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Gear Reviews
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Tools
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Inka
Pen - Field Report
October
20,2005
Product Information
| Manufacturer |
Inka
|
| URL |
http://www.inkacorp.com |
| Listed weight |
0.60 oz
(17 g)
|
| Actual weight |
0.51 oz
(16 g)
|
| MSRP |
$25.00 |
For a
complete
description of the Inka Pen, and my
impressions upon reception, please refer to my Initial
Report.
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What I have actually done with
the Inka Pen
Since I received it some six weeks ago,
the Inka Pen has
been handy to use on a daily basis. I usually keep it
either at
hand on my desk, or clipped to my key ring. Given its tiny size, it is
easy to slip it into a pocket when I go out. Up to now, I have used it
at sea-level only, in temperatures between 55°F and 77°F
(15°C - 25°C).
Most of the
time, I use it on regular white paper on a
flat area, or with my All-Weather Pocket Journal
(waterproof paper)
when on the trail, but for the purpose of this test, I have tried a few
experiments: |
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-
writing
on a
plastic bag: writing on plastic is possible, the most difficult
thing
is to keep the plastic bag taut enough so the pen doesn't catch on
its surface. However, even two days later, the inscription can be
completely erased
by simply rubbing one finger against the surface. Erasure can be done
with a
paper
towel too. I am nothing of a technician on that matter, but my guess is
the ink
doesn't really bind to the plastic surface.
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-
writing
on a
piece on cotton fabric: as with the plastic bag, the most difficult
thing
has been to keep the fabric taut enough. The pen was really keen on
catching the surface especially as I had chosen a somewhat coarse
weaving.
Anyway, it worked, and the resulting inscription put up with a short
stay in
the sink, including some rubbing with water and soap. In fact, the bad
news
came a couple of hours later: I had left the wet piece of fabric to dry
on the
rim of the sink and, when I came back about four or five hours later,
the
inscription had transferred to the sink itself in such a way I had to
rub it
with alcohol to get rid of all the ink!
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-
writing
on
waterproof paper, then wash: for this experiment, I used my
Rite-in-the-Rain
Pocket Journal, then tried to wash the inscription, but couldn't remove
it,
even when rubbing it or using soap.
- writing
on
an upright surface: I put up the Pocket Journal against a wall and
wrote on a vertical position. It works perfectly well, without the ink
even skipping, as it usually does with an ordinary pen.
-
writing
upside-down, when laying in a hammock: this position was the most
comfortable for me, but it wasn't easy to organise a writing
surface
resistant enough to put up with the pressure I was exerting. I ended up
fixing
the Pocket Journal to some flap I hold with my left hand, while I wrote
"up" with the Inka Pen. That worked perfectly well too, though my
writing wasn't as regular as usual...
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- writing
in
the water in a sink: this one has been a bit tricky as I used a
plastic
bag
in a sink filled with water. Once I succeeded in keeping the bag
almost
tight against the bottom of the sink, I could write very well against
it
with the Inka
Pen. As I'm not a scuba-diver, I don't think I'll ever have to write
underwater, but it might be handy if I need to write something down on
a wet
surface when kayaking or canoeing.
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| In all this time, I
have consistently used the Inka Pen in
its short size. It is very quick and easy to open with one hand and, as
I only
write very short notes (for longer ones, I automatically turn to the
computer
keyboard...). I never felt the need to convert it to full size. Anyway,
I find
the conversion process too long and complicated, as I would need to
manage four different pieces at a time, and this would require more
than two
hands, or
some working area ready at hand! As for the PDA stylus tip, I couldn’t
find any
use for it: my PDA belongs to my working life. I never bring it in
the wild;
were I to do it, I would find the original stylus ready to be used,
without
having to be “built” as the Inka Pen’stylus requires. |
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Provisional conclusion
I
really like the
Inka Pen for its tiny size and its
ability to write adequately in almost any circumstances I have
encountered up
to now (tests in frozen temperatures and sea salt environment are still
to be
done). However, the writing durability appears to depend greatly on the
material I write upon, and waterproof paper is the only one that has
passed the
washing and
rubbing tests with flying colours.
For the next two months
I will go on
with this test by using the Inka Pen as often as possible. In addition
to the experiments that have already been done, I'll especially test it
in salt-water environment when I'll be staying close to the Atlantic
for a few days in mid November, and in the very low temperatures I am
sure to encounter during a two-week trip in northern Quebec in
December.
Reviewer information
| Name |
Marie-Noëlle
Augendre |
I
started backpacking
eight years ago, day-hiking in Ile-de-France all year round, and doing
several
one or two-weeks trips in more mountainous regions (Corsica,
Pyrénées,
Cévennes, Lubéron, etc.) each year.
In the past two
years, I have gradually
lightened my pack load as I went for a hammock, an alcohol stove, a
light pack
and trainers.
Nowadays, I am more and more attracted to the outdoor way
of
living, to the point I am moving to northern Quebec in a few months, in
order
to spend as much time as possible not only backpacking, but also
kayaking,
canoeing, snowshoeing, dog-sledding, etc. |
| Age |
47 |
| Gender |
Female |
| Height |
about 5 ft 2 in
(1.57 m) |
| Weight |
152 lb (69 kg) |
| Email
address |
augendre.bgt@gmail.com |
| City,
Country |
Paris, France |
Read more reviews of Inka gear
Read more gear reviews by Marie-Noelle Augendre
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