Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > Rite in the Rain Outdoor Journal > Test Report by Jeremy R. Laporte

RITE IN THE RAIN OUTDOOR JOURNAL
TEST SERIES BY JEREMY R. LAPORTE
INITIAL REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - September 24, 2009

TESTER INFORMATION

I grew up in France by the sea, camping and backpacking for as long as I can remember. Three years ago I moved to Idaho U.S.A. discovering new environments: wilderness, arid lands, forest, mountain, and snow. I also started to learn rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering. Because of many contacts I had with the military I thought they had the best gear available but I recently befriended some hikers and became aware of lightweight backpacking. I'm slowly migrating to that style and learning more about the various environments surrounding me.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Rite in the Rain
Year of Manufacture: N/A
Manufacturer's Website: www.riteintherain.com
MSRP: US$34.69 for the kit and US$9.95 for the journal
Listed Weight: 6.35 oz (180 g) for the kit and 3.17 oz (90 g) for the journal
Measured Weight: 6.38 oz (181 g) for the kit and 3.67 oz (104 g) for the journal

I'm testing two things:
a kit (Ref: 1701-kit) which include an outdoor journal (ref 1701), a cordura cover (ref C1700) and an All-Weather pen (ref 97)
the outdoor journal (ref 1773)

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The cordura cover is about 6.5 in (16.5 cm) tall and 5 in (12.7 cm) wide. The color is a greenish tan it has a flap that closes with a plastic fastener (see picture). Inside there are two pockets. The main one for the note book and the second pocket in front has an elastic band sewn that allows to hold two pens and something bigger if needed. The cover has two loops on the back to hold the pouch on a belt.

The pen is 5 in (12.7 cm) long, all black and it feel like metal. It's seems to be a sturdy pen and I want to know if the clip will hold.

The journal that comes with the kit is 6 in (15.24 cm) tall and 4in (10.16 cm) wide. With spirals on the top. A yellow plastic cover and back. The back has a ruler in inches and centimeters on the side.

The second journal is 7 in (17.78 cm) tall and 4.5 in (11.5 cm) wide. The spirals are on the left side. Same yellow cover and back without the rulers though. The first page is different with a space for Name, Address, Phone, and Project. The second page is the "Contents" page where you can write a page number, reference and date.

Otherwise for both journal the pages are made of squares of 5 x 5 mm (0.2 x 0.2 in).

TRYING IT OUT

The first thing I did with the notebook was rip one of the pages off and it came off like a regular notebook.

I then wrote on the paper with a regular ball point pen, the all-weather pen and a pencil. I put the whole piece of paper underwater in my sink then took it out. The paper was not soggy at all but stayed wet for a while. I dried it with a towel and all the ink was intact except for the pencil which smeared over the paper a bit. I then put the paper underwater again and wrote with the all-weather pen underwater. It worked without problems but the ink was not as dark as when out of the water. I crinkled the paper and tore it and it behaved like regular paper.

SUMMARY

The Rite in the Rain Outdoor Journal behaves like expected. It's really like regular paper but it doesn't absorb water.

We are expecting snow in Idaho as soon as this week so I'm excited to take the journal out and test it in this wet and cold environment. I'm taking the all-weather pen with me on all my day-to-day
activities to see if it will fail me or not but so far it's a great pen.

Everything is currently positive.

I would like to thanks Rite in the Rain and Backpackgeartest to allow me to test the Outdoor Journal, and I will enjoy writing my field report in a couple of months.

Reviews > Books > Blank Journals and Writing Implements > Rite in the Rain Outdoor Journal > Test Report by Jeremy R. Laporte