Number of Pages as shipped: 43 lined pages (86 lined writing surfaces), 6 informational pages (11 surfaces with reference information and 1 blank), totaling 49 pages total (50 advertised)

2. DuraRite Extreme Journal Initial Report

Description:

The DuraRite Extreme Journal is made by the J.L.Darling Corporation, the makers of the Rite in the Rain product line of waterproof notebooks and paper. The DuraRite paper is different from the Rite in the Rain products. In addition to being waterproof, the DuraRite paper is also claimed as tearproof.

The DuraRite paper is used in the DuraRite Extreme Journal, a top-spiral-bound neon green notebook targeted at outdoor enthusiasts. From the skull and crossbones on the cover of the notebook to the climbing and kayaking skeletons in the Reference Section (see below), the Extreme Journal is not lacking for testosterone. According to the manufacturer, the Extreme Journal is "tearproof, waterproof, and bloodproof". Besides the tearproof paper difference, the Extreme Journal includes the reference section mentioned above pertaining to various outdoor sports.

Initial Observations:

The DuraRite Extreme Journal arrived as described on the www.DuraRite.com website (with the above noted 49 instead of 50 pages). Other than the lined 43 pages in the notebook, the primary standout feature is the Reference Section included at the end of the notebook. While some of the information is common sense and some will likely never be used, on the whole it is actually a quite comprehensive account of information that could prove useful in a number of situations. The contents are in 4 basic categories (Snow, Water, Rock, and Survival) and the actual pages (in order) are as follows:

· Planning Page with 8 reminders on leaving an itinerary, carrying appropriate gear, etc.

· First Aid Basics Page with treatment for 13 common outdoor afflictions

· Ten Essentials/Fire Starter Page with a standard essentials list and suggestions for various fire setups

· Climbing/Bouldering Page with a climbing rating scale

· A second Climbing Page with comparative International climbing ranking chart

· Kayak/Raft/Canoe Page describing the various classes of moving water

· A second Kayak/Raft/Canoe Page describing 4 common river emergency signals

· Snow Page, which is actually wind chill chart and has no information about snow

· Hypothermia/Frostbite Page with symptoms and treatment options as well as basic snow cave construction

· Sailing Page, which is essentially a chart describing visual wind and water changes based on wind speed

· Signaling Page for anyone stranded on a deserted island or otherwise lost and in need of signaling standards

I can definitely see myself using a few of the reference pages regularly - the wind chill chart and first aid list come to mind - and I hope I never have to use a couple of the others. I was hoping for an avalanche reference chart with even rudimentary snowpack analysis information, but I suppose I'll have to wait for the next version. These reference pages would be particularly helpful for kayakers and canoers, as all but 2 of the pages could come in useful on a water outing.

While there will obviously be more extensive and "real world" testing to come, I did conduct a couple of simple tests at home for this report. I decided that it would be best to start with the "Big Three Claims" that the DuraRite Extreme Journal makes - that it's tearproof, waterproof, and bloodproof. While I wasn't willing to cut myself open for this test - you'll have to wait until the Field Report for that - I did test the other claims.

For comparison purposes, I did the tests alongside a piece of Rite in the Rain paper from one of their "basic" notebooks. It's actually the REI-branded yellow notebook. Using a Rite in the Rain pressurized space pen, I simply wrote a short sentence on each piece of paper and observed the following:

1) The Rite in the Rain paper is quite easily torn (it makes absolutely no claims of being tearproof) and the DuraRite Extreme Journal was absolutely impossible to tear. It will pucker and wrinkle a bit where I tried to tear it, but it would not even come close to tearing open.

2) This particular pen writes much, much smoother and darker on the DuraRite paper. When writing on the Rite in the Rain paper, the ink always feels about to run out and kind of "scratchy". On the DuraRite paper, it flows smooth and slick and writes in a nice, dark, easily read line.

3) After sitting for a few minutes, neither the Rite in the Rain paper or the DuraRite paper smeared appreciably with a firm finger press.

4) After sitting in a bowl of water for 6 hours, the Rite in the Rain paper had an inky shadow effect around all of the writing. It was still completely legible, but kind of smudgy. The DuraRite paper looked exactly as it did before going in the water - smooth and silky.

5) While submerged, writing on the Rite in the Rain paper produces clean, legible characters. Writing on the DuraRite under water produced weak, difficult to read characters as if the pen had just run out of ink (it had not, and in fact is supposed to be able to write under water).

6) While submerged, the Rite in the Rain paper is essentially unchanged by attempts to smear the ink. The DuraRite paper is relatively easy to smudge when firmly smeared, and in fact can be made unreadable with a little effort.

7) Both the Rite in the Rain and the DuraRite papers completely dried in less than a half hour after being removed from the water.

8) Both the Rite in the Rain and DuraRite paper were essentially unchanged by smearing, creating no appreciable smudges after drying from their submersion.

While there's a lot of use and testing to be done, I definitely prefer the DuraRite paper at this point. It writes smooth, is nigh indestructible, and as long as you don't actively try to smear up wet paper, it holds your notes in place. A simple soaking of rain or accidental lake submersion should leave your notes and drawings unchanged from the time you penned them.

My plan for the Field Report and Final Report is to test the DuraRite Extreme Journal in outdoor conditions - primarily rain and wet snow. Further, I plan to try just about every writing utensil I can come up with: ballpoint pens, gel pens, pencils, highlighters, whatever - to find out what works with this paper and what doesn't. I imagine most folks don't always carry a pressurized space pen with them and will want the paper to work with whatever they have, from the mini-golf pencil in their first aid kit to the old Bic in their glove box at the trailhead.

3. Testing Location, Contact, and Background Information

Testing Location:

The vast majority of my uses of the DuraRite Extreme Journal will likely be in the Central and North Cascades. We're just a couple of months away from the rain arriving, so regular - if not daily - precipitation will soon be available for testing. I also plan on using the journal as a ski wax and run record. The snows usually pile up enough to ski on by December, so I should have a couple of months of wet snow testing as well.

Background Information:

Review by Curt Peterson: e-curt@attbi.com

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Height: 6'3" (1.91 m)

Weight: 270 (122 kg)

I live in Seattle and do the vast majority of my outdoor activities in Washington State. During the summer I try to head to the backcountry at least every other week, averaging 3 to 5 multi-day trips in July and August. In the fall and early winter, I usually do a couple day hikes a month and probably one overnight per month. In the winter, I ski 1 to 2 days per week, and backpack in the Central Washington steppe 1 to 2 times over the season. Spring and early summer I usually climb, most often on the Cascade volcanoes. I usually go to the coast in Olympic National Park at least once a year, and try to summit at least one big volcano a year, so the range of locations that I test gear is pretty broad. I also do a 3-mile walk each day with my dog, no matter what the conditions are, and I often evaluate gear during that time.

I played football in college, and have been pretty active my entire life. I have been camping and backpacking as long as I can remember. First in Utah as a child, in Minnesota until I finished college, and here in Washington ever since. I served on the Product Test Committee for Seattle's biggest outdoor gear retailer for a two-year term in the mid-90s, then guided backpacking tours with my wife in Olympic National Park for a few summers. I've been interested in the most recent shift to lightweight thinking for the past few of years and really enjoy checking out new ideas and approaches to backpacking.

Read more reviews of Rite In The Rain gear
Read more gear reviews by Curt Peterson

Initial Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson