Re "field Notes", Is It Just Me Or...?

[Moynihan]

There are some respected fountain pen related merchant sites out there that specifically state that Field Note notebooks are FP friendly. About a month ago i bought the standard 3-pack. Mine are the least FP friendly boutique notebooks I have ever used, less friendly than even a Moleskine! What "shows through" on the Moleskine, really does, or "bleeds through" on the Field Notes.

Is it just me? Did they recently change the paper quality?...

[sotto2]

My understanding is that, with some notebook companies, and this may even vary by country, the quality of paper you get at any given point in time is a crapshoot. They sometimes change at will and without warning. I haven't had any issues with Clairefontaine. It's always the same here in the US, and is always marked on the back of their notebooks 90 grams per square meter. You may not necessarily like the finish on the paper, but it is reliable. Their "Roadbooks" are rugged and excellent, BTW, if you haven't tried them.

[cubic archon]

I have several Field Notes books and while they are very cute I agree that they aren't fp friendly, or at least the two I've tried FPs in haven't been. Anything less than a fine nib with a well behaved ink (e.g. Sailor Kiwa-Guro works) just bleeds through hugely.

 

I second Clairefontaine's recent range. I have a couple of the Duos which are the smaller versions of the Roadbook. If you like the idea of the Field Notes but want to use an FP you should definitely look at those. (Personally I've moved to using Rhodia pads as my pocket notebooks since getting the Field Notes anyway.)

[Felix1]

Is it just me? Did they recently change the paper quality?...

 

Hope not. Received a pack of the new 'States' series (Texas) this week but haven't broken the seal yet. I'll let you know if I find any difference.

[dmmcf]

Is it just me? Did they recently change the paper quality?...

 

I encourage you to ask them directly, by email or phone. The one time I had a Field Notes order go slightly pear-shaped, I phoned, spoke to a human, and the problem was fixed immediately. If an inferior batch of paper made it out the door, I think they'd want to know.

[EnviroDawg]

I think Field Notes paper is horrible for fountain pens. I have tried them 5 different times in different years...always same result...feathering and bleedthrough. Not good for what I want them for.

[777]

I agree with some other posters here in the thought that: when paper is made in another country without quality control, the results will vary with each batch.

[777]

My brother has one of these and the paper was... well... decent. It's nothing special at all and I don't think I'll ever buy one. If I wanted a stapled notebook I'd probably buy a clairefontaine or something. I know those have excellent paper.

[obmike]

I have to say I love these. I have no problems using fountain pens with these. I've used inexpensive pens, expensive pens, about every color ink you can think of.

 

I wish I could find some of the orange ones (it was their second colors batch)

[farseer911]

I switched from fieldnotes to clairefontains pocket sized Duos. They rock!!!

[MJ Vesuvius]

I love Field Notes for their retro look, but OP is right,

they are not FP friendly. Lots of bleed-through. But I

put up with it. Triumph of form over function...

 

I do like dmmcf's idea of contacting them with feedback.

I'm gonna do it.

 

– MJ

[khymeera]

As a bio major I take a lot of field notes. I completely agree about the "standard" field notebooks...they are NOT FP friendly. They're like ink vampires, just sucks the ink right out!

 

As an result I usually make my own field notebooks from unused sheets left over from various cheap notebooks and they do slightly better but they're still not as good as the higher quality papers...but hey, its cheap and fun to make. Out of habit, I also usually only write on the front side of the page and leave the back for comments on the opposing page which helps because I don't have to worry about bleed through. Also, using a fine nib helps.

 

As a side note, I think using Noodler's x-feather will help with both feathering and bleed through. My friend swears by this stuff though I haven't used it (yet).

[EnviroDawg]

As a bio major I take a lot of field notes. I completely agree about the "standard" field notebooks...they are NOT FP friendly. They're like ink vampires, just sucks the ink right out!

 

As an result I usually make my own field notebooks from unused sheets left over from various cheap notebooks and they do slightly better but they're still not as good as the higher quality papers...but hey, its cheap and fun to make. Out of habit, I also usually only write on the front side of the page and leave the back for comments on the opposing page which helps because I don't have to worry about bleed through. Also, using a fine nib helps.

 

As a side note, I think using Noodler's x-feather will help with both feathering and bleed through. My friend swears by this stuff though I haven't used it (yet).

 

3 Words: "Sokkia Field Book" No. 8152-60 I am going to be back home soon and will be sending out a circulating Sokkia Field book/journal to be mailed from one person to another. Let me know if you would like to be on list. They take ink very well and are put together extremely well. Paper is at least 90g but feels heavier...

[Felix1]

Has anyone made contact with the Field Notes CS reps yet? Anything to report?

 

I opened my latest subscription pack and don't see any real difference. But, of course, the paper they use can't be compared with what's used in brands like Clairefontaine, Maruman, Apica, etc. You'll always get more bleed-through with Field Notes versus a slicker paper but I don't find it objectionable since I like the books.

[cubic archon]

I notice there's a thread from the start of last year on Field Notes, where one of the staff posts to talk about the paper being used. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=90845

 

I don't get the impression that FP users are specifically their target market from that, but they seem friendly. I'd like to reiterate that I do actually like Field Notes books, otherwise I wouldn't have bought two of the special packs and got others to buy some too - its just that not everything is going to be ideal for a FP. They are small pocket notebooks which are much more likely to be used with a pencil or ballpoint. I wouldn't blame them for concentrating on the market and price point that would suit the concept. I might drop them a line to ask whether they have any plans for an edition with more FP friendly paper though - that could actually be a distinct option, and variety is useful for selling quite specialised lines like this.

[redshifteffect]

 

As a side note, I think using Noodler's x-feather will help with both feathering and bleed through. My friend swears by this stuff though I haven't used it (yet).

 

Just got a bottle of xfeather the other day and so far my results have been mixed. Tried it on the reasonably cheap paper I occasionally use and it was excellent (decent dry time which surprised me based on the reviews I read that it was slow drying) but on the cheap graph paper that I have lying around it feathered more then the HoD I tested it against! So I guess it really depends on your pen/paper combinations.

[inkypete]

There are some respected fountain pen related merchant sites out there that specifically state that Field Note notebooks are FP friendly. About a month ago i bought the standard 3-pack. Mine are the least FP friendly boutique notebooks I have ever used, less friendly than even a Moleskine! What "shows through" on the Moleskine, really does, or "bleeds through" on the Field Notes.

Is it just me? Did they recently change the paper quality?...

 

The first ever pack that I bought were quite good - not perfect but good enough. Next pack I bought the paper quality was not as good and down hill from there. Very disappointing product. So close but yet so far. My recommendation is simple. If you want to use fountain pen, don't buy Field Notes.

[jniforat]

There are some respected fountain pen related merchant sites out there that specifically state that Field Note notebooks are FP friendly. About a month ago i bought the standard 3-pack. Mine are the least FP friendly boutique notebooks I have ever used, less friendly than even a Moleskine! What "shows through" on the Moleskine, really does, or "bleeds through" on the Field Notes.

Is it just me? Did they recently change the paper quality?...

 

The first ever pack that I bought were quite good - not perfect but good enough. Next pack I bought the paper quality was not as good and down hill from there. Very disappointing product. So close but yet so far. My recommendation is simple. If you want to use fountain pen, don't buy Field Notes.

 

+1!