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I’m not pimping a product, they didn’t give me anything, they didn’t ask me to write about them, I just *heart* these little books.

I have no idea where I first heard about Field Notes, someone’s flickr stream, maybe? Something about them attracted me and then I surfed around and found a lot of people who loved them a lot and I love little notebooks and so it wasn’t long before I ordered some. I carry one with me everywhere now, seriously, I’m more likely to forget my house keys than my Field Notes when I go somewhere.

These are a few I’ve used. One of them isn’t a Field Notes Brand notebook, I’ll write about it later. I stuff these in my pocket, in my purse, my backpack, my grocery bag, wherever. Just for the record, I have a slight addiction to putting shiny metal tape on everything, Field Notes don’t need reinforcement, I just like the tape! What do I use them for?

Lots of this. To-do lists, grocery lists, or I jot down shit like “don’t forget your head, it’s not screwed on properly today, might fall off.” Honestly, this is what I do with them a lot. I’m lost without lists. I forget everything otherwise. I used to jot down notes and lists willy-nilly all over the place and it was terrible, I never kept things straight, I’d lose the fucking lists. Keeping them all in one place, with pages that don’t come out, it’s just the only thing that works. I like the small size. They fit in back pocket of my jeans, the chest pocket of my favorite jacket, and take up no room in my purse.

Other lists. I was reading a book about books and I jotted down ones that I thought I’d like to read.

Sometimes I write down ideas for things I’d like to blog about, or just general journal entries, whatever. I’m never without paper, and (god, knock wood) I’ve never lost my Field Notes, so these little random musings that hit me on the bus or something, they don’t get lost.

Plus, I just love the way these little notebooks feel. The covers are cardboard (there’s probably an official paper word for what it is), flexible and smooth. The paper inside is sturdy, smooth, the lines are just the right width (I’ve only used lined and grid so far, but I have a blank one), they don’t bleed through even when I use an inky pen. They’re just… pleasant little books. Plus they have cool stuff printed on them. My favorite is the list of “Practical Applications” from the inside back cover, ideas for uses for your Field Notes, which include Shoddy Sketches, Small Schematics, Hate Mail, Escape Routes, Gambling Debts and Tall Orders, among others.

I also have one set of Scout Books. Mine are from The Black Apple. You can see one of them in the photo above. It’s a bit smaller than a Field Notes. I like my Scout Books very much, but maybe not quite as much as the Field Notes. I adore the designs, but I prefer the feel of the paper of the Field Notes. The difference is pretty small, though, and unlikely to prevent me from buying designs I adore, heh. Because, of course, I now have a problem restraining myself from buying more more more Field Notes (and the like), thankfully my (tiny tiny) budget is a good restraint.

The other two in my Black Apple set of Scout Books.