5 BEST Pocket Notebooks For Everyday Carry (2024 Review)

[@Carsonial]

What's YOUR favorite pocket notebook? Leave a comment and let me know!

[@kan-zee]

Which ones , are good for Fountain Pens ? Which one doesn't Ghost or Bleed through ? Moleskine , doesn't take well with Fountain Pens I like the inexpensive Amazon brand from Newestor Brand / 64pgs, minimal ghosting with fountain pen ink. no bleedthrough. Field jounals are good also..they cost more The Pentalic pocket Travel books are the Best on the Market...but their prices have skyrocketed ..too bad

[@SmokyMountainTech]

I use a cahier for daily planner, field notes craft cover for to dos and lists, and a graphic field notes for journal. All three fit into 1 leather cover that fits in a front shirt pocket…. The field notes craft style like your video are much less durable than the field notes with the nice prints (use thicker cardstock).

[@Carsonial]

I haven't used fountain pens so I'm not sure, but lots of the viewers use them, may find some info in the comments.@@kan-zee

[@Lambertcottage]

I'm actually using a Field Book which is almost exactly like Field Notes but more affordable and I love it!

[@Carsonial]

Cool, I've seen those and will be trying them soon!

[@Jenscraftsandjournals]

Leuchtturm 1917 is one of my favorites, out of all the notebooks you reviewed. My favorite is Stalogy, but that is a bit bulky to fit in your pocket. I do like the Field Notes as well. I am waiting for them to come out with better cover designs. I am enjoying their 56 weeks Field Note planner. The paper is not bad. Thanks for the review.

[@Carsonial]

You bet!

[@bowtiejoe2413]

A very nice video indeed! I started with Volent XS then moved into Field Notes . I use fountain pens frequently, and dont have problems with either. Field Notes are unique in that they are available in a myriad of covers and paper types. Some even have perfed pages. My go to paper is the graph style. Moleskine's advantage is it is more readily available at retail establisments. A disadvantage of Field Notes, one must be diligent no to fall into the rabbit hole of ""Collectin."

[@Carsonial]

I'm running into the collectin problem on all the brands lol!

[@jasonarnett7716]

I have used the dollar tree 3 pack for YEARS! They actually hold up really well.

[@Carsonial]

Can’t beat 3 for $1.25!

[@floydbaptistchurch5798]

They all look nice, BUT I really, really like the perforated pages on the little guys, Moleskin Volent XS. May have to order those! 😉

[@Carsonial]

they are neat!

[@Noteability]

Great notebooks, and great video. Personally, I prefer Rhodia and Leuchtturm1917 over Moleskine

[@Carsonial]

have not tried the Rhodia yet, will have to get one!

[@planningandpowerlifting]

I have 2 Moleskine Cahiers. One I use as a "scribbling for sanity" notebook and the other is my functional junk journal. I have used an A6 Stalogy in the past and really like the paper. Right now, I have a Midori notebook and a Pen and Gear Undated Daily Planner in a passport size TN cover. The Pen and Gear has pretty good paper. I want to try Field Notes.

[@Carsonial]

I love "scribbling for sanity"!

[@planningandpowerlifting]

@@Carsonial , it comes in handy at airports!

[@karinhart489]

I’m currently using a dot grid Moleskine Cahier with 64 pages as a mini BuJo to cover 3 months & make notes because it is ALWAYS with me. I really like how the binding is stitched instead of stapled and the last 16 pages are perforated to can tear out easily to leave a note. Got several packs of three on sale when some seller was clearing out their inventory. For the quarter of year that starts in April I will try out a grid format in a genuine Field Notes since I was gifted a 3 pack of the National Parks series. Previously I have used a grid version of a cheap Field Notes knock-off grid with 2 staples for binding (ok with a pencil, but bleed through with some pens, & they can rust over the years in storage).

[@Carsonial]

Thanks for the info!

[@ironmanbox]

It would be nice for you to have reviewed how durable they were for every day carry. Also, how do they fit and feel in your pocket? Are they uncomfortable in your back pocket when sitting? Are they better for front pockets etc.

[@Carsonial]

All of these are very durable for edc. The thinner ones are good for back pocket, but the last two would be better suited for front pocket as they are slightly bulkier. The first 3 feel fine in back pocket when sitting, hard to notice they are in there. Hope this helps, I’ll make a note to address these in my next pocket notebook video

[@PlanYourOneLife]

I don't like Moleskine with my fountain pens. The paper is too rough. Otherwise, good video!

