Club Obi Wan

For the screen accurate people, you can stop reading now.

But anyone that is interested in getting a blank, real cool journal that will fit in your jacket or even shirt pocket read on.
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For last the mini-summit in Burbank, I brought in my saddlebag with liner. Since I had the saddlebag for over 6 months, Chamorro then asked me what else I was holding back.

I wanted to share this alternative blank journal book that I discovered and it's cheap (~$11.00). I have been a blank journal kind of guy. I have used journals/notebooks to capture notes on some of my trail hikes, separate journals for business, technical meetings, and sketching ideas, etc. You get the picture.

I have looked into getting a blank LC grail dairy, but at that price, I wouldn't dare take any notes. The Raiders version (grey and red), was more well suited to carry in a MKVII and not a pocket, so that scratched that idea. Through the years, I have used blank journals from Collage.com which fit the bill. They came in 2 sizes, 4 x 6" and 5 x 8" but still on the expensive side (~$40 per journal) and at 288 pages, they were quite thick.

And then I ran into Moleskine. See picture below:


The history of the Moleskine travel journal is below. It's been around for two hundred years and went out of business in the 80's, but it is now back.

It is two centuries now that moleskine has been the legendary notebook of European artists and intellectuals, from Van Gogh to Henri Matisse, from the exponents of the historical avant-garde movements to Ernest Hemingway.

This long-standing tradition was continued by writer- traveller Bruce Chatwin who used to buy his moleskines at an old Paris stationery shop in Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie where he would always stock up before embarking on one of his journeys.
Over the years he had developed a veritable ritual. Before using them he would in fact number the pages, writing on the inside his name and at least two addresses across the world, and a message promising a reward for anyone finding and returning the notebook in case of it being lost.

He even suggested this method to his friend Luis
Sepúlveda, when he gave him a precious moleskine as a present for a journey they were planning to undertake together in Patagonia. And there was no doubt as to how precious it was, given that at the time even the last moleskine manufacturer, a small family-run firm of Tours, had discontinued production in 1986.

'Le vrai moleskine n'est plus' was the short and curt statement of the owner of the stationery shop where Chatwin had ordered one hundred before leaving for Australia. Despite having literally swept up all the Moleskines he could find, they were not enough.

Now, the moleskine is back again. This silent and discreet keeper of an extraordinary tradition, which has been missing for years, has set out again on its journey. A witness to contemporary nomadism, it can once again pass from one pocket to another to continue the adventure. The sequel still waits to be written and its blank pages are ready to tell the story.

Again, the best attributes of this pocket journal is that it is 3 1/2"x5 1/2"x 1/2", so it's easily stored in any jacket pocket or shirt pocket. It can be bought online as cheap as $10.95. They typically hold about 90 pages. It has an elastic band to make sure you can hold all the contents inside. Every style has a pouch in the back part to hold tickets, receipts, etc. The paper inside the journal comes in plain , ruled paper, square grids, sketch paper, address, travel, memo pockets, etc.



Well I have bought tons of them at that price. Check it out.

-Sergei

You are the Man! I also have been looking for something like this also. I found something at Barnes and Noble but they no longer carry them anymore.

Thanks for the Info!

That's cool, I bet if ya worked on it you could find a way to make the cover green (thin cloth maybe?) and the spine red for those who would like an accurate color at the least...I may just pick myself up one of those beauties.



Henri

Maybe I missed it, but how do we order one?

Henri Defense wrote:That's cool, I bet if ya worked on it you could find a way to make the cover green (thin cloth maybe?) and the spine red for those who would like an accurate color at the least...I may just pick myself up one of those beauties.



Henri

Henri, you are tracking. I think with simple book binding skills, you can modify it to the grey/green and red spine qualities.

-S

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Maybe I missed it, but how do we order one?

My bad, ITG. I purchased my first few from the local "Museum Company" store, which were priced at the standard $12.00. I then purchased my mother load from:
www.shiptheweb.com

They had them for $10.95. But if you do a Google search for:
"Moleskine" "Journal"

you will see a bunch of other online retailers.

