Review – Field Notes Pitch Black (Focused on Large)

Field Notes are pretty much my go-to notebook brand. I carry an Expedition Edition with me every day (throughout my life that constantly reaffirms I don’t need a notebook that hardcore), and I have many of their regular books set up for individual projects. But I always find pocket books slightly too small for really working with, and “full-sized” books are just a bit large and cumbersome. When Field Notes announced they were making a larger book with their “Arts and Sciences” edition I snatched a set up, but I’m always reluctant to use limited editions, and I was a bit late to the party when they released an updated version of their “Pitch Black” book in the same larger size. Does it fill the position I was hoping for?

The book is a nicely hand-sized 4¾ x 7½, with a simple black cover containing the minimum of necessary information. Inside that cover they improved on their previous Pitch Black design by adding a craft-paper layer to print on so the user can actually read it. As always, this inside cover has space for one to put their contact information, and a lot of interesting and/or funny information (mostly related to black or nighttime in this case).

64 pages are saddle stitched inside with a single signature (as is typically the case when one staples something together). Both the paper and the cover are quite durable, and I haven’t had any problem with wear (on the spine or at the {thankfully rounded} corners), but they are just paper and cardstock, so you can’t be too rough with it. It’s all thick enough to feel like a “proper” notebook (and maybe provide some support when in the field) while still being super thin (less than a quarter inch). It’ll fit in almost any bag and still provide ample writing real estate. I always felt like it was hard to do more than write a list in pocket-sized notebook, but with the room to stretch out here I can get almost 300 words on a page, and with the dot-grid (which is the version I chose and what I believe to be the superior page-ruling) I can easily incorporate diagrams or sketches. The paper is a stark white and the dots an un-intrusive grey. Standard pencils, ballpoints, and highlighters all work great on the fairly smooth but mildly toothy paper and the it’s thick enough that I use both sides (which is rare for me {it also has something to do with the book’s thickness}); wetter pens like markers, rollerballs, and fountain pens do start to show/bleed-through though.

For someone like me this book is basically all I could ask for, and I plan to use them more frequently in the future as I change around my main notebooks. It’s a little bit harder to carry around than a pocket book, yet the added space more than makes up for it in my mind, and it stops just short of being bulky (and it just shy of the page-count where the cardstock cover would start looking ratty before one finished it). Even the paper’s a little bit of an upgrade. It’s just a winner all-round for me, and if you’re feeling a little cramped by your pocket book, or that sketchbook is weighing you down, it might be a winner for you too.

Review – Field Notes Pencil

Field Notes has made a name for themselves creating (or branding) basic but well made items for note taking and such. Their notebooks balance affordability with quality, and their range of accessories attempt to do the same. The Field Notes pencil (like the pen I’ve looked at before) is on its own quite a bit more expensive than most similar pencils, but they are often included as a free pack-in item (like their pens, calendars and rubber bands), so you usually don’t have to buy them straight out. But are they any good?

The body has basically the same dimensions as your standard round pencil. The wood is a nice, unfinished cedar, with large amount of information printed on it in black. Attached to the back end is a nicely fitted aluminum ferrule with “green” green eraser. Everything is very precisely manufactured and it feels/looks great. You get more printed information that average, like the: brand, website, lead hardness, materials, and inventory number. It’s all laid out clearly and printed cleanly.

The performance is about what you’d expect. The HB lead is a little rougher than some, but it goes down relatively dark while not eroding the point too quickly. The eraser could be better, but it does its job and there’s quite a lot of it to use (it doesn’t disintegrate immediately like some others do). I grew up with round pencils and I prefer their feel, so I think the ergonomics are quite good: it gives one a little more to hold on to, but it will more easily roll off the table. But the most surprising thing upon picking it up is how light it is. When brand new, I can actually feel the weight of the ferrule/eraser pulling the back of the pencil down a bit, which is a very unusual feeling, but you get used to it, and the lightness is wonderful for longer “penciling” sessions.

It’s a relatively high quality pencil that I don’t think you can get anywhere else (unlike the Field Notes pen, which is a branded Bic Clic), but I’m not sure they’re worth the nearly $1 (83¢) asking price. They’re as good as or better than the name-brand pencils you find at the store (Dixon, PaperMate) but they’re at least twice the price, crossing the border from regular writing pencils into budget sketching pencils, with which I don’t think they compete. They’re good pencils for what they are, but I’m not going to be ordering a set anytime soon. Still, they make a nice bonus when opening your Field Notes packages (as are all the little things Field Notes puts in as extras).

Suit EDC – Every-Day Carry 2016-17 Part 2

While my regular EDC works well for standard “civilian” clothes (though not quite standard, as I’m rarely in anything “less” than a button down shirt and slacks) I do wears suits as often as I possibly can (especially now in the winter), and it doesn’t work nearly as well for them. I can’t wear anything on the belt (for the most part) without having it look ridiculous, and my pants pockets would bulge since I carry mostly in the front. So I have to shift where I carry things and adjust a few usage scenarios (I probably won’t be using a full-sized multi-tool when in a suit). Fortunately, suits have a ton of pockets for me to spread my gear out in while looking nice and “fashionable”. Here’s the stuff I carry.

Man I wish I had a better photo of me… But you can see how little the pockets bulge in this one.

