Wanderings Pocket Travelers Notebook – Refillable Genuine Leather Passport Size Journal – 4" x 5.25" (10 x 13.5cm) – Handcrafted – 80 GSM Blank Inserts – Small Travel Journal

My notebook arrived absolutely exactly as pictured and described. It looks beautiful, and it is incredibly functional. It looks good, feels good in hand, seems to be high quality, and well-designed. I like the included inserts. You can also use passport size inserts from Midori, Muji, etc. Update: I liked the passport version so much that I just bought and received an A5 version as well. They match perfectly. I'm very sensitive to smells, and unlike the reviews of other similar products, I can confirm that this notebook has no discernible smell at all. With a one of the paper inserts in it, it smells like paper. Nothing rubs off on my hands (someone else had warned of stains?). It's just a fantastic leather product. If you have owned any other leather products, you know how it will respond in terms of its appearance when being rubbed or scraped by something. The resulting "worn" look or patina is exactly what gives leather products their warm sense of character and genuineness. If you want something that can be dragged on concrete with no visible changes, you need to purchase a plastic notebook. This one is a beautifully crafted leather product. One final thought: the elastic bands can be easily modified. I wasn't sure I liked the small piece of leather that goes over the open side when the notebook is closed, so I removed it at least temporarily (doing that required the same kind of dexterity you'd need to untie shoe laces). I also wasn't sure I'd want to keep the bottom metal dongle, so I untied and removed that too. My point is that you can modify the elastic bands, tie/untie them, replace them cheaply, etc. The bands that come with this notebook will arrive set up in a way that makes 99.9% of customers satisfied. I just like to play with such things. It's somehow reassuring that in today's world you can buy something that is so easily customized to fit your preferences.

I just received my Wanderings Leather Notebook Journal and am very happy with this item. It looks very nice and that is important to me. Functionality is even more important and this is where it shines. The elastic bands that hold the the inserts seem robust and with a lifetime warranty, I find my mind at ease. It is real vice faux leather and this shows via subtle imperfections that give this notebook "character". The paper seems adequate to fine writing and note taking. It is thick enough that you can write on both sides without major interference from the writing on the other side impairing you ability to read well what you wrote. I will be shifting to fountain pens in a day or two and will let you know how that works out. I have also put in the graph paper insert and it fit just fine. The elastic band that keeps it closed works perfectly. This is exactly what I wanted for taking notes at work and when traveling as well as personal writing when I go on travel with my wife, family or friends. Since it hold three inserts I will use two for work and one for personal writings. I do not like to mix personal with work and this gives me that flexibility I wish I had found this earlier, to be honest. Now I can store old work notes and ideas in chronological order as I work through each insert. Same with my personal notes, poetry, ideas and writings. It is very close to the perfect size for travel. Large enough for substantive content on a page and yet small enough to carry by hand, in a briefcase, purse or other bag. Too big for most pockets though. A smaller version that can fit a pocket might make sense. Like a sportcoat jacket pocket or a back pocket in a pair of pants. However, given it's current size I am very happy with this product. It is well made, serves its function well and provides an adequate means to capture, notes, thoughts and any other ideas or scribbling one may want to do without undue constraints. I did not receive this product for free and paid my well earned money to get it and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this product. It is well worth what I paid for it. If something fails there is the lifetime warranty as well.

Very nice leather travelers notebook and the quality feels excellent. The leather is well made and it looks great. I ended up returning it only because I decided to go with a different size, not because of any issues with the product.

The Basics::: Upon delivery you will find the notebook in a plastic sleeve in a nice cardboard box that is also wrapped in plastic. You will receive the notebook itself plus 3 included blank page booklets/refills already secured in the notebook. If you prefer lined paper or other types, refills can easily be purchased here on Amazon. I already ordered lined paper when initially ordering the notebook and this is the brand I used. Midori Traveler's Notebook (refill 001) ruled The fit is good although the edges are square instead of rounded like the included blank refills. I do not have a preference but If you do then just be on the lookout for that I am sure you can find rounded edge refills. Initial Thoughts::: When I took the notebook out of it's packaging I couldn't help but immediately be satisfied with my purchase. Upon taking the plastic sleeve off of the notebook I noticed some superficial marks on the leather, which happens I know, but it made me wonder if they do that in the manufacturing process on purpose or if it just occurs. Either way it did not bother me as I thought it gave the notebook some character right out of the box. The notebook does seem to be a little darker then what was shown in the pictures, I actually like it better with the darker color. The feel of the leather itself is fantastic, soft and pliable, and has the beautiful leather smell to it. I expect it to age nicely over time. The notebook itself seems to be of high quality for this price, the bands that hold both the notebook closed and paper refills inside seem well made, and secure. I also find the 3 separate paper refills inside to be a unique idea. On the front of the notebook you will notice an embossed logo for the company Wanderings I assume, as far as I know they do not offer any custom personalization, but it is leather you can always go to someone and get it personalized any way you like upon receiving the item. So far I am very satisfied with this notebook, and as of now I recommend it 100%. This is defiantly a high quality product and Wanderings knows that and have put a Lifetime Guarantee to back it. Really that being said you can not go wrong in my opinion. Come January 2017 I will update this review based on how its held up and functioned for me. I have noticed that some of the reviewers received and discount/free notebook for a review so I will go ahead and say that I payed full price for the notebook and am merely leaving a review as I feel this product deserves one.

I really like this journal. It's very well put together and has a nice feel. Here are my pros and cons: Pros: - The rubberband enclosure and the bands that keep the notebook refill in place feels high quality with good resistance. - The leather is thick enough to hold it's shape as well as be a good foundation for the bands to be attached to. - Love that it can hold 3 refills that are easily obtainable though then refills are pricey @ $6-$7 per refill. I will be getting paper and making my own with a sewing machine and exacto knife later on. - Like the color of the leather but I'm waiting for it to be distressed with years of use. - The leather seemed to be oiled and moist to prevent it from drying out and cracking but this is also a con. Cons: - the oil that keeps the leather moist also does bleed into the pages. I noticed oil stains where the rubberband secures the notebook close. I also noticed another sketchbook in my bag getting some oil stains from the cover as well. The leather does not feel oily, it feels quite good, but does stain. The staining is not a big deal as it's colorless but I still notice it when I look for it. - leather bit that's attached to the closure band is a bit awkward to use when closing the notebook because the rubberband wants to compress it as it shrinks back down to it's original size when you open your journel. Opening the journel is fine but closing and securