What is your carry around notebook setup?

[MarioR81]

Hello all. 

So, how to you carry the pen with a notebook? The pics attached are result of a long search and experimentation about sizes and convenience. I wanted a small portable notebook that I could refill with an A7 size so I could fit on front pocket. I could find no solution. The A7 size was nice, because I can make new refills from A4 paper size without much effort. And gives me a huuuge variety of papers to choose from. A little bigger would make a lot of paper waste.

 

Now, the problem. It is very hard pen smaller than 120mm. I placed a Parker 51 for comparison, the leather part is about 9.5x12cm each side. So most pens will stick the heads out at some point. In the end I bought a Moonman 3 section pen fountain pen. Super smooth fits perfectly. I also had a mechanical pencil zebra TS-3 (I also have the T-3 which is is a ball point and uses a D1 refill.). Lastly I bought a Koh-I-Noor versatile 5228 which is a lead holder for more artistic endeavors (forgot to take picture).

 

So basically it is a thicker leather on the outside, a small rectangle that protects the pen all tied up with a hair tie. The notebooks inside are fixed not in a traveler's style but in a fold sew into the cover. One notebook for notes, one for sketches.

 

What about you? What is your setup?

 

Cheers

 

[jandrew]

Similar design to yours, but pocket or field-note sized -- pen is Franklin Christoph 20p (119mm capped):

[MarioR81]

greak looking setup. And you can use almost any pen there because of the vertical size. 👍

damn that Franklin Christoph 20p is a beauty and just about the right size for pocket carrying around.

[Tasmith]

Surplus 3.5"x5.6" US Government Memoranda with a Monteverde Piquito Stylus ballpoint.

 

Fits nicely in my pocket and I don't care if it gets a bit tattered.

 

[arcfide]

I generally carry my pens in a shirt pocket or a vest pocket separate from my notebooks. I have a planner now with a usable pen loop, so I might try that, but it's not my usual habit. 

[inkstainedruth]

I'm kinda like arcfide -- my pens got into a pen sleeve, inside my purse, or in one one of the purse pockets if I'm in a hurry.  Notebooks and journals get carried separately (if I'm traveling, they go into a basket along with stuff like knitting projects and random other stuff I might want to hand but won't fit in my purse).  And of course, if it's a longer trip, a larger capacity pen case or sleeve goes in there as well).

I keep looking at the Leuchtturm stick in pen loops, but keep going "Ehhhh..." and not buying them (a local independent bookstore had both the notebooks and the loops a while back).  The question I have is whether the glue holds up over the long haul (such as for when the notebook gets filled up).  And whether the loops are reusable from volume to volume -- which of course is the opposite problem....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkypete]

I don't like pen loops on notebooks. I don't own a shirt or polo that doesn't have a pocket so pen and small notebook live there. I tend to have a briefcase or shoulder bag so pen or two can live there. Last resort if I am sans shirt pocket is I slide a Lamy Safari into my trouser pocket.

[XYZZY]

I don't normally like pen loops on notebooks, but Lemome makes a planner whose loop holds the pen against the spine which I think is a cool idea.  Check the sixth picture at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BT4LGX1

 

 

My wife carried that planner daily in 2019 and 2020, and she requested one for 2021.  She doesn't use fountain pens, though.  I briefly tried writing a few words and the feathering was minimal.

 

Personally I just carry mount EDC pens in a Pilot Pensemble pen roll.  https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Pensemble-Pocket-Cowhide-Brown/dp/B005K7H7KE.  The leather is very soft, the suede inside will be nice to your pens.  I carry mine with me everywhere since receiving it on 12/25/2018 and it's still in great shape.

 

[ParramattaPaul]

I have various arrangements for different purposes.  The first is the previously mentioned 31 year old Filofax diary with whatever pen I pick up as I go out the door.  The second is a leather bound A4 portfolio and a Conway Stewart 476 that  is used for meeting notetaking. Then, I have a William Hannah A5 with a pen quiver and a Faber-Castell Grip pen that I use for reading notes.  Finally, there is an A4 metal clipboard loaded with A4 printer paper, and a Diplomat Magnum along with a Staedtler highlighter, a mechanical pencil, and accessories along with a laptop in my travel back pack for (currrently COVID prevented) overnight excursions.

 

I'm one of those people who 'compartmentalises' his or her life (always have, always will), and having function specific arrangements makes sense.