[@Carsonial]

Good to know!

[@fluxcapacitor2023]

I use my cell, a Fat Lil Notebook in my vehicle, and Rite In The Rain. Each one serves a specific purpose, but they easily overlap in case I'm without the one that I need.

[@Carsonial]

Nice!

[@kerrychhim9983]

For a hardcover pocket notebook is the Exceed pocket that you can get at Wal-Mart and the notebook is fountain pen friendly.

[@Carsonial]

will check it out!

[@raynoldj]

Suddenly there are so many youtubers talking about notebooks.

[@Carsonial]

I've been using them for years, but it does seem to be a popular topic.

[@aussenbords4984]

Or did we just all fall into the same rabbit hole 😂

[@Tim2pointoh]

No you’ve just started noticing them. But it is trending topic right now I think.

[@raynoldj]

@@Tim2pointohmaybe. I'm using my mobile phone app for important notes and to-do-list. Just recently I bought a few notebooks but still unsure how to use them 😃

[@Bear_Quills]

Welcome to the Army of notebook enthusiasts

[@agabrielhegartygaby9203]

My daily book Leuchturm1917 B5 squared - I take it everywhere with me - BUT if I am taking a smaller handbag with me I use an A6 - also squared - thanks for the link to the Leuchturm A6....

[@Carsonial]

I’ll have to try a squared one!

[@agabrielhegartygaby9203]

@@Carsonial I find it easier to write neatly in the squared notebooks because the dots do not work as a guide. Thanks for your videos - enjoyable!

[@jameskeener7251]

Love the way you talk.

[@Carsonial]

Hey thanks!

[@cesspresso]

My daily driver is the Hobonichi A6

[@Carsonial]

I'll have to check that one out

[@matthewhayes9734]

The Moleskine no longer offer the dot grid or square grid layout. They only offer these in the black color. You can only get lined for now for every other color.

[@Carsonial]

good to know, thank you!

[@qiqerod]

Of course my top favorite for edc is the soft cover Leuchtturm 100%. (I do like the softcover classic pocket moleskine too). My sacond favorite could be the field notes. Also my favorite paper is the square or graph paper. 👍🏻. Good video

[@Carsonial]

Thanks for sharing!

[@harrylew]

The only one of those appropriate for fountain pens is the Leuchtturm. The others tend to produce ink feathering and bleed through.

[@Carsonial]

Bonus point for the Leuchtturm!

[@smarien]

Great layout of all the options!

[@Carsonial]

Thanks so much!

[@Chewee394]

You may want to check out TUL notebooks/planners. The paper properties are great for fountain pens and they are sold at most office supply stores. Only problem is I dont think they have pocket friendly options

[@Carsonial]

I am a HUGE fan of TUL pens! My wife has used their notebooks, just not really my style.

[@joeraschke]

I use field notes... I bought them many years ago, and now I am trying to use them all. I'll see about testing the Moleskin Volent XS.

[@Carsonial]

They are both great! If you try it let me know what you think!

[@smp24298]

I liked your choices. I also like the Moleskine Volent XS but it looks like they don't make it anymore. Now I need to find a substitute nd am not have much luck. Good choices all around.

[@Carsonial]

There is a link in description for the volant xs, you can also find them at Target sometimes.

[@Elizabeth-vx4os]

moleskine hardcover 3.5 x 5.5

[@Carsonial]

Good choice

[@user-dq1ig9mt3h]

great video. thanks for showing all the different options!

[@Carsonial]

Glad it was helpful!

[@barryporter6993]

Mauruman Mnemosyne 70gsm pocket notebook. 3"x 5" superior notenook.

[@Carsonial]

I’ll check it out!

[@xHal1]

They some memo size ones too about the size of the Volant, but are top spiral bound. You can get a 10 pack for about as much as a pack of Field Notes. Maybe not as pocket friendly with the spiral, but man, the paper quality is almost unbeatable at the price.

[@robertbachofen990]

Which of these has a good enough paper quality to be used w a fountain pen w/o bleeding through?

[@Carsonial]

Leuchtturm! Hands down the best out of all these for fountain pens. Great question!

[@mayneric]

Field notes are great pocket notebooks but terrible if you use fountain pens which I prefer most of the time. So I dedicate a nice Retro 51 rollerball to my Fieldnotes books.

