Field Notes Notebooks And Fps?

[Floreat]

Are these notebooks any good for use with fountain pens please? They're not a well-known brand here in the UK, but I have bought a Colours subscription as they look like nice little handy books in their own right - something different from the ubiquitous Moleskines.

 

I understand that they use different types of paper for different editions in the Colours series, so these will vary, but I'm mainly wondering about the ordinary buff-covered Field Notes.

 

Thanks!

[inkypete]

Love what they are doing for the humble notebook but paper varies considerably. I stopped buying after the first year. If you like a particular edition try one before you stock up. They are on my "don't trust" list right under Moleskin.

[Betweenthelines]

I've only used the pocket-sized "shelterwood" series, and I love them for quick notes. However the paper is not the most fountain pen friendly - it's fairly absorbent and with juicy pens you'll get feathering. For what it's for, though (a quick note on the run), that doesn't bother me. It might others.

[SallyLyn]

As mentioned some additions are better for fountain pens. America the Beautiful, Shelterwood two I know had better paper. FNs are usually designed for, work best with, ballpoint, maybe gel and always pencil. The Expedition is of the yupo paper. Very slick but doesn't melt with water. I don't think a fountain pen would ever work on it, but some watercolour artists find it interesting.

Use the finest fountain pen nib you have. You may need to dilute your ink to help quick drying. Write quickly, shut or flip pages slower. --The buff/kraft colored FN are so-so. Not papertowel quality, but not greatest for FPs.

 

I have a Fieldnotes with me always and carry an inexpensive vintage Bullet Pencil for writing. At home will use a Uni-Ball Signo or one of the F/XF fountain pens.

 

The Shelterwood is no longer produced but there is now Cherrywood. Don't know if the paper is of FP quality. There is a Facebook group - Field Nuts and you can ask questions.

[Amberjack]

Great questions and good answers to this. Field Notes are great little notebooks and have saved my sanity. I don't leave home without at least one and sometimes three on my person. My experience is the Shelterwood and in the not too distant past the Travelling Salesman editions are fairly FP friendly. Others (the Expedition series) not at all. Most of them are acceptable though for what they are, a small, tuckable notebook.

 

-Jack

[NCGibbon]

I have used the County Fair edition and they were okay with my Extra Fine point pens. I stopped using them as I was tired of not being able to use any pen I wanted to on them and started making my own pocket notebooks for a Midori Passport.

[Avetikus]

I love fountain pens. I use them every chance I get.

 

I love Field Notes notebooks. But I don't use FPs in them. Can't. Doesn't mean I won't use 'em, though.

 

If I need to write a larger note, my MTN is available with its lightweight paper inset, and has (usually) my Pilot FP tucked in the Quiver pen pouch.

[blINK]

I carry several Field Notes notebooks with me at all times. Unless I'm using a wide nib and/or a super wet ink, I have no problems. I actually find them rather friendly to my pens.

[Kevan]

I just bought the new Ambition edition. This is my first experience with Field Notes, and for fountain pens you can find better options. Banditapple Carnet makes a Peewee pocket-sized notebook with better paper, more paper, and stitched binding for the same price as Field Notes, for example. Every FP I tried on the paper bled through, even the EF pens. No feathering, but lots of bleedthrough.

 

I like the ruling options Field Notes offers, I like that the ruling isn't loud and scream its presence, and the rotating editions thing is a cool idea. They could improve and provide an alternative option to the usual Rhodia/Clairefontaine books, but they won't. They are for pencil and ballpoint use, and for regular Joes rather than writing nerds. I guess that they are good for their intended purpose though.

[byggyns]

I have the "America the Beautiful" set & I love the paper in that one. I get no feathering, and minimal show-through. I'm able to write on both sides of the page very easily.

I also have the "Pitch Black" set & that paper is a little less great. The paper does have enough show-through and a little bleed through, so I can't always use both sides of a page. Still, I don't get noticeable feathering. I like it so much better than the Molskine cahiers of the same size. The Molskine paper is simply not up to the task of dealing with FP's.

 

I have the "Shelterwood" set, but have yet to rotate it into my notebook system. So, I don't know how good the paper is in that edition.

 

I tend to use wet writing pens in the M to F nib ranges.

[Floreat]

Thanks for your input, everyone! I can always use little notebooks and if I end up overrun with them through the subscription I'm sure my friends will appreciate them too

[Misfit]

I seem to have the best luck with their lined paper notebooks. But I've had graph style that works well, and some with show through. I still love them, and if it shows through, then I go to the next page.

[sarahfar]

LE's that use Monarch or Finch 70# do fine, 50 # reg stuff not so good for fp.......

[osmel2489]

I've become more of a fan of rhodia notebooks for my line of work, they are very FP friendly and use clairefontaine paper. I had a lot of bleedthrough and feathering problems with field notes and moleskine notebooks.

[box_camera]

I use Field Notes on a daily basis and have never noticed much problem with my fountain pens in them, although the paper varies from one edition to the next. I just use them for lists and short notes though, so I wouldn't care or probably even notice if there was a little feathering and such.

Edited January 14, 2015 by box_camera