty Rose pad, too, though I have not tested it. Colored sheets are always a nice option. The writing sample below shows Noodler's Heart of Darkness, written with a Jinhao 599 EF nib (this pen writes more like a medium, though). You can see how much show-through is on the sheet, though in this scan it looks a little more pronounced than it is in reality. I don't have a problem with writing on both sides of the sheet. This product is made in Mexico. Skilcraft Bagasse Steno Book ($15.49 for a 6 pack + free shipping at Paper Clips Etc.) The Skilcraft pad has sugarcane paper, and so far as I know, it is the only steno pad available that has sugarcane paper. The sheets are quite thin (16 lb.) so there is a some show-through. For practicing shorthand I don't find the show-through too bothersome-- I'm not sure I'd want to write someone a letter using both sides, however. The degree of show-through for Skilcraft falls in between what you'll find with Office Depot's Sugar Cane Notebooks (which is basically unfit for fountain pen inks) and Staples Sustainable Earth Notebooks (which has minimal show-through). Some may find Skilcraft to have a little too much show-through for their needs. The ink performs quite well on it otherwise, without feathering. The writing sample below was done with Noodler's Heart of Darkness and Noodler's Bad Blue Heron, with Sheaffer Gregg Writer and Jinhao 599 fountain pens. As an aside for the Skilcraft pad, the sales of this paper benefit the blind, so you can feel good about buying this American product for not only helping the Arkansas LIghthouse for the Blind, but also for saving trees. So of all the steno pads I have tested, these two perform the best with fountain pen ink and I would gladly buy both products again. I've also tested the Staples Steno Book, Staples Graph Ruled Steno Book, and Tops Docket with blue paper, and they all show through far too heavily on the back side of the sheet for fountain pen ink. But they're perfectly fine for ballpoint pens.