[@PlanYourOneLife]

It depends on which fountain pen and ink that you're using on it. I use my fountain pens and inks on their paper regularly and I don't have any problems. But, I will say if you truly want to see the true sheen, depth of shading and shimmer, then, there are other notebooks that might work better. I currently am using one as my pocket commonplace notebook.

[@Carsonial]

I have yet to try a fountain pen, it's on the list!

[@mayneric]

@@PlanYourOneLife I agree but the limit on the inks that don’t feather makes it easier to just stick with the rollerballs.

[@PlanYourOneLife]

@@mayneric I understand.

[@jeremya2911]

These are for right handed people, as a lefty any binding on left side is a non-starter!

[@Carsonial]

Thanks for the comment, and you bring up a great point! I added a link in the video description for the left handed field notes, amzn.to/48HEwhO

[@bowtiejoe2413]

Field Notes makes a Lefty version

[@raybear0801]

@@Carsonial mind blown! In all my years I never once thought of looking to see if anyone made a left-handed notebook. I've just usually either complained about being left-handed while writing in my trusty Leuchtturm 1917 Medium Sized (which I recognize is too large to carry around as a pocket notebook) or have used notepads that flip over and avoid the whole leftie problem altogether. But I am definitely going to have to order me some of these Field Notes for lefties. What a game-changer - thank you!

[@Carsonial]

Glad you discovered them! That reminds me I need to let my dad know, he is left handed too!

[@martyknight]

Turn the notebook upside down.

[@kathyfannon7563]

I use the pocket Moleskine as my "throw-away" book for to-dos but recently discovered they are made in China. That's a deal breaker for me, so I will restock with Field Notes.Also the pocket Moleskine paper is not good for fountain pens with a thicker nib as bleed through is quite strong. (Although it's not bad at all in the medium size book since the paper is a little different.) I recently purchased a Rhodia pocket for a commonplace book and LOVE the paper in it. It has a 192 pages and a ribbon with a hard cover. Very fountain pen friendly. I love the teaser! Looking forward to that video!

[@Carsonial]

Thank you for the info!

[@duncang7372]

I’m really disappointed with the Moleskine notebooks - I have several and they all suffer from bleed-through of darker fountain pen inks, meaning that using both sides of the page is not satisfactory. I won’t buy them again. I believe that the Leichtturm books use thicker paper so I will be trying them next. Personally I would recommend the Midori paper in the Travelers Notebooks and also Clairefontaine paper notebooks, which are much better quality than the Moleskines

[@Carsonial]

Yes Moleskine is not great for fountain pens, I’ll do another video showing using a fountain pen on different notebooks!

[@justinspivey7294]

Smythson for the win

[@Carsonial]

Will have to check it out!

[@christianbearden28]

I destroy everyone before I finish them. Being a railroad man, tall, big or a combination with the sweat just destroys them.

[@Carsonial]

you might check out the rite in the rain notebooks, they are waterproof

[@christianbearden28]

@@Carsonial yeah, they’re better, but no match for me. lol

[@Carsonial]

@@christianbearden28 Lochby sent me one of these to try out and it made me think of you, may be useful on the railroad: www.lochby.com/collections/journals/products/pocket-journal

[@LazyStory]

Least favorite is the Field Notes. .. Do not like all their writing in it. And i really don't like the staples. I like the small composition books from dollar stores and pharmacies for writing / taking notes. For drawing either the Moleskine Cahier for very light weight moving about - or the Leuchtturm, those are just joyful. But I prefer real sketchbooks like: Stillman & Birn, Hahnemühle and Winsor & Newton

[@Carsonial]

I would love to see your art!

[@Tim2pointoh]

Nice comparison, but please be honest. Each of these notebooks that you said that you’ve been writing in and enjoying using, there’s no sign of any use. Great video, but please just be honest and show some evidence.

[@Carsonial]

Thanks for the input, I kinda assumed that people would rather see new fresh ones vs my used ones. Will keep that in mind going forward!

[@Tim2pointoh]

I know what you mean - I’m a big believer or “real” and “raw” content..

[@Tim2pointoh]

@@Carsonial and dude , lean into that accent some more. Best part of the video for me was the Leurchturm pronunciation 😂

[@madsenlive]

Leuchtturm1917 - love that they have numbered pages

[@Carsonial]

gotta love it!

[@williamneal9076]

Loyish-Term. Yes. Most pronounce it as have here when you get on with the Review. Clairefontaine. GRID of course.

[@Carsonial]

Love grid