|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > RITR - Adventure Travel Journal > Graham Blamey > Initial ReportRite in the Rain Products ADVENTURE TRAVEL JOURNAL Initial Report 14 August 2003
I first went camping at about age five and have been camping, on and off, ever since. I started serious walking about 21 years ago and backpacking a few years later. I have backpacked, with my wife Ginny, mainly in Europe and the UK. We have spent three weeks of each year for the last six years backpacking the GR11, a long-distance, high-level route that follows the spine of the French/Spanish Pyrenees. We are fortunate in living in an area surrounded by countryside and are able to walk daily on a network of public Rights of Way that exist in the UK. We additionally spend at least one day a week on long day-walks in different areas within a two hours drive of our home. We take a number of three-to four-day backpacking trips throughout the year and take part in several night and weekend orienteering events. Our backpacking style, although essentially traditional (mid-weight backpacks, Therm-a-rests, tent etc.), is getting increasingly lighter as we get older and explore the possibilities that are opened up by new materials and designs. Product Information
The Rite in the Rain Adventure Travel Journal is about the size of a small hardback book, because basically, that is what it is. It's sturdy, probably too sturdy to qualify as a notebook. The yellow board end covers are stiff and difficult to bend and the pages are stitched in and look as if they would take a real effort to dislodge them. The outer cover spine is glued firmly to the pages and the papers on the inside of the front and back cover are also firmly glued in place. As a nice touch, the cover corners are rounded, as are the page corners; a small detail perhaps, but reflecting the overall quality of the product. With the company logo and title, gold embossed on the front cover, the overall impression is good. Upon opening the journal the first page is a 'title' page, reflecting the cover and with a brief description of the paper. The next page is pre-printed, with spaces for 'Important numbers', 'Medical info.', 'Vehicle info.' Facing this page is another pre-printed page with space for 'Personal information' and 'Emergency contact'. Then follows the journal proper. Each page has the printed heading 'Date' and 'Location'. Each page has 18 lines and this format continues for a further 70 sheets, making a total of 141 sides to write on. At the rear of the journal are 10 pages of 'General information'. These are preceded by an Index, which lists the General information as 'Tourist commissions', 'U.S. Embassies', 'Ten essentials', 'Planning a trip', 'Beaufort wind scale', 'Climate zone map', 'Wind-chill chart', 'Heat factor index' and finally a 'Metric conversion chart'. Inside the back cover, the end paper has illustrations of other Rite in the Rain journals and notebooks. Initial Impressions and Use. The first impression, as I have already remarked, is of a quality product. This leads one on to imagine that this journal is meant to endure (or survive perhaps?) the rigours of rough use in inclement weather and harsh conditions. The paper of the journal has a certain feel that is similar to a hard, semi-glazed paper. The texture of the paper has a slight 'waxy' appearance. The second impression I had was one of slight surprise; the paper isn't white, it's a pale beige colour with a faint, mottled finish. I don't know why I was expecting white, but now that I've got used to the colour, I quite like it. It resembles a re-cycled paper but I have no information to suggest whether it is or not. The next pre-conceived idea to be dispelled occured when I started to write in the journal. The paper I would normally use for note taking or report writing is soft and indents when written upon with ballpoint pen or pencil. Not so the Rite in the Rain journal paper. Its hard surface doesn't indent in the slightest and it takes a while to realise that it is not necessary to press when writing. This, I'm pleased to note, is a definite bonus, as pen or pencil seems to glide effortlessly over the page, making the act of writing easier. For note making when on walks, extended backpacks, or generally in the outdoors, I like to use a combination 'four colour in one' (black, blue, red, green) ballpoint pen and this writes well on the pages of the journal. The Rite in the Rain all-weather pen and an HB pencil also write well. Like most other testers I wanted to test it in the rain. It was then that I ran into a snag. It wasn't raining, hasn't rained for a few weeks and doesn't look likely to rain in the near future. In fact, ironically, the UK is experiencing a heat-wave with record temperatures, peaking at around 37.7 C (100 F). Lateral thinking was needed; so when a friend called round with his small daughter, it was a good opportunity to get out the lawn sprinkler and sit her in it with the Adventure Travel Journal. She was happy, I was happy and the Adventure Travel Journal got a good soaking. It came through with flying colours. Virtually every page was wet but the water just beaded off the paper. After a few minutes in the sun, all was dry with nothing to show for the soaking except a very slight 'crinkling' of the pages. The cover, spine and end papers (glued to the inside of the front and back covers) showed not even the slightest hint of peeling or any deterioration whatsoever. None of the writing in either pen or pencil had smudged or bled. Summary The Adventure Travel Journal seems to be robust, waterproof, well made and durable and should survive a lot of use and abuse. There are enough pages for a fairly extended trip. It can be written in with a normal ballpoint pen or pencil. It's probably a little heavier than the notebooks I would normally use, but the extra space available might encourage me to write a little more than brief notes. Test Plan I have taken to carrying the Adventure Travel Journal in the small pack that I carry with me most of the time and have used it generally as a notebook. It will certainly be going with me on a forthcoming three week backpacking trip to the Central Spanish Pyrenees. I have mixed feelings about wanting the required weather for proper testing and if I do get ideal test conditions I only hope that they're not long lasting. I'll be looking to test whether Rite in the Rain paper really works; is it more or less durable than disposable notebooks over time; how well will it stand up to rough handling; is any writing in it really durable, regardless of what sort of instrument it was made with; will it stay in one piece or will the binding fail and is it generally user-friendly. I'd like to thank BGT and J.L. Darling for this opportunity to test the Rite in the Rain Adventure Travel Journal. Read more reviews of Rite In The Rain gear Read more gear reviews by Graham Blamey Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > RITR - Adventure Travel Journal > Graham Blamey > Initial Report | |||