Field Notes

[DwarvenChef]

Getting back into the study of local reptiles (Sceloporus to be exact) I have noticed that my pens can be a bit finicky while out in the field. It gets HOT out here and dry conditions will dry out the wettest nib I have. I was wondering if anyone else out there writes outside in the hot and dry, and what are they using?

 

At the moment my Lamy with a B nib is my best cantidate for my needs, coupled with Noodlers #41-12. It has done ok in a hot kitchen but that is not outside in the field, crouched over a rock taking notes while trying to get a picture of a 3" lizard eating a flower... Ya I can do that all day long

[welch]

Use a pencil. That's what Thoreau did. It's also how people did field-work, of all sorts, before the ballpoint. Wrote notes in pencil, then reviewed, reflected, drafted report with fountain pen. Then to typewriter.

 

Take a couple of solid wood pencils, a simple pocket sharpener, and, for durability, consider a Write-in-the rain notebook. I like the California Republic pencils and General Semi-Hex. The CalRep is a great new-ish pencil, something like a micro-brew pencil. The General Semi-Hex is the last of the traditional yellow pencils.

[tnmike1]

Pencil--Steven King's fave is Beryl #1 Black. Appears in many of his novels. Use that pencil and watch the little guys morph into brain-eaters

[Laura N]

I use a Sharpie and a ballpoint pen.

 

Edit: actually, I think the ballpoint is a disposable rollerball.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Laura N

[DanielB]

Maybe Thoreau would have used a Pilot VP today

[Yoda4561]

My first thought is a hooded nib pen, like a parker 51, coupled with an ink that's well regarded for not drying out while taking long note sessions, like Noodler's Dark Matter.

[welch]

Maybe Thoreau would have used a Pilot VP today

 

Thoreau was the "new-product engineering, research, and development" department of the family's pencil business, so I imagine he would be using "real" pencils today. He worked out the properties of the "paste" that we call a pencil "lead"...a mixture of clay and this and that. See Henry Petroski's Pencil book.

 

(Oh, and notice the decline in pencil-making since Petroski published. Back cover show's him sharpening a Berol pencil. Berol, Eberhard Faber, American pencil Company/Venus, and Faber-Castell all belong to Sanford Office products of Newell Rubbermaid. Just like Parker and Waterman. A general decline in hand-writing instruments.)

[DwarvenChef]

I have a couple Parker 51's but not the Dark Matter... Will have to give them a chance to earn their keep so to speak.

 

I'm inclined to believe that the pencil may be the way to go, I'm just not good with pencils... I always seem to bend, sit, or twist in such a way as to snap off the tip... Oh well

[Yoda4561]

I have a couple Parker 51's but not the Dark Matter... Will have to give them a chance to earn their keep so to speak.

 

I'm inclined to believe that the pencil may be the way to go, I'm just not good with pencils... I always seem to bend, sit, or twist in such a way as to snap off the tip... Oh well

 

 

Perhaps a mechanical pencil then, I recommend at least a .7mm lead, the .5's snap too easily. The pentel Forte .7mm is an old favorite of mine.

[DanielB]

Maybe Thoreau would have used a Pilot VP today

 

Thoreau was the "new-product engineering, research, and development" department of the family's pencil business, so I imagine he would be using "real" pencils today. He worked out the properties of the "paste" that we call a pencil "lead"...a mixture of clay and this and that. See Henry Petroski's Pencil book.

 

(Oh, and notice the decline in pencil-making since Petroski published. Back cover show's him sharpening a Berol pencil. Berol, Eberhard Faber, American pencil Company/Venus, and Faber-Castell all belong to Sanford Office products of Newell Rubbermaid. Just like Parker and Waterman. A general decline in hand-writing instruments.)

 

 

Very interesting historical note. Thanks. But then, I guess he couldn't have claimed "no affiliation" ......

In any case I agree that pencil is a great option. Not the one I use though.

 

 

[uojfe]

A fisher space pen is my primary tool for harsh conditions. It's my glove-box pen.

