When it comes to pocket-sized notebooks, two companies stand above the rest: Moleskine and Field Notes.
Both are incredibly popular and work great for what they are, but choosing between the two is difficult.
Were here to help you make that choice.
With that out of the way, lets take a close look at the two contenders.
Moleskine:Love them or hate them, Moleskine notebooks are ubiquitous.
Moleskine notebooks are available everywhere and their pocket-sized options come in a variety of types specific to individual needs.
Moleskines are designed in Italy and manufactured in China.
Picking the right notebook for you is as simple as finding the paper style you prefer.
Field Notes are sold in a three-pack of 48-page notebooks as opposed to one single, larger notebook.
Pretty much all editions of the Field Notesthree-packs are $10.
Lets take this comparison a little deeper.
Moleskine notebooks come with three basic cover options, soft, hard, and cardboard.
Lets take a closer look:
Hard cover: Moleskines hard cover notebooks are their bread and butter.
The hard cover notebook is what most people think of when they think of Moleskine.
Like the hard cover, they come with a bookmark, elastic closure, and an expandable inner pocket.
Cardboard: If theres a direct analog between Moleskine and Field Notes notebooks, itsMoleskines Cahier line.
The stitching in these notebooks goes across the spine in a way that looks like its done by hand.
The covers are a lighter cardboard than the hard covers.
This notebook does not have the trademark elastic enclosure of other Moleskine notebooks.
Like Field Notes, these come in three packs that retail for $10.
In my experience, all three of Moleskines notebook styles are durable and can take a pretty good beating.
Speaking of the Field Notes books, their covers are way different than Moleskines.
Theyre pretty floppy too, closer to something like the cover youd find on standard spiral notebook.
That doesnt mean theyre not durable though.
The floppiness means the Field Notes notebooks fit more comfortably in your pocket.
They roll up in your pocket easily, which is a nice perk if thats more your style.
While Field Notes covers are pretty standard, they do have some special edition books worth pointing out.
Both companies give you a lot of options.
Moleskine offers all of their notebooks with ruled, squared or plain paper.
On their popular models, including all the pocket-sized notebooks, they also offer dot-grid paper.
Ballpoint pens dont leak through, but markers will.
Writing with a pencil also works fine.
Neither has thick, heavy stock paper thatll work well with markers or paints.
Put bluntly, neither paper is particularly great.
Field Notes changes their paper around depending edition, but they seem to use50 lb text stockthe most.
Thats about the same quality as cheap printer paper.
Both companies also offer some specialty paper options.
For example,Moleskine has a sketch albumthat includes sketch-grade paper.
As for Field Notes, the previously mentioned Expedition notebook features waterproof, tearproof paper.
They have notebooks just formusic notation,storyboarding, andeven one influenced by Japanese scrolls.
They even offer smart notebooks that work withAdobe Creative CloudandEvernote.
Field Notes takes a much simpler approach.
For example, right now they have theShenandoah pack, theChicago 3-pack, and theSweet Tooth Edition.
They also have specialty notebooks forlogging flightsor yourtrip to the county fair.
Right now, they have a fun little workshopcompanion pack for different DIY projects.
Of course, beyond that, its about aesthetics.
Which one looks better to you?
Are you a fan of fun colors or do you prefer designs based on pop culture?
Is a hard cover necessary?
Do you want a simple notebook, or do you want bookmarks and closure straps?
Pick the one youll actually use.
Notebooks are worthless if theyre not written in.
