REVIEW – I obviously love gadgets and tech. So, is it weird that I also like simple products like paper notebooks? If so, then I fully embrace the weird because I love notebooks, pens, stickers, and everything in between. I’ve long been a fan of Field Notes pocket notebooks, but imagine my surprise when I found out that Saddleback Leather makes and sells their own pocket notebooks. Pairing a paper notebook with a leather cover in the perfect size that fits in your pocket? Yes please! Let’s check them out.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $29.00 / pack of 3
Where to buy: Saddleback Leather
What is it?
The Saddleback Leather Pocket Notebooks are exactly that. Paper notebooks that have a leather cover and can easily fit in most pockets, bags, purses, etc.
Tech specs
Size: 3.75 x 5.5 inch
Pages: 24 double sided lined pages
Full grain leather
Marine grade polyester thread
Design and features
If you’re into pocket notebooks, you probably know of the big kahuna – Field Notes. In the image above, I have a Field Notes notebook next to the Saddleback Leather pocket notebook. They look the same size, but in actuality, the Saddleback notebook is slightly larger than the standard pocket notebook dimensions which is 3.5 x 5.5 inches. The Saddleback notebooks are 3.75 x 5.5 inches. So, they are just slightly wider.
The Saddleback Leather pocket notebooks come in a package of three and are available in three color choices: black, chestnut, and tobacco. I was sent a pack of notebooks in tobacco.
The full grain leather has a soft matte texture with the only marking – the Saddleback Leather Co. logo stamped into the back bottom left corner of the cover.
The notebooks are not stapled but are stitched using industrial marine grade polyester thread.
The paper used in the notebook gets the job done, but it is not all that remarkable. Each page has 18 lines, not including the double top line. The lines are light grey. I wish Saddleback also offered the notebooks in dot grid or grid styles too.
Pen test
A notebook review isn’t complete without a pen test, so I pulled out a variety of pens to test the bleed through and ghosting of the paper. I don’t have a fountain pen, so my tests were with gel pens and markers.
I was surprised that there wasn’t more bleed through than there was. The only pens that had a tiny bit of bleed through were the Tombow marker and the LePen marker, and only in the squares that I colored in and not in the writing.
See it in action
Final thoughts
If you like pocket notebooks but want something a bit more rugged for your EDC, then these Saddleback Leather pocket notebooks are sure to do the trick. The only downsides are that they only come with lined paper instead of blank, dot, and grid, and that you can’t refill them. The last one is the biggest issue in my opinion, because it’s a shame to have a notebook with a leather cover that’s only going to last a short time before you either throw it away or in a drawer. If that doesn’t bother you, then let me know if they become your new favorite pocket notebooks.
What I like about Saddleback Leather Pocket Notebooks
- It’s a decent price for three leather bound notebooks
- It’s Saddleback, so it’s made to last (they give them a 100-year warranty!)
What needs to be improved?
- I wish they were refillable
- Offer blank, dot grid, and square grid styles
- Those who like fountain pens might be disappointed as I’ve read (but not personally tested) that the ink will bleed through the pages
Price: $29.00 / pack of 3
Where to buy: Saddleback
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Saddleback Leather. They did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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Julie – If you had a Saddleback notebook bound for the trash once it’s done, wonder if you could carefully pull the stitching out and sew in the innards of a Field Notes notebook? Is the cover that worth saving?
I guess I’m just used to Travelers Notebooks where there is elastic that holds the inserts (notebooks). Since these notebooks are only $29, it’s not really worth unstitching and restitching in a new notebook.
I would much rather they made a leather slip-in cover sized for some of the existing notebook brands like Field Notes. I have a leather cover for a small Moleskine from an Etsy seller that has aged/distressed well – I think that’s part of the fun of good leather accessories so a short-use leather item does not appeal to me.