 

I can leave that in a 150 degree(F) car or the freezing cold for months on end. And it just works, first time every time. It won't freeze leak or dry out.

 

I prefer it to a pencil, the only other instrument that can withstand such punishment.

[ChuckR9]

I find using a FP too risky in the field - posting & un-posting increases chances of dropping one.

[RudyR]

Use a pencil. That's what Thoreau did. It's also how people did field-work, of all sorts, before the ballpoint. Wrote notes in pencil, then reviewed, reflected, drafted report with fountain pen. Then to typewriter.

 

Take a couple of solid wood pencils, a simple pocket sharpener, and, for durability, consider a Write-in-the rain notebook. I like the California Republic pencils and General Semi-Hex. The CalRep is a great new-ish pencil, something like a micro-brew pencil. The General Semi-Hex is the last of the traditional yellow pencils.

 

+1 on the Rite in The Rain Notebook. REI sells the Rite In The Rain Notebook Cover that can accommodate the larger notepad (bigger than 3X5) and several pencils or writing instruments. Also they sell a large assortment of covers and kits online at their Web store. A warning though, the paper is at war with Fountain Pen inks and they do not play well with each other. They essentially repel each other. That's why you can write in the rain. Same problem with some ball point/roller ball pens.

 

For a pencil sharpener, use the knife that all good field workers should carry anyway. You will have to fight off a Komodo dragon or Anaconda every so often.

 

I am like you, pencil lead has become so inferior that I often destroy the tip just with simple use. And it always breaks inside the wood. I think its designed that way now so you have to shave away a large portion of pencil to get a new point that quickly breaks again inside the wood.

[MaikeruS]

How about using a lead holder pencil instead of a "normal" mechanical pencil? These cost a bit more than typical budget .5mm or .7mm mechanical pencils and provide all benefits of woodcase pencils while allowing for the use of different leads in the same case.

 

I personally use a Staedtler 780C in Biology and Chemistry university wetlabs as it is reliable and safer than a FP in an environment full of solvents which seem to love removing my notes.

 

The pencil also has a lead pointer in the cap, which saves me from needing to buy a new sharpener every two weeks as I lose them constantly. 2mm lead is a little harder to find, and is more expensive, but seems to last forever.

[DwarvenChef]

Some things to look into regarding "pencils"

 

Found a box of pencils I have been "hoarding?" over the years. Give aways and the like from various shows over the past 30 years... I don't use pencils normally so they just sit there and ... sit.

 

Heading over to REI tomorow and see what they have for notebooks. While I'm not to worried (around here) about it getting wet from rain, and I'm sure the sweat evaporates on my skin.. I'm currious how the heat would effect the paper, we shall see.

[xxloverxx]

A few things come to mind:

• 
   
  
• Hooded nail (cheap, like a Hero)
  
• Lead holder (so you don't worry about it breaking/having to carry a sharpener)
  
• Dip pen and a bottle of ink (however dry it is, I refuse to believe that a bottle of ink can dry out in a day)
  
• Nick a quill off a porcupine and sharpen it with a knife
  

[Messmer]

Anybody tested beta pen?

[coleam]

Geologist here. I've tried billions of different pen and notebook combinations either myself or via proxy (friends, professors, students, etc), and I've found that the best options for field notes are a waterproof notebook (Rite in the Rain is good, but expensive - Sokkia is a bit cheaper and just as functional) and either a ballpoint or an extra-fine point Sharpie.

 

Fountain pens just aren't practical - you can lose the cap, they dry out, if you drop it point-down, you're stuck without a writing instrument, you have to deal with refills (admittedly easier if you're using carts), and many inks aren't waterproof (especially the ones in cartridges). Moreover, if you use a waterproof notebook, the water-based ink won't soak into the page.

 

Rollerballs suffer from some of the same problems as fountain pens - not waterproof and water-based inks. They also tend to put down a lot of ink, which increases the chances of smearing.

