Field Notes notebooks have been on my radar for quite a few years now. I’ve always been a big fan of carrying around a small notebook to take notes or jot down ideas when needed.
Through the years, I’ve used small pocket-sized planners or journalist-style notebooks to take notes when I need them.
However, I finally ran out of both and decided to finally give Field Notes a try. I purchased this specific pack (the set of 3 pitch blacked ruled paper).
Right out of the box, I noticed that they’re a decent size and the paper is good compared to some other small notebooks out there.
- Overall Field Notes notebook review:
- First impression of the Field Notes Notebooks
- About the Field Notes company
- Ink Test on the Field Notes notebooks
- Overall thoughts on the Field Notes Notebooks
- Ideas for using your Field Notes
Overall Field Notes notebook review:
Size: 10/10
Cover quality: 6/10
Paper quality: 8/10
Overall enjoyment: 9/10
Ink test: 10/10
Will I buy more in the future? Yes
First impression of the Field Notes Notebooks
As soon as I opened the Field Notes box, the first thing I noticed and loved was the size of these Field Notes. I purchased the 3.5″ x 5.5″ size.
It’s hard to find a good notebook that will actually fit in your pocket while also giving you enough space to write things down. For me, these Field Notes notebooks are a perfect size.
I can tell the cover is not strong enough to withstand a ton of wear and tear, but for me, that’s not a deal breaker. I’ve used the tough, hard notebooks that can withstand wear and tear but I personally don’t live a life adventurous enough to worry about it.
The cover is, however, more durable than a lot of other options out there.
Also, the flexibility in these notebooks is what I enjoy most. The lighter cover keeps them light enough to carry around without noticing it’s even in your pocket.
If you want to keep the cover safe, there are a lot of leather covers out there you can buy more and just keep replacing the notebook.
The paper quality is pretty good, but there are not a lot of pages inside these journals.
I think the biggest selling point about these notebooks are the brand reputation and the idea that you could use them for something important. (Which you can do!)
About the Field Notes company
Field Notes are made in the USA and these notebooks come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. They even have a subscription service so you can get some of the hard to find editions.
For fans of Field Notes notebooks, there are many limited editions they sell which can become collectors items.
The subscriptions are perfect for collectors or people who know they’re going to use a set number of notebooks at a time so they always want a fresh stack ready to go and be used.
Ink Test on the Field Notes notebooks
Of course, I had to test out the ink to see how it would hold up. Here are the results with a ballpoint pen and a fine tip Sharpie:
As you can see, the thick Sharpie bled through BUT it’s worth noting that Field Notes does not market these as being able to withstand thick pens.
The regular pen did not bleed through to any noticeable degree.
Field Notes are not marketed as notebooks that can handle things like fountain pens, either. That’s not their market.
Field Notes notebooks are more for people who enjoy the outdoors and use these on the go than people who sit with fountain pens at an old desk and write beautiful prose.
Overall thoughts on the Field Notes Notebooks
There’s something so beautiful about the Field Notes notebooks in the fact that they’re just so simple and right to the point. There are too many notebooks out there with too many bells and whistles that are just unnecessary and waste a ton of pages.
Other features of these Field Notes notebooks:
- 3.5″ x 5.5″
- Pack of three journals
- Can pick between dot grid and lined
- Acid-free and bright white paper
- Paper is 90 GSM
Ideas for using your Field Notes
Due to their size and easy portability, there are a lot of ways you could use a Field Notes Notebook.
Here are some ideas:
- Travel journal
- Grocery list
- Dream journal
- Bills and expenses trackers
- Everyday carry journal
- A small bullet journal (they have dot bullet journals)
- Study tracker
- Interesting facts you learn
- Tracking hikes you take and things you see along them
- Track your time to see how you spend your time
- Outline your first book
So many of us now have phone apps that can capture almost anything on the go.
However, have you ever been out and had an extremely low battery or had an app that wouldn’t load? It took so long to put your note down that you forgot what it was in the first place?
This has happened to me more than I like to admit, which is why I’m such a personal fan of paper notebooks.
I’m also an avid hiker and there has been many times where I’ve lost cell service so I can’t even open the apps I want to take notes in.
There’s just something trusty about a notebook that feels so much better than pen and paper.
Not to mention, half the time I go to take notes in my phone I see all the notifications and things I need to respond to which can break my concentration in the moment, which simply isn’t worth it.
They also perfectly fit in my hand, so I don’t need to worry about balancing them on something so I can write my whole thought, I can just jot it down right away.
There are quite a few places you can buy Field Notes. You should check out your local bookstore, order directly from their site, or get an order of them through Amazon.
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