-S

Ever since I made a Grail Diary, I have been obsessed with using blank books for jotting down daily notes and ideas.

I have been using the Moleskines (the blank, unlined ones with the blue wrap) for years. They are completely awesome and the color of the pages makes it appear aged a bit. Until recently I was getting them at Barnes and Noble for $9.99 each. The handy pocket in the back is great for storing stuff as well.



I also purchased quite a few blank hardcover sketchbooks at Borders for about $7.99 and brought them to a print shop and had them ream-cut to 4.25" X 6.75". On one of the better books I use, I took some file folders, cut them up and glued them to the back of these books to imitate the Moleskine pocket and glued the elastic to the cover as well. In the back pocket are a compass and a drawing template with circles, squares, triangles and hexagons. Invaluable!

These little books are awesome; been using them for a while...

I saw one of those books at a local book shop. I thought the cover looked and felt a little like those cheap plastic leather effect covers that you can get. Are the books real leather or fake effect leather?

morgan

I found these in London last summer and hadn't seen them before. I bought four or five of them. I have carried one with me ever since.

morgan wrote:I saw one of those books at a local book shop. I thought the cover looked and felt a little like those cheap plastic leather effect covers that you can get. Are the books real leather or fake effect leather?

morgan

Well they describe the cover as, "The journal covers are made of Italian oilskin. Each Moleskine has a rigid, durable oilcloth cover. The binding is thread bound allowing the book to open flat – the pages are a high-quality Italian-made, acid-free paper. Each book has a built-in elastic closure that holds the sturdy cover closed, a ribbon placeholder, and an expandable accordion pocket in the back made of cardboard for holding tickets, notes and clippings."

I would answer that after looking and feeling this thing, it does reek of quality and not cheapness. These are very classy looking journals and the construction is rugged and well thought out.

-S

Neat little books, Sergei. I can't for the life of me think what I would write in them though. I've never kept a journal. What do you do with them? Just start writing random stuff?

-Kyle

Kyle,

I know you were not asking me, but as I mentioned, I have been crazy about this stuff since I did Grail Diary. Since I am a hiker (sort of) I have also made a "Trail Diary" that list the trails and mountains with maps and special features that I encounter. I list various landmarks, so I can find my way back if I need to (including a moose on the Wilderness Trail in New Hampshire)! The bridge in my Avatar was on the Wilderness Trail as well. It is in my book now

If you are into treasure hunting (every state has something!) you can keep a diary of maps, locations, hints and tips. There aren't usually any booby-traps and adventure, but you may find something cool.

The book I took pictures of above is my work diary where I keep ideas and notes. You will find that a diary full of nothing but writing gets old fast and you will want to add pictures as well as write at different angles on the page to break up the monotony or make a point really stand out.

I use a waterproof thin pen as well so if it does get wet, it is not ruined. My last secret? Draw very light pencil lines across the page if you cannot write in a straight line (like myself). Once you are done writing, erase the pencil lines using a high quality (white polymer style) eraser. Viola! The lines are gone and the writing looks great.

I use the blank hardcover sketchbook since they come in many colors and I have several for each topic. A printing shop can ream cut them to any size. They have more pages than the moleskine books (if you need them) and the ones I have found are cheaper, but not as classy.

Just my experience (as a nut)- hope it helps. Personal diaries are fun to look back and refer to from time to time.

KyleS wrote:Neat little books, Sergei. I can't for the life of me think what I would write in them though. I've never kept a journal. What do you do with them? Just start writing random stuff?

-Kyle

Kyle,
As Rick mentioned, I record all my trail hikes in the backcountry. I note distances, directions with sketches of the trail(s). It's amazing with guide books and topos, the reality is different. So a notebook, always is a valueable reference for me or when I am trying to provide descriptions of hikes to my friends.