  • Inside Jacket Pocket 1
    • Pocket Notebook (Field Notes Expedition) (It always impresses people when you pull a notebook out of your jacket pocket)
    • Pocket Planner (Brownline)
    • Pen (Zebra F-301) (Sleek, dependable, and it fits a lot of styles)
    • Flashlight (Coast A5) (Goes better with most suits and that “classy” look than a “tactical” looking light)

  • Inside Jacket Pocket 2
    • Maxpedition Micro Pocket Organizer (This bulges a bit, but that’s because of the phone, which is the only thing I need, but otherwise fits surprisingly well in a common inside jacket pocket)
      • Work Phone
      • Lighter** (I run into people who want to light something more often in a suit, as strange as it is. This one is a Bic, but I sometimes have a Zippo elsewhere)
      • Multi-tool (Leatherman Style CS)** (or) (Gerber Dime Travel) (It depends on which I think I will use more that day: scissors or pliers. And if I’m going though a checkpoint)
      • Pocket Comb (always need one when I’m wearing a hat)
      • 2 Lens Wipes (Nikon)
      • Knuckle Bandage
      • Fingertip Bandage
      • 4 Alcohol Swabs
      • 1 Alcohol Towel-ette
      • Electrolyte Tablets
      • Mini Med Bag
        • 3 Diphenhydramine
        • 2 Acetaminophen
      • 2 Ricola Original Cough Drops (don’t want to have a problem when meeting people, especially in the cold)
      • GUM Soft Picks in Case (usually don’t have to use these, but they can be “life-saving”)

  • Outside Jacket Lower Pocket (Sometimes)* (When you need a USB stick you need a USB stick, and it doesn’t bulge much at all, so it’s there when I remember to put it there)
    • EDC Altoids Small Tin** (hopefully most of this is self-explanatory)
      • Flash Drive (Patriot Tab)
      • Knife (Opinel #2)**
      • Cord
      • Cotton Ball
      • Ziplock Bag
        • Matches**
        • Striker
        • Kleenex
      • Nail
      • 4 Straight Pins
      • Paperclip
      • Electrical Tape
      • 2 Migraine Medications
      • Butterfly Bandage
      • Cash (≈$10)

  • Belt
    • CRKT SPEW (Sometimes Around Neck)** (my one exception to the belt rule. It’s a bit harder to get in and out of its sheath, but it’s easy to access and super slim)

  • Pants Pockets (I went over most of these items in my previous post about my regular EDC, you can check that out if you want more info about my personal usage case)
    • Wallet (Austin Leather Tri-Fold Wallet) (I’m not sure the company even exists any more)

And that’s the suit carry. Not quite as much stuff, and a bit more limited in use than the standard EDC, but it all fits very slimly into the pockets and keeps me looking nice. Hopefully I won’t be doing too much down and dirty work in a suit anyway. I’ve also excluded a few of the regular trappings that may go along with a suit like: shoes, ties, tie bars, cufflinks, hats, etc. because those things change more frequently (by the day usually) than the gear I carry does. This has been a very good working system for me for about a year, but I’m always looking for a way to slim it down, and that gets harder ever time.

Next I’ll be returning to more of a “regular” “EDC’ set, my bag, which has probably seen the most change since my last update. Hopefully you’ll join me there.

(Amazon Links provided may not be the cheapest one’s around. If no Amazon link is available another one will be provided so long as I think the item is of enough importance)

* Items that are carried on a conditional basis or can be one of a few like items

** Items that will need to be specially treated when going into restricted areas (read: airports) (i.e. liquids and pointy things)

Review – Field Notes Bic Pen

Field Notes is a company that makes great notebooks, and they’ve always added a bit of a more personal touch to things. One of the ways they did that was by having branded pens and rubber bands readily available (I believe at some point in their orders, single pens and rubber bands were thrown in for free, but they can be purchased in larger packs easily.) The pens aren’t very expensive and fit very well with the brand’s style just on looks, but do they perform as well as the paper?

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The pen is actually just a branded Bic Clic pen, which isn’t a bad thing really. The entire design is a pleasant taper from the middle, where a ring separates the two halves of the pen. On the top there is a chrome-ish simple clip with Bic’s information on it, and a similarly-colored thin clicking mechanism (which give a very satisfying “click” when used). On the front of the pen, the ballpoint protrudes when the mechanism is depressed and the Field Notes information is printed on the barrel. The only colors of the pen are black, silver, and white, making the whole thing quite understated but also very nice.

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The writing is standard Bic writing. It is smooth enough, black enough, and steady enough to be serviceable in the vast majority of scenarios. It is a medium point, which is usually too broad for me, but definitely is unspectacular and fits with what most people are comfortable with. The ink is, of course, essentially waterproof once dry, with minimal skipping or blotting. I’m not particularly impressed by the writing, but I’m certainly not disappointed.

I’m sure the Field Notes Company did a bunch of research to find both a good enough and inexpensive enough pen for their brand that they wouldn’t have to try to make in-house. And I think they succeeded. The pens are dependable enough, sturdy enough, and simple enough to be almost entirely unremarkable (in both a good and a bad way). They fit the utilitarian image of the company, and are worth having at least as a backup pen.