[indigobadger]

I have a simple and pretty ugly Traveler's set up - I'm sure the hype over Traveler's died down years ago but I only got into writing and pens this year and I really liked what I saw with the system, plus they're quite inexpensive where I live.

I keep 4 notebooks in it at a time, bound pretty crappily but I'm a little lazy and don't want to do the modifications where you cut holes and even everything out.

I use the 128 page blank notebook for general writing, and a pocket divider, monthly calendar, dot note pad and either brown craft or sketch note book depending. I'd like to get back into drawing/painting (was never good at it) and use this to help force me to go out and just do simple sketching or something as well.

Not sure how I like the pen loop, I might do away with it because it makes it too bulky. I think my Parker Sonnet matches pretty well, although it's not really a favorite writer of mine since it's such a tiny pen.

[MarioR81]

very very nice setups, thanks for sharing. It seems that size wise it is easier for women because of the purse hehe!

[arcfide]

8 hours ago, indigobadger said:

I'm sure the hype over Traveler's died down years ago but I only got into writing and pens this year

 

 

In my experience, the hype has only manifested as an entire sub-culture of the planner sub-culture, and so, I'd say the hype is very strong, almost so strong that it no longer classifies as hype. Has the hype for the motor vehicle died down since it was first introduced? 

[ParramattaPaul]

48 minutes ago, arcfide said:

 

In my experience, the hype has only manifested as an entire sub-culture of the planner sub-culture, and so, I'd say the hype is very strong, almost so strong that it no longer classifies as hype. Has the hype for the motor vehicle died down since it was first introduced? 

Good point.  No matter what the 'new thing' may be, the time comes when it is commonplace and often goes unnoticed despite still being very much relevant and 'hyped'.

[Plume145]

On 12/17/2020 at 5:27 PM, indigobadger said:

I'm sure the hype over Traveler's died down years ago 

 

 

On 12/18/2020 at 1:45 AM, arcfide said:

 

In my experience, the hype has only manifested as an entire sub-culture of the planner sub-culture, and so, I'd say the hype is very strong, almost so strong that it no longer classifies as hype. Has the hype for the motor vehicle died down since it was first introduced? 

👍It's honestly a great low-hassle design and very DIY-friendly, both the cover and the inserts, using no proprietary/ultra-specialized tools. What's not to like?

 

Mine is fully DIYd cover included, in use for over a year. Except for the planner insert, because I need those neat layouts. But if I knew how to design them on graphics software, I'd do that! (I just don't want to hand draw them...been there, done that, unbearable scutwork. IDK how ppl do that for years on end with the bullet journal stuff, you definitely have to find it intrinsically rewarding/relaxing otherwise it's just ergh  Adding in dates on an undated planner's my hard limit). 

[arellano81366]

I use a Leuchtturm A5 that I bought on sale. I carry all my things on a backpack when driving to my work.

[es9]

Baron Fig dot-grid Confidant notebook in a well-seasoned Gfeller case, armed with an Esterbrook M2 that is secured in place with a Leuchtturm pen loop.* I cannot speak highly enough of Baron Fig. Or Gfeller. Or Esterbrook. 
 

*I hated the idea of adding a loop to my notebook. Once I did, however, I never looked back. They are very secure and convenient. I have never had one fall off, and I do not worry about that happening. 
 

 

[TitoThePencilPimp]

I got a custom notebook cover from etsy similar to the Travelers notebook. However, it holds Rhodia a5 with 5 built it bands. The craftsmanship was great, and I believe I got an extremely good price. I think it was $35.

[Pen Nut]

Not really a notebook in the true sense but handy for those flash thoughts that you need to jot down before they vanish !  Tiny, see ruler next to item, but that's part of its attraction as it can be carried or stored anywhere.

[MarioR81]

beautiful setups. Pennut, I assume the blue pen inside is a montblanc 😄

[sgphototn]

I like writing on index cards for quick notes. They're sturdy and take ink well. I found this on Amazon, Oxford At-Hand Note Card Case, 3" x 5" Size and this is what I use. Fits back pants pockets and shirt pockets. I don't use the pen loop as I prefer to keep my pens independent for other uses. For me, pen loops require two hands to remove the pen while holding the notepad. 

 

It's easy to use, fits my hand, doesn't require fiddling to start writing, sturdy enough to not flex, and has back space for extra cards and an inside pocket to save cards.

 

It was $6.15 delivered.