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Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > Inka Pen > Chuck Carnes > Long Term Reportinka
PEN Long Term Report  Report date: January 20, 2006 Biographical Information Name: Chuck Carnes Age: 35 Gender: Male Height: 6'0" (1.83 m) Weight: 175 lbs. (79 kg) E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Greenville, S.C. USA Backpacking Background I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking for the past ten years. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph) and I am a one-man tent camper. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can. Product Information Manufacturer: Inka Corporation Year of Manufacture: 2005 URL: www.inkastore.com Listed Weight: No listed weight Weight as Delivered: 0.7 oz (0.19 g) Length: 3.17 in (8.05 cm) MSRP: $25.00 Product Features: (taken from the web site) Versatile: A quick pen when you need one, or a full size writing instrument; compact design attaches to anything. Reliable: The patent pending design, developed in Boulder, Colorado, optimizes form and function. Resilient: Closed pen is o-ring sealed and watertight – built to withstand harsh environments. Precise: Machined from hardened 304 stainless steel and cast from a high-strength lightweight composite. Initial Report Field Report Long Term Report The Inka pen has been a wonderful pen to carry around. As noted in my previous reports I carry it with me at all times. I have used it to sign in at registrations booths at the trail heads, sign important documents at work, let other people use it when they didn't have a pen, sign credit card receipts, take notes in my journal, take notes in a business meeting and countless other times when I just needed something to write with. I took it on several backpacking and hiking trips in the past two months. The temperatures ranged from 75 F (23 C) during the day to 30 F (-1 C) at night. At no time during my testing period did I find the temperature having any affect on the pen while I was writing. Several times on one of the trips, during the rain, I wrote in my journal as I was walking and the rain did not spear the ink on the water proof paper. This was nice because I knew that it really didn't matter how hard it was raining, I could still write in my journal and know that the ink wouldn't smear. I don't have anything different to write about since the Field report or at least nothing has changed about the pen. It still works great when I need it to write. Final Test Questions and Answers:
As seen in my previous
reports I have asked a few questions that I had hoped to answer in my
Long Term Report. Below are the questions that I raised and the answers
that I found during my test period.
It’s very hard to find a good pen that will write on waterproof paper without it smearing; at least I haven’t used one. How well does it write in the rain if I am jotting down notes in my field journal? I have found the pen to work great in the rain and while jotting down notes in my journal during a steady rain. How well does it write upside down while writing in my sleeping bag? It writes just as well upside down as it does right side up. How many different materials can I write on in the field? As seen and noted in my Field Report, I have been able to write on several materials in the field. How smoothly will it write? It doesn't write quite as well as a normal ball point pen and maybe that is due to the pressurized ink but it does the job when I need it. I like how small and compact it is. Is there anywhere that it wouldn’t hang or fit? I have mostly carried it in my pocket or hung it on a clip that is on my shoulder strap on my pack. In my opinion it is definitely small enough to go unnoticed anywhere or anyway that I might want to carry it. I carry pens with me all the time in my pocket, most of the time I lose them. I would like to see how accessible it is when attached to the key ring on my keys or possibly to my belt loop or backpack 'D' ring. I have found it easy to put this pen anywhere and it is always easily accessible. Can I retrieve the pen from its sleeve with one hand or do I have to use two hands? It is very easy to separate the pen from the barrel with one hand. By placing the pen in the palm of my hand I can pinch the end of the pen with my thumb and forefinger, close my hand to grasp the pen base and separate the pen from the base. If the pen is not attached to anything, can I separate the pen from its sleeve with gloves on? Yes, I can do it the same way as mentioned above. So far I have not used the PDA stylus much because of the different steps one has to go through to use it. It is easier for me to use the one that came with my PDA? Yes, I use the PDA's stylus as it is more convenient to use than the Inka pen's stylus Final Likes and Dislikes: Likes:
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