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Calling all Travelers Notebook users


Misfit

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I’d love to discuss all things Travelers Notebook here on FPN. My first was a gift for a special birthday. It is the passport size Star Ferry version in camel. A regular size in brown was another birthday gift. When Olive was reintroduced this April, I got the regular size. At first I got Travelers Company inserts and accessories. I found paper inserts on Etsy, and Moterm canvass zipper inserts on Amazon. 
 

I used the brown one with the Weekly plus Memo inserts for three different years. Now it has two inserts plus the clear pouch. The inserts are old Tomoe Paper and New Tomoe Paper. I’m hoping to find an around the house use for the passport size. And Olive needs a use. 
 

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I own a passport-sized fauxdori notebook (in burgundy leather). I can't remember which paper co inserts I use, but they are nice. I use this only for when I travel, which has been less over the past few years. My A5 journals are easier to write in, but there is something nice about the travelers set up that I appreciate when I travel. I don't do any special inserts or decorations or artwork--not my jam. 

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I have several passport size, and a couple larger. They are practical, and nice to use. I should write a review (maybe here?) about them.

 

My main peeve is with the inserts which I find disproportionately expensive when compared with any other notebook.

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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1 hour ago, txomsy said:

My main peeve is with the inserts which I find disproportionately expensive when compared with any other notebook.

Yeah, I started making my own with paper, discarded file folders, scissors, stapler.

 

Adequate.

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@txomsy please do write a review here.  I look at Reddit, and while the Midori sub is nice, it isn’t as active a conversation or sharing as I’d like to participate in. 
 

I get some inserts on Etsy.  But I suppose I do agree they are on the expensive side. 

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I've been meaning to make my own "passport"-ish size. I made a tiny credit card size one (using a card holder and rubber bands) for little pocket notes.

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Hi @wallylynn  I admire those who can make covers and inserts. When you get yours made, will you post a photo here please?

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If I get around to it. But it won't be much: cardboard, elastic, paper. Not like binding journal refills.

 

The factory made card holder is nice. signal-2023-05-11-22-28-00-077.thumb.jpg.fc883a6458b04977eb9d0cdb43b901e7.jpg

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I've looked at them would like one cos the refillable idea looks really useful, but don't want leather. Maybe I have to make one? And then might as well make the inserts too. And then it gets too hard so I don't.

Will work for pens... :unsure:

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Did you watch YouTube for diy videos ?  that's how I made the one above (miniaturized). It's literally held together with a rubber band (left edge of photo). I didn't bind the papers, they're loose, held by the rubber band. I could staple them but that's a task for future me.

 

Originally I was carrying a "pocket mod" but it was getting scuffed and wanted a cover for it.

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20 hours ago, AmandaW said:

I've looked at them would like one cos the refillable idea looks really useful, but don't want leather. Maybe I have to make one? And then might as well make the inserts too. And then it gets too hard so I don't.

You could find the material for the cover, then line it with a heavy duty felt. That’s what Roterfaden does. I got a handmade one from Germany in A5 size. I’ll try to post photos to show what was put inside to hold notebooks. 

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When I first discovered Traveler's Notebook, I was intrigued by this notebook system where a few different thinner notebooks (inserts), with different paper line style (lined, dotted, weekly, etc), all kept inside a nice looking leather cover.  And they can be easily swapped out individually as one runs out.  Looks pretty and classy, and looks very practical and utilitarian.   It comes with different sizes, especially the smaller sizes which is easier to carry around.

 

Then, I discovered the price.  Its so expensive, I'll can't ever justify to get one.

 

Then, I discovered there's fauxdori.  Lots of them.  They're like Jinhao and Wingsungs, allow people without such affordability to get a taste of this great notebook system.  At my region I found most fauxdori maker makes their TN not exactly the same size as Traveler's, like slightly wider or thinner or longer, etc.  and they most likely import the inserts from China, so their leather cover more or less follows the size of the inserts they can import.  I've got one set (approx personnel size) for my wife, the quality feels pretty good, it even has the 'new leather' smell when I first opened it.  The paper is good enough for my FPs.  Now I'm planning to get one for myself.

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I’d suggest looking for videos on connecting 4. I was trying to think of doing it as two pairs, but then I wasn’t sure how you get them together. 
 

Wow, first video I looked at started with connecting three, then showed how to connect four. Enjoy watching. 
 

 

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4 hours ago, AmandaW said:

I've looked at them would like one cos the refillable idea looks really useful, but don't want leather. Maybe I have to make one? And then might as well make the inserts too. And then it gets too hard so I don't.

 

That comes as a surprise. When I look in Amazon, I usually find that 90% of supposedly "leather" notebooks (traveler's included) are faux leather (Polyurethane, PU), which I find disgusting for two reasons: first, they are advertised as leather, which is false, often using misleading advertising, and one can only find out in most cases by reading the small print, many times buried in the technical description or in long paragraphs, and second, the price tends to be close to real leather, which they aren't and when their production is orders of magnitude cheaper, often supported by misleading descriptions as well: "high quality" or "durable" or "top level" or similar "leather" in the main description and then somewhere else, disconnected, it is specified it is PU (or sometimes just "vegan leather".

 

So, if one is careful to read the fine print, there are plenty (I'd say ~90% of the offer) of Chinese knock-offs in very cheap ("top quality" "vintage🙄") PU plastic, and you can find one with a reasonable price.

 

Hate to say this, but it often seems to me that Chinese vendors just look up which words are used by high quality producers and simply patch them in their low quality offers without any regard to whether it makes any sense or applies, in order to boost their sales. In a sense, it seems to me that they stretch words as much as possible to mislead as many as possible.

 

So, just read the fine print, and you will find there are far more non-leather, vegan notebooks than real leather ones.

 

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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2 hours ago, Misfit said:

I’d suggest looking for videos on connecting 4. I was trying to think of doing it as two pairs, but then I wasn’t sure how you get them together. 
 

Wow, first video I looked at started with connecting three, then showed how to connect four. Enjoy watching. 
 

 

Thanks for the find!  this actually looks quite good and doable!  now, need to get more of those elastic bands..

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12 hours ago, txomsy said:

I have several passport size, and a couple larger. They are practical, and nice to use. I should write a review (maybe here?) about them.

 

My main peeve is with the inserts which I find disproportionately expensive when compared with any other notebook.

 

I like the concept of them and often look at Baum Kuchen stuff, but, I find the entire set up from notebook to covers and refills out of my price range.

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Flying Tiger, the chain from Copenhagen had some traveler Notebooks (PU) around Christmas last year at very affordable prices. You may be able to still find them or order them.

 

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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13 hours ago, AmandaW said:

I've looked at them would like one cos the refillable idea looks really useful, but don't want leather. Maybe I have to make one? And then might as well make the inserts too. And then it gets too hard so I don't.

 

Do you have a way to get Field Notebooks in Australia?

https://fieldnotesbrand.com/

 

Using hem as insert, you can make or borrow a non-leather cover from another system.

Is it fair for an intelligent and family oriented mammal to be separated from his/her family and spend his/her life starved in a concrete jail?

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3 hours ago, txomsy said:

Flying Tiger, the chain from Copenhagen had some traveler Notebooks (PU) around Christmas last year at very affordable prices. You may be able to still find them or order them.

 

I missed out on getting one from flying tiger and now the stores are gone.

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