Originally Posted: November 2023
Updated December 2023
I am an incessant note-taker on all of my mountain trips. Whether day-hiking, backpacking, scrambling, climbing, skiing, or snowshoeing, I’m constantly making little notes regarding various stats, such as starting time, ending time, trail number, camp elevation, and elapsed time and elevation gain from one point to another. Occasionally, I will write down other information, such as the name and email address of someone I meet on a trail. For these purposes, I always carry an ultra-light and ultra-compact notebook with a tiny ink pen. The combination fits easily into my shirt pocket or pants pocket and can be deployed at a moment’s notice.
To make this handy little notebook-and-pen set, you need only five items:
- A small (3¼-inch x 4⅝-inch) Rite-in-the-Rain all-weather notebook. Available from various sources, including REI and Amazon.
- A small (4-inch-long) Fisher “Stowaway” Space Pen. Available from various sources, including REI and Amazon.
- An elastic hair ring, such as used by many women (and some men) to secure a ponytail. Usually sold in large quantities, so just get one from a friend with long hair.
- A little bit of durable tape. Common 1½-inch-wide or 2-inch-wide duct tape is ideal.
- A pair of scissors.
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Begin by cutting a piece of tape approximately 2 inches long, then attach the pen cap to the elastic ring by making several wraps with the tape. Next, slide the elastic ring over the notebook such that the pen sits in the middle fold. Depending on the type and size of elastic ring you use, it might be a tight fit initially, but it does relax over time. I use the pen as a bookmark for my “active” page, successively moving it from one page to the next as pages fill up. Also, don’t let the tiny size of the pen fool you; I typically get several years of notes from a single pen, but you obviously wouldn’t want to write a novel with this combo.
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Affiliate Disclosure: The preceding text may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something I’ve linked to, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Be assured, though, that I mention only items that I currently use or would recommend to a friend.
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