 

Pencil is pretty good, though it smudges easily if you don't press hard enough, and if you do press hard enough to keep it from smearing, it no longer erases. Mechanical pencil is better than wooden pencil - you can't snap them in half (as easily) and if you run out of lead, it's easy to carry a little pack of spare leads for a mechanical pencil. I use the Pentel P205 and P203 (0.5 and 0.3 mm) with very few lead breakage problems. They're amazingly durable writing instruments.

 

Ballpoints are pretty good. The oil-based ink is at least water resistant, and if you get clicky pens, you don't have to worry about losing the cap. The Fisher Space Pen is great due to its tolerance of extreme conditions, and it writes pretty decently for a ballpoint. Rite in the Rain even sells them rebranded as "Rite in the Rain Pens" for use with their notebooks.

 

My favorite is Sharpie though. Not the Sharpie Pens - I recently tried those and they had smearing problems. Just the regular extra-fine point permanent markers. They don't dry out too easily, are cheap to replace, write a consistently dark line, don't smear, are reasonably waterproof, don't require any pressure to write with, and at least with the thick waterproof paper, don't have any bleeding problems. I've known others to use the regular-sized (fine-point) Sharpies, but they dull pretty easily and start writing really fat lines than can be difficult to read. They can also bleed through even waterproof paper.

Edited March 1, 2012 by coleam

[DwarvenChef]

Geologist here. I've tried billions of different pen and notebook combinations either myself or via proxy (friends, professors, students, etc), and I've found that the best options for field notes are a waterproof notebook (Rite in the Rain is good, but expensive - Sokkia is a bit cheaper and just as functional) and either a ballpoint or an extra-fine point Sharpie.

 

Fountain pens just aren't practical - you can lose the cap, they dry out, if you drop it point-down, you're stuck without a writing instrument, you have to deal with refills (admittedly easier if you're using carts), and many inks aren't waterproof (especially the ones in cartridges). Moreover, if you use a waterproof notebook, the water-based ink won't soak into the page.

 

Rollerballs suffer from some of the same problems as fountain pens - not waterproof and water-based inks. They also tend to put down a lot of ink, which increases the chances of smearing.

 

Pencil is pretty good, though it smudges easily if you don't press hard enough, and if you do press hard enough to keep it from smearing, it no longer erases. Mechanical pencil is better than wooden pencil - you can't snap them in half (as easily) and if you run out of lead, it's easy to carry a little pack of spare leads for a mechanical pencil. I use the Pentel P205 and P203 (0.5 and 0.3 mm) with very few lead breakage problems. They're amazingly durable writing instruments.

 

Ballpoints are pretty good. The oil-based ink is at least water resistant, and if you get clicky pens, you don't have to worry about losing the cap. The Fisher Space Pen is great due to its tolerance of extreme conditions, and it writes pretty decently for a ballpoint. Rite in the Rain even sells them rebranded as "Rite in the Rain Pens" for use with their notebooks.

 

My favorite is Sharpie though. Not the Sharpie Pens - I recently tried those and they had smearing problems. Just the regular extra-fine point permanent markers. They don't dry out too easily, are cheap to replace, write a consistently dark line, don't smear, are reasonably waterproof, don't require any pressure to write with, and at least with the thick waterproof paper, don't have any bleeding problems. I've known others to use the regular-sized (fine-point) Sharpies, but they dull pretty easily and start writing really fat lines than can be difficult to read. They can also bleed through even waterproof paper.

Thanks for the in depth reply. I have not seen the Sokkia note book yet but will keep an eye out. I stopped by the closest thing to a pen store we have and they didn't have much in the way of lead holders. A short conversation with the lady that ran the pens holds some promis that my interests will be looked into. Seems she was looking for something like what we where talking about here with a sharpener in the cap or part of the holder. We shall see in a couple weeks, they are not fast when it comes to ordering stuff, took them 4 months to get some new ink in when I placed a special order... learned that lesson quick enough...

[coleam]

I've never seen the Sokkias in a physical store, but you can find them pretty easily in any mining/engineering/geology supply store. They're usually about $8-$10 for the bound hardback ones and $4-$5 for the little spiral-bound books.