How to Choose a Rainproof Notebook, Pen, and Cover for Field Notes

Start with the amount of rain your notes must withstand

If you expect occasional drops or damp hands, a normal notebook inside a closable pouch may be enough for your routine. If you expect to write on damp pages or in steady rain, look at notebooks specifically described by their maker as all-weather or waterproof. Rite in the Rain says its coated paper sheds water and recommends a standard pencil or an all-weather pen on wet or dry paper. Field Notes describes its Expedition edition as waterproof and tearproof, with synthetic paper. These are different constructions, so their writing recommendations are not interchangeable. (Rite in the Rain: All Monsoon Products; Field Notes: Expedition Edition)

As a practical choice, favor a notebook designed for wet use when you need to keep writing in rain. A bag or cover can protect a regular notebook while it is stowed, but it does not make exposed pages suitable for writing in the rain. That last point is a practical inference from the difference between carrying protection and a writing surface designed to shed water.

Match the pen to the paper

For Rite in the Rain paper, the manufacturer says pencil works best and that an all-weather pen also works. Its product guidance distinguishes those from ordinary pens: the company’s tip sheet says standard ballpoints work only when dry, and gel and fountain pens are among the tools it lists as unsuitable. If you prefer a pencil, that makes the coated-paper option especially simple to pair. (Rite in the Rain: Product Questions; Rite in the Rain: Tips Sheet)

For Field Notes Expedition, the maker says the nonporous synthetic paper does not absorb ink like conventional paper and recommends ballpoints, pencils, or fine-tip permanent markers. It calls its Space Pen a companion for that notebook. Do not assume that an ink that works on ordinary paper will behave the same way on synthetic paper: the surface and the product’s own pen guidance matter. Field Notes also says fountain pens do not work on Expedition paper. (Field Notes: Expedition Edition; Field Notes: Common Questions)

An all-weather or pressurized-ink pen is an option if you want a pen rather than a pencil. Rite in the Rain describes its pens as using a pressurized cartridge intended to write through moisture; Fisher Space Pen’s official site likewise describes its pressurized ink as able to write on wet paper. Those manufacturer claims support considering such a pen, but they do not remove the need to check that it suits the particular notebook surface. (Rite in the Rain: Metal Clicker Pen; Fisher Space Pen New Zealand: Official Site)

Pick a format you can write in comfortably

A compact notebook is easy to keep close, but it gives you less room for sketches, longer descriptions, or a clear separation between observations. A larger notebook offers more space but may be less convenient to hold and stow. Decide based on what your notes actually contain: brief labels and time marks fit a pocket format; diagrams or fuller descriptions may call for a larger page.

Binding matters in use. A top-bound pad can be convenient when you want to flip pages upward, while a side-bound book may suit a more familiar notebook grip. Check how the binding, cover, and writing hand work together before choosing: a cover that obscures the page or makes it awkward to hold can slow down note-taking even if it improves stowage.

Choose protection for carrying, not as a substitute for paper

A cover or pouch is useful when you need to keep the notebook and pen together or protect them while they are packed away. Rite in the Rain’s notebook-cover product pages describe fabric covers with instrument pockets and a zip closure. Match the cover to the notebook’s dimensions and binding; a pocket cover designed for one format may not fit another. (Rite in the Rain: 3 x 5 Top Bound Notebook Cover; Rite in the Rain: Side Bound Book Cover)

For a simpler setup, a closable pouch can keep a notebook and pen together when you are not writing. When you take notes, keep the cover or pouch positioned so it does not block the page or make the book unstable in your hand. This is a usability recommendation: product features such as storage and closure can help with organization, but only a rain-suited page and compatible writing tool address writing on a wet surface.

Test the whole combination before you go

Use the exact notebook, pen or pencil, and cover you plan to carry. On a spare page, write a few typical entries with the page dry, then lightly damp, and check whether the marks remain readable and the tool starts reliably. If the maker’s instructions call for a particular kind of pen, include that in the trial rather than assuming another pen will work. The test is a practical check of your own setup, not a guarantee about every rain condition.

Then check whether you can open the notebook, hold it, turn a page, and put it away without losing your place or dropping the pen. Write a short sample that resembles your actual notes—such as a time, a brief observation, and a simple sketch—so you can judge whether the page size and ruling suit the task. If the marks smear, bead, or skip, change the pen or notebook pairing before you depend on it.

A quick decision guide

Choose coated all-weather paper with a pencil if you want a simple pairing backed by the notebook maker’s wet-use guidance. Choose a synthetic waterproof notebook if its size and format suit you and you are willing to use the writing tools its maker recommends. Add a fitted cover or closable pouch when you want organized storage and extra protection while carrying the notebook. In every case, test the complete combination once before taking it into the field.

Rainproof field notes come from a compatible surface, writing tool, and carrying setup. Match those three pieces to how you take notes, confirm that they work together in a short trial, and choose the smallest setup that still leaves enough room to record what you need.

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