The Miniblog

Hipster PDA 2.0

Having given up on Palm Pilots, Pocket PC's and all other electronic organizers a year or so ago I have gone back to paper and pen. And because I'm always attracted to the pragmatically classic and the cool I have been using various Moleskine notebooks for different purposes (daily journal, project management, date book, etc.). I like the Moleskines because they're the perfect size and I dig the extra folder pocket in all of them where I keep a few extra index cards, some postage stamps, etc. and I have a binder clip holding the whole thing together. I manage all my day-to-day notes and whatnot with it just fine. But I'm always on the lookout for alternatives. So I found myself at the Swap Meat at Coudal Partners and saw these nifty small notebooks from some new operation calling itself Field Notes I had to order a set to check them out.

So I ordered them last week and they showed up on Saturday morning. I opened the package and pulled out a set of three Field Notes in shrink wrap. Unlike the Moleskine Cashier Notebooks, which these most resemble in size, color, etc. these have prominent branding right there on front. I mean you can't ignore the "Field Notes" logo right there in uber-pseudo-modern type, looks like which is Futura or maybe Avenir, but my type ID skills are rusty. Let's just say it's a typeface that screams "I am here to work in a total post-modern sort of sober, commonsensical way". While I usually loathe overt branding, the look of these little notebooks make me feel all nostalgia-esque, and that they're ready for some serious business. In fact, they remind me of the little notebooks my Dad had from his days in the Boy Scouts back in the late 1940's which I used to play with as a little kid when I found them at the back of his closet under a bunch of junk. Until I scrawled crayon in them which upset my Dad and he hid them from me. Serious stuff for serious, no-nonsense American guys from a bygone era. I dig, I dig.

Two quick observations before we get under the hood: the paper stock for the cover is nice and heavy. Feels like it can take some abuse. And the grain of the cover is nice - far smoother than the Moleskine, which is a little rough for my tastes. Also the Field Notes notebook is bound with three staples on the spine, as opposed to a stitched binding in the Moleskine. Can't say which I prefer, I'd venture that the stapled binding will be more robust over time. I'll make some field observations and get back to you on that. I am disappointed that the Field Notes notebook didn't have some sort of pocket, like the Moleskine for stowing away scrap paper or business cards, but the Field Note notebook shines in other ways.

Upon opening the notebook and get a fine "How do you do!" (see above). Nice pre-printed labels in the inside cover for my name, location and contact information if I lose this bad boy. I usually pen this info in any notebook I have, but nice to have the fields pre-labelled and set up for me. Also on the inside cover is a section for putting the dates of whatever material will be found in the notebook - start and completion dates. One caveat, I generally like the dates of the interior material on the outside of my notebook so I don't have to open it to see what I'm dealing with. Maybe the Field Notes fellas can move that to the outside? Or will that muck up the aesthetics? Well, we can make a personal mod to it, but it won't be pretty and might violate the warranty.

Well anyway, as you can see from the picture what we're dealing with here is a grid notebook. Although I tend to favored ruled notebooks, I like the occasional grid. And this is a fine grid, printed with sharp, crisp lines on very nice quality paper. Nice white paper. The interior stock responds well to ink, doesn't saturate at all really. Very nice.

Now the inside back cover is quite nice (see above). What brings home the bacon for me is the ruler on the leading edge there. Nice touch. That will definitely come in handy. Doesn't quite make up for the loss of the pocket ala Moleskine, but damn close. The text on the interior is basically a pithy bit of good-natured and good-humored self-referential branding, detailing the story of the Field Notes operation, suggested uses for the product, etc...

Inspired by the vanishing subgenre of agricultural memo books, ornate pocket ledgers and the simple unassuming beauty of a well-crafted grocery list...(Field Notes brings you) An honest memo book, worth fillin' up with Good Information.

Pithy guys, but I think the apostrophe on "fillin" is a bit much. Don't work too hard, you got a good thing here. Or else you start reading like one of those fancy Park Avenue diners here in New York that charge $14 for a plate of ham and eggs - cause at those joints you're paying for all the fancy typographical cuteness and thesaurus research work on the menu food descriptions. They're not fooling anyone, because they're certainly no true greasy spoon - just pure Madison Avenue cheese. So use "filling" for god sakes. Anyway, rant over.

Finally, how does the Field Notes notebook stack up next to the Moleskine Cashier notebook in actual physical size? Well Fig a. above is our new fangled Field Notes notebook and Fig b. is our old standby, the Moleskine. Pretty damn similar. Which is a point in Field Notes favor.

Final Rating: 8.7 out of a possible 10. Give me a date field on the front cover, give me some sort of pocket-like convenience for loose scraps of paper and I'll move you to a 9.7. I'd also be curious if they'll be making these in different sizes and paper configurations (ruled, blank, etc.)

Good job Field Notes guys. I will be using your notebooks in the coming months (probably on my coming trip to Japan), mostly as per suggestions numbered 6, 12, 17 and 27 as detailed on the inside back cover of your product. And no, dear blog reader, I won't tell you what those are, you'll have to get one yourself to find out. So with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I am outta here

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