REVIEW – I’m the Gadgeteer which means that I love technology – right? Right. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t also like analog gear too and my favorite category of analog gear is stationery, pens, journals, and journal covers. Today my sister Amy and I are teaming up to show you our latest obsession the Hobonichi Weeks Mega planner from Japan and specifically Galen Leather Hobonichi Weeks Mega covers. Let’s check them out. And be sure to watch our full video review linked below!
What is it?
Galen Leather is a company from Turkey that makes a variety of leather products – most notably journal covers. They sent me two of their leather Hobonichi Weeks Mega journal covers to review. They sent a leather Hobonichi Weeks Mega journal folio cover and a Hobonichi Weeks Mega journal zippered cover.
Design and features
Hobonichi Weeks Mega journal folio cover
The Galen Leather Hobonichi Weeks Mega journal folio cover is available in 19 colors! The folio cover that was sent to me to review is grey.
Galen uses 100% vegetable tanned cow leather that is hand-stitched with waxed polyamide thread.
The finish of the leather on this cover has a smooth, almost slick feel. You will notice that the leather looks rustic/distressed. If you don’t like scratches and scuffs, this might not be the type of leather you will enjoy or appreciate. I love how Galen’s covers develop a personality as they are used.
The interior of the Hobonichi Weeks Mega folio cover offers a lot of storage. On the left side you’ll find leather & elastic pen loop that can expand to accommodate most pens and fountain pens. There are also a bunch of pockets, seven to be exact and eight if you add the secretarial pocket which is open on two sides.
On the right side of the cover, you’ll find two vertical pockets and a zippered pocket. Regarding the zippered pocket, the zipper opens from bottom to top which seems a bit weird to me since the leather tab hangs down below the bottom edge of the cover when the zipper is zipped.
In hand, the folio cover is comfortable and it doesn’t feel too bulky.
The view above makes the cover look very thin, which can be a little deceiving.
The Hobonichi Weeks Mega fits perfectly in either of the vertical slit pockets on the right side of the cover. It even fits just fine if your Hobonichi is in the clear cover.
Now if we look at a side view, it looks and feels bulkier. By default, the cover does NOT have any type of snap or closure. For an extra $12, you can buy this cover with an elastic band like a Midori Traveler’s Notebook. This may or may not be important to you.
Hobonichi Weeks Mega journal zippered cover
Amy received the zippered cover which is available in 6 different colors. She received the zippered cover in brown crazy horse. No, it’s not made from horse hides. Just like the folio cover, it’s made of 100% vegetable-tanned cow leather and hand stitched using waxed polyamide thread.
The front exterior of this gorgeous cover is plain, but on the back, you’ll find an open topped pocket and the Galen Leather logo stamped at the bottom.
Unlike the folio where I complained about the direction of the zipper, the zippered cover’s zipper unzips from the top and goes around to the bottom opposite corner.
Galen uses YKK zippers that open easily and smoothly with no catching or jamming.
The interior of the Hobonichi Weeks Mega zippered cover looks very much like a wallet due to the mesh ID pocket at the bottom and 7 credit card sized slots above it. Behind that panel of credit card slots is a vertical pocket.
In the center/spine of the cover is a leather pen loop which is a good location.
On the right side of the cover, there is a large secretarial pocket with a vertical pocket behind it.
Here we see the Hobonichi Weeks Mega planner inserted into the Galen zippered cover. It fits perfectly even if you use the clear plastic cover on your planner.
See it in action
What I like
- Expertly constructed with perfect stitching
- Lots of pockets for stencils, stickers, receipts, a pocket notebook, and more
- Has that great leather smell 🙂
What I’d change
- Folio – I think the zipper should be flipped
- Folio – Offer an option without a pen loop
Final thoughts
Amy and I had a lot of fun making the video review of the Galen Leather Hobonichi Weeks Mega covers so be sure and check it out above. Bottom line – these covers are so well made, functional, and gorgeous. As long as you don’t hate pen loops on folio style covers and don’t completely go crazy stuffing your Hobonichi Weeks Mega planner with stuff, you’ll love either of these covers.
Price: $69.00 – $79.00
Where to buy: Galen Leather
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Galen Leather.
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Thanks for the review, love mine they are the truly an gem for planner/diary people. They have a US distributor now so your order doesn’t have to come all the way from Turkey. Got my latest in a week after ordering.
I have a bunch starting with one that also also holds 5 of my homemade pen and fountain pens. They make a variety of great fountain pen cases and desk accessories as well. I bought a bunch of their leather bound Tamoe River notebooks before they stopped making Tamoe River paper this year.
My latest was a cover case for a couple of A5 planner diaries I just got from Jet Pens. A modori MD daily planner for 2022 and a hobonichi techo 5 year daily diary. It is also big enough to hold my Microsoft Duo phone with stylus along with a pen for the diary so I have my new portable office for 2022.
Also Happy Thanksgiving!, love your work, been a follower since the very beginning many years ago. Always find great stuff on your site.
Bernhardt, Galen makes very nice leather products. I didn’t know that they have a US distributor now. I need to check the Midori daily planner. I had planned to use the Hobonichi Weeks Mega for 2022 but now I’m second guessing myself and might go back to a blank dot grid notebook.