Also I maintain separate books for business meetings, technical sessions etc. where sometimes I can't bring a notebook pc or pda. I also take the journal when at a business convention, seminars where I record notes on what I saw, what I need to follow up on and the handy pocket in the back keeps all my receipts, business cards all in one place while traveling.

As far as whip cracking, I keep notes on each whip crack or routine that I see on the tapes in my collection. And then I review the notes prior to practicing, since it's hard to look at a tape while practicing outside. It's almost like a lesson plan on what I want to do next.

And since you are an artist, they have a "sketch" version, where you can sketch out some ideas on much higher quality stock paper. You know, sometimes an inspiration comes and you need to get it on paper fast before you forget.

-S

Day-Timer offers several types and sizes of journals, one of which is a two-tone gray journal that is 5 1/2 inches by 7 3/4 inches for $20. They also have a small green and white pocket-size notebook that is 3.5 inches by 6.5 inches for $6.99 for a pack of 3. I use the latter quite a lot.

Since we are all sharing,

Here is what I have started to take with me. It's one of those artist's sketch books that are bound. I found the cover at the Texas Ren. Fest this past month. It fits in the bag and is pretty rugged.







And, in true IndyGear fashion, I slightly distressed the book.

Cheers,
Pyro.

I wish I could find a tannery or good supply of affordable leather journals in my area .

morgan

There doesn't seem to be a way to choose your color. Do any of the books come in brown? It looked they had mostly black covers and maybe one witha a dark blue.

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:There doesn't seem to be a way to choose your color. Do any of the books come in brown? It looked they had mostly black covers and maybe one witha a dark blue.

Yeah, so far black is the only real good choice. I would have preferred the brown, but for now black I think is the best color. I've seen the other choices and they do not demonstrate that rugged look. They have a different texture and material (silk and vinyl). After awhile the black cover grew on me. It's pure minimalism, quality, rugged and says adventure, too me.

-S

Sergei, does that mean that we can get that little book in brown? I didn't see an option nor description related to colors

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Sergei, does that mean that we can get that little book in brown? I didn't see an option nor description related to colors

ITG,
I am just being hopeful. I haven't seen brown in the other fabrics or the oil cloth. But maybe with a little prodding they might come up with that color. Or,... with some bookbinding skills you can put your own brown cover on, or even the grey/green cover with the red spine.

But I took the tip of going to Barnes & Noble and sure enough they had them for a whopping price of $9.95!

-S

Hey ITG,
The little journal book mentioned at the beginning can be bought at Barnes and noble. I saw them and either the one on Cooper (by the Mall) or up at Colling and 30. Oki Doki?

Indy_Prince wrote:Hey ITG,
The little journal book mentioned at the beginning can be bought at Barnes and noble. I saw them and either the one on Cooper (by the Mall) or up at Colling and 30. Oki Doki?

Aw, thanks! I may have to slip into there this weekend. I'm not sure if I want to fight the Cooper traffic by the mall, so I may try Collins first. Thanks for the heads up! That'll save me on shipping.

I also went to the local Barnes and Noble and picked one up. Thanks again Sergi!

Colt wrote:I also went to the local Barnes and Noble and picked one up. Thanks again Sergi!

Me too! And you're right it fits perfectly into the cargo pocket of my jacket!
PBG

I've used Moleskines in the past, but I now use one of these for recording mini adventures:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0792276841/

I's quite large and fits nicely into my WPG bag and has quite thick paper. Every so often it has a double page spread on various adventurers like Shackleton, The Leakeys etc.

I think it's got a leather cover (it smells wonderful) and is a very nice book.

Thanks to Rick and Sergei for their examples. I have a much clearer understanding of their purpose now.

-Kyle

http://www.indygear.com/community/forum ... 2397#22397

You are absolutely welcome. I appreciate the feedback because usually once I post, the topic dies and I am starting to feel a little self-conscious about it.

I picked up a couple of Moleskine Journals at the local Barnes and Nobel Bookstore. They are excellent journals and will fit in most any pocket. I may just have to pick up one of the large size journals.