What I brought on my trip

Before fountain pens, I would just grab whichever pens were within reach, usually cheap ballpoints or gel pens, and throw them into my backpack.

So when I took a short holiday to Thailand last month, I decided to be a little more deliberate in my stationery selection.

What stationery I packed for the trip

For the trip, I wanted to keep a travel log. If possible, I also want to do some sketching. With those two activities in mind, I picked the pens and papers to bring along.

Writing instruments

For writing instruments, I brought:

• 1 Uni Jetstream
• 1 Pilot Metropolitan with Pilot Juice refill
• 1 TWSBI Eco-T fitted with Jinhao fude nib
• 1 Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencil

I tried to reason it out by having each pen/pencil for a specific purpose. The Jetstream is an all-purpose pen, for filling in immigration forms and when I need something quick dry and permanent. The Kuru Toga and Eco-T are for sketching. The Pilot Metropolition is for keeping records of my travel log.

Notebooks

I brought along a Traveler’s Company notebook (regular size) that a friend gifted me a few years ago. It was lying unused in my cupboard before I finally dusted it off for this trip.

I also added the Traveler’s sticker release paper refill which I bought last year. If I came across any stickers during my trip (I didn’t), I could save them here and paste them in my journal when I got home.

I also brought along a passport size Traveler’s Company notebook for keeping a travel log.

Pen case

To transport the pens, I used my Nock Co. Sinclair pen case. I also kept the Traveler’s Company passport size notebook in the pen case.

What got used and what didn’t

I brought the Sinclair pen case and Traveler’s Company notebooks out everyday.

Out of all the pens I’ve brought, I only used the Metropolitan and the Eco-T. I didn’t use the mechanical pencil and ballpoint at all. Next trip, I think I can leave the pencil behind. The ballpoint I will keep for “just in case” purposes.