Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > RITR - Adventure Travel Journal > Clifford Haynes > Field Report

Rite in the Rain
Adventure Travel Journal
Field Report
9/30/2003

Personal Stats:

Backpacking Background:
I am from and live in Maine. I have been hiking, backpacking, and canoe camping for over 45 years. I am also an assistant scoutmaster; I average 2 to 3 days a week in the woods year round.
Over the years I've used or tried a variety of different gear. When I joined scouts as a boy, most of the boys my age didn't have backpacking gear, and their families didn't have money enough to buy it. So we had great fun making our own gear.
I can't really say that I have a backpacking style. I take what I need or want, depending upon what I plan to do on the outing. Even before my knees became a problem, I could never see being in a big rush. It is my opinion that camping is part of backpacking, and should be enjoyed at least as much as the hiking. In areas where there is a lot of hiker traffic, I tend to pack heavier in order to minimize impact. I just like being out in the woods, and exploring.

Field Information:
Testing was conducted in western and northern Maine at elevations from about 200 ft (60 m) to 4000 ft (1200 m). Temperatures during testing ranged from 95 F (35 C) to 35 F (2 C). Activities I engaged in while testing included: gold panning, hiking and backpacking (bushwhacking and on the Appalachian Trail). I managed to get out in the rain twice during the test period.

Product Information:

Product Description:
The Rite in the Rain All-Weather Adventure Travel Journal is a small hard covered book, 4.125 in (10.48 cm) wide, 6.813 in (17.31 cm) tall, and 0.688 in (1.75 cm) thick. The hard cover is yellow and the front cover has a Rite in the Rain logo and "All Weather Adventure Travel Journal" printed in gold. The book contains 78 sheets of 4 in (10.16 cm) X 6.5 in (16.51 cm) all weather paper. Seven and one half of these sheets (15 pages) sheets contain personal information or helpful preprinted information. The other 70.5 sheets (141 pages) are horizontally lined blank pages. At the top of each blank page is a line for the date and location. The paper feels a bit like a heavy coated paper in that is has a sort of  slick waxy finish, but it does not have a high gloss. The pages are antiqued off white with gray / brown mottling. The binding of the journal appears to be sewn not glued.

The preprinted information pages are the first three pages and the last twelve pages of the book. The first page is a Rite in the Rain Cover page. The last line of this page suggests, "For best Results use a pencil or all weather pen." The second page is for important phone numbers, medical information, and vehicle information. The third page is for personal information and emergency contact information. The information at the back of the All Weather Adventure Travel Journal begins with an information index page followed by an unlined blank page. The next three pages are lists of phone numbers for Tourist Commissions and U. S. Embassies. The next page contains lists of the Ten Essentials and Planning tips. The seventh information page is a Beaufort Wind Scale chart (judging wind speed from sea conditions). The next two pages are a World Climate Zone Map and World Time Zone Map. The last three pages are a wind chill chart, heat factor chart, and a Measurement Conversion Table with ruler at page's edge.

Field Report:

When I started this test, I really wasn't sure what I would write in the Adventure Travel Journal. I planned to use it to take notes on gear I would be testing and perhaps to record GPS data. I also planned to attempt keeping a daily outing journal, but doubted that I would have much to write. I was wrong. I have been really enjoying writing in my Adventure Journal and have plenty to write about. I usually carry my journal in my back pocket or in my belt pack. In the field, I have come to prefer a pencil, which I keep with the journal. Since the journal and pencil are easy to get out (not buried in my pack in a zip lock bag), I will often just pull it out on a break and write some notes about the trail, an interesting feature, the GPS coordinates for something of interest, or perhaps a bit about the chat I had with a squirrel on my last break.

I have tested the Adventure Travel Journal's water resistance both at home and on the trail. Water just beads off the paper. If the paper is exposed to the water long enough it absorbs some water, but it will still accept ink. I was curious to see if I could write in my journal underwater, so I tried it. While on this summer's last gold panning outing, I took my gold panning Adventure Journal (I bought a second Adventure Journal for gold panning field notes), Rite in the Rain All-Weather Pen, and a pencil. I wrote my journal entry for the day in the middle of the river. The journal was submerged to a depth of  about 1.5 ft (0.5 m). I started the entry with the All-Weather Pen. The pen worked well under water, but the ink was deposited on the paper. While the entry was legible and easy to read, the ink lines were visibly lighted and finer. I switched to pencil, and completed the entry. With the pencil there was no noticeable difference between the underwater entry and a normal entry. After the journal dried, I inspected the underwater entry and the previous entrees. The entries were unaffected, with no washing out or fading. The only evidence of the submersion is a slight wrinkling of the paper. I have had the best writing in the rain results with the All-Weather Pen and a plain old pencil. While writing in rain with a Bic and a Paper Mate stick pen the ink washed out and caused an ink stain when the pen passed through a water bead. Most of the pens that I have tried (especially the Paper Mate), smeared more easily than the All-Weather pen. After allowing the ink to set up, the paper held the ink well and resisted smearing. I have tested my journal with the following list of pens; All-Weather Pen, Bic, Paper Mate, Cross, Parker, a cheap stick jell pen, and several of those cheap promotional pens. While I have had satisfactory results with my pen assortment, I have decided to use the All-Weather pen, or a pencil because they seem to work best with the Rite in the Rain paper. My preference in the field is a plain old pencil.

Here in Maine, in the Fall, regular paper often doesn't stand up well in the field, often absorbing moisture and staying damp all of the time one is in the field. Regular paper is so weakened by the dampness that a pencil will tear it, and ink bleeds into the mushy paper. The Rite in the Rain Paper in the Adventure Travel Journal has none of these problems. The dampness doesn't seem to weaken the paper or damage it. I haven't had the journal long enough to see how fade resistant the paper will be with age, but water and moisture doesn't appear to cause the ink (once it is dry) or pencil to fade.

I have tried erasing pencil marks, and the Rite in the Rain paper erases as well as regular paper. The eraser appears to slightly abrade the finish of the paper (especially if the paper or the eraser is wet) but the paper doesn't tear. I tried the same erasing test with a sheet of damp inkjet printer paper, and quickly erased a hole in the paper. 

The Adventure Journal seems to be very durable. I have abused my test Adventure Journal much more than I would have were I not testing it. Since I routinely carry it in my back pocket, I routinely sit on it (which is not good for the binding). I have intentionally left it outside the tent on the ground in the rain (and rinsed the mud off with clean water the next morning) to simulate a lost or forgotten journal. I was curious to see how well the paper would burn should it be needed as emergency tinder. I cut out one of the pages, soaked it in a spring for an hour, then shook off the excess water and used it to kindle a campfire. Thus far the Adventure Journal has survived nicely. For the remainder of the test, I plan to continue to use my Adventure Journal, and I am looking forward to seeing how well it stands up against repeated freezing and thawing.

Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > RITR - Adventure Travel Journal > Clifford Haynes > Field Report