I've never tried the notebook you tried, but I've done field work for several years with the 'Rite in the Rain All-Weather' notebooks, and they are awesome. As the title suggests, they're weather-proof--I've written on them in absolute downpours before. They take a beating and are still legible at the end of the day (an absolute must), without any problems with the books. I love them and highly recommend them.
These notebooks, contrary to the title of 'Field Notes', look more for the urban warrior than for actual field work.

Bill:
Sounds like a Cool Tool, indeed. We'd like to hear more about Rite in the Rain All-Weather notebooks. Please drop me a line and let me know a little more about how you've used them and why you love them: elon at schoenholz dot c o m.

Rite in the Rain are far and away the best option for anyone that might get caught in the rain/sweat/elements!

First, I would like to say cooltools has taken a turn for the better - it looks like it did I started reading it. Thank you.

Rite In The Rain notebooks are amazing. The paper is extremely durable and not susceptible to disintegrating in wet conditions. I'm in the military and spend a good deal of time in the Middle East. Due to various weather/working conditions, I tend to sweat through my uniform on occasion. These notebooks have handled everything I've been able to dish out. I've found the paper seems to take better to cheap ballpoint pens or pencils; I've experienced some difficulty with gel inks.

Add me to the list of Rite-in-the-Rain fans. I used these notebooks for over twenty years in the field under all types of conditions. To convince my old boss that we had to use them, I submerged my notebook in a full tub of warm water, and wrote out a full paragraph underwater with my trusty 0.7mm Pentel pencil. They were standard-issue from that point on.

The Rite in The Rain books have already been reviewed: http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001805.php
I guess I have been reading for a while.

The archives. Always check the archives. Thanks for pointing that out, Keith.

I have to agree. I've been using Moleskines for years, but the paper thickness on the Field Notes books is far superior. There's no bleedthrough even with a fountain pen, and people always see them and ask me what the heck they are. I'm a fan.

Thanks for a nice review!

Rhodia makes a nice 48-page (24-sheet) pocket-size notebook too: http://www.bloc-rhodia.com/produit-classic-stapled-notebooks-a7-pocket-size-books.html

Graph paper, durable coated cover

John might want to give the Moleskine Cahiers (pronounced kah-yay) a try. They are saddle-stitched notebooks with the same quality that has endeared the Moleskine brand to many paper fans.

For cheap cover laminating, try 3" packing tape...the good stuff.

Getting a 404 on the #6 CT archive link. Hope that's temporary.

Thanks, Michael. The link's fixed now.

Thanks to all for the helpful ideas, I'll try the other notebooks as well as the lamination tip from Rick. Can't have enough options for something used every day...

I'd recommend a half-size pen as a companion. I have one that is short and slender enough to fit inside the crease of my wallet, making it the perfect size to go unnoticed. You can pick one up in any stationary or office supply store.

I've been a field book user for years. I use the standard issue Peninsular fieldbokks because they fit in my back pocket. I used to wrap the covers with duct tape and they held up for a few months of heavy-duty use. It took me many hours of inquiry, but I had a leather cover manufactured and it solves the cover-blow out problem.They are 4 5/8 by 7 1/4, and the bigger size works for me.
Rite-in-the-rain are fine notebooks. An engineer fresh from a deep and wet tunnel job swore by them. I tried Moleskine books but they blew out after a few days. The thin paper leaked through and the bindings seemed suited for briefcases, not heavy field work.

I ordered a pack of these Field Notes booklets a while back when they were reviewed on Uncrate. I love the form factor -- the size and portability are awesome, as are the retro design elements. The storage capacity on one of these things, however, is inconceivably tiny for something that size. Also, most inexplicably of all, it lacks both a USB port and wi-fi connection. WTF? How are you supposed to recover your data once you've collected it? Verdict: great conversation piece, but sorely lacking in useful functionality.

I'm a fan of Rite-In-The-Rain, and want to try Field Notes as well, but my current 'pocket notebook' is a Hipster PDA- a small wad of 3x5 notecards held with a small bulldog clip. At the end of the day I can take a completed card and save or recycle it and add more as needed. The clip is also handy for receipts, notes, etc.

I carry a Fisher Bullet space pen, but make my own wallet pens as well- I take a disposable pen that is about 1/2 used up and pull the guts out. Wrap the guts in a paper towel and cut to about 1/2-2/3rds the height of your wallet. If you cut through the ink portion, the paper towel will contain most of it. Also, I find it helpful to use a pin or something to dig out a little ink.

I have an assortment of small springs at work and there is a size that fits around this pen perfectly- snugging right onto the shoulder by the tip. The spring gives it some thickness and makes a nice grip, although there are many other options, like electrical tape 'wings'. Wiggle a hook made from 1/2 of a paper clip between the ink cartridge and spring, slip a heat shrink tube over the whole thing to hold it together, and make a quick cap from another piece of heat shrink, and its done in about 3 minutes.

I've been using the Blueline A435 for a few years. It's available at many local stationery stores.

http://www.bluelineinc.com/vw/fs/p014.htm

I keep it in my back pocket and the problem with other notepads is that the cover disintegrates quickly. The cover on these lasts longer than the it takes me to fill it up.

The web site says they are 100 pages. Mine is 50 pages.

From the Field Notes web site: "Field Notes products are manufactured and printed in the U.S.A." Yippee!

@Mark Adkins do you pics?

Rite in the Rain is superior in every way. Field Notes are aesthetically pleasing, but they are way overpriced and not nearly as durable. My RITR notebooks have gone through the wash and come out legible.

So based on this review, I decided to go and buy the sampler pack. It just arrived today, and they're great! I'm used to the blue lines on a Moleskine, and the beige lines were actually a nice change. I love the "grocery list" feel with the emphasis on plain brown paper, and the plain print. It exudes a "scribble all through my pages now!" feel to it--very different from the "it's so pretty I don't want to soil it with my writings" of some Moleskines. The inside covers have thins to fill out--start date/end date, contact, a ruler. The back inside cover is hilarious. The "specifications" include things like what color ink they used. It completely brings out the geek in me! Plus, although I only bought the notebooks, they included a pencil, a pen, a thick Field Notes rubber band, and a sticker! How could they go wrong? I'm gonna use these up, and I'll buy more! Thanks for the review!

I've been reading your blog on and off for a while now, and I noticed you mentioned that Field Notes is the first brand you've found that seems suitable for you. This is just my two cents, but I'd recommend EcoJot as well. I bought a 3-pack for $6 or $7 at Barnes & Noble, and I've been extremely satisfied with the durability. It fits in a back pocket pretty well, and I think it comes in lined, unlined, and grid formats. There's not much of a physical difference between EcoJot and Field Notes products except that EcoJot is recycled, but I thought I'd let you know about them anyway.

Regards,
The Economicist
(theeconomicist.wordpress.com)