Review: Field Notes Notebooks and use for traveling

I consider myself a "digital guy." My life is as paperless as possible, and I use several apps for planning a trip and during my travels.

However, back in 2012, roughly at the same time, I ditched my DSLR for iPhone photography, I also slimmed down my wallet and began to focus on traveling light.

Somehow I felt the need for a good old pen and paper in various situations.

Be it to leave a note with my phone number when I parked the car in a "not so ideal" spot to take photos at a lost place, be it to take notes about how I photographed certain scenes to later publish them here in the blog or as a backup for essential travel information.

So I began to look for a small paper notebook: Not to thick, not too thin, not too small and not too big.

It had to fit into all kinds of pockets, from the back pocket of my jeans to a shirt pocket and, of course, into the pockets of a jacket. Because of the requirements above, the notebook I was looking for had to have a softcover.

That's when I discovered Field Notes Notebooks. They seemed just right for me, and so I ordered my first 3-pack of the Pitch Black Field Notes Memo Books from Amazon.

After I received the first three-pack, I was sold. The Field Notes Memo Books were just perfect for what I wanted to use them.

Since then, I use one as an everyday carry memo book and one as a travel journal. The travel journal memo book also doubles as a kind of travel wallet for tickets, maps, and so on. Here's a tiny "exhibition" of my Field Notes Collection. I guess you could call me Field nuts?

What's the difference between a Field Notes Memo Book and a Field Notes Note Book?

In short, it's the size and the number of pages. Have a look at the comparison of the Pitch Black Note Book (left) and the Pitch Black Memo Book (right)

• The Memo Book is my preferred size. It fits perfectly into any pocket. It’s 3.5” x 5.5” (8.9cm x 14 cm) and has 48 pages.
• The Note Book is larger. It’s 4.75” x 7.5” (12.1cm x 19cm) and has 64 pages. I use this edition solely at my desk.

Some special editions are available in other sizes, too — for example, the Steno, which is 6x9" and has 80 pages.

Why I love Field Notes Notebooks

For me, Field Notes Memo Books are just perfect, because:

• They have the ideal size for carrying them around. They fit into any pocket in your trousers or jacket.
• They're sturdy. Though they have a softcover, the Memo Books can withstand quite a lot.

And, after I've ordered my second Pitch Black pack edition, I checked the website of Field Notes Brand and saw that they're offering a quarterly subscription with new and exclusive designs delivered to my doorstep every three months. I gave it a try and subscribed. That was four years ago, and I'm still a subscriber.

Today, Field Notes Memo Books have become an integral part of my life, and I use them for traveling, as a journal and for my genealogical research. Plus, whenever I work on a particular project, I use a dedicated Field Notes Memo Book for it.

Here's a Field Notes Memo Book filled with memories from a few months of traveling.

And here's how I use these Memo Books for traveling.

Use Case of a Field Notes Memo Book for traveling

There are probably 100s of ways how you can use those memo books for traveling. Here's my way of using it.

Use as a backup for vital travel information.

Though I use a few apps for traveling to store all relevant travel information, I write down essential travel data in a memo book as a backup.

A smartphone can run out of battery, can be stolen, lost, or damaged. This way, I still have the vital travel information at hand. Here's what I write down:

• Flight (or Train) numbers along with departure times
• Airline or Railroad-Operator hotline
• Hotel address and phone number
• Address & phone number of the Austrian embassy (just in case) on site
• Credit Card number and fraud hotline Number
• One or two local taxi phone numbers
• Travel expenses, after I return home

Once I'm back home, I sum up all the travel expenses by categories like flight, public transportation, hotel, eating, admission fees, and souvenirs to get an idea of how much I spent.

Use as a Travel Wallet for all that paper

I don't know about you, but I still get quite some paper when traveling; Be it public transportation tickets, tickets for attractions, small maps, invoices and, occasionally, a speeding ticket.

Travel tip: Avoid speeding in Estonia. It costs a fortune.

To keep the papers from falling out, I attach some paper clips to each Field Notes Memo Book that I use to attaching all the paper from a trip to a dedicated page for that trip.

Use as a Travel Journal

In a Field Notes Memo Book that I use for traveling, each trip starts on two empty pages. The left page remains blank. Here I attach all the paperer as described above.

On the right page, I note down all the essential travel information from use case #1.

Then, on the subsequent pages, I write the travel journal.

Those are notes about all the places I've been to, how the weather was, my thoughts about the places I've visited, how I photographed the sites, what I should try next time, who I met there, travel tips from locals, and the like.

I usually fill 2-4 pages per day.

Where to get Field Notes Memo Books.

I've ordered my first Field Notes Memo Book from Amazon and ordered a new pack of 3 whenever I ran out. Don't forget to select the size (Small Memo Book or larger Note Book and if you want a dot graph or ruled paper).

As I began to use Field Notes Memo Books for other things like personal journaling (not travel related), for special projects (like my genealogical research) and more, I got myself a Filed Notes quarterly subscription.

SoI get a new and uniquely designed three-pack delivered to my doorstep every three months.

Usually, you can get the current and limited editions of Field Notes Memo Books from Amazon, too.

Recommended Accessories for Field Notes Notebooks

Well, there's not much to add to a Field Notes Notebook, except your thoughts and experiences.

Nevertheless, I'd like to point you to two accessories I recommend and use myself.

Bellroy Notebook Wallet

I use the Bellroy Cover Mini as my Field Notes Wallet. It's a perfect cover and wallet for Field Notes memo books that has room for a passport (European Sizes) and 2-6 credit cards plus my Fisher Space Pen.

Bellroy manufactures the Cover from premium, environmentally certified leather, and I love how it ages. I have mine for a few years now, and it looks cool.

You can check the reviews and get a Bellroy Field Notes Cover from Amazon.

Fisher Space Pen

Fisher Space Pens are advertised to write in almost all conditions. From -30F to +250F, underwater, at any angle, even upside down and also in outer space.

I doubt that I will ever use it underwater or with Scotty in outer space. But I can confirm that those pens really write at any angle and any temperature. The hottest area where I used it so far was in Death Valley at 125F.

Fisher sells one model of the Space Pen that comes with a capacitive stylus that I use for retouching photos on the iPhone.

You may want to read my Fisher Space Pen Bullet review or check the prices and reviews of the Bullet Space Pen on Amazon.

Conclusion

Field Notes Memo Books are just the perfect size for everyday use and for traveling. They fit into almost any imaginable pocket; in shirts, a pair of jeans, and even in your jacket.

You can get different editions of the Field Notes Memo Books on Amazon or directly from the Field Notes Brand website.

Now, please excuse me. I've to prepare my next trip to Budapest, Hungary, and need to write down the essential travel information in my Field Notes Memo Book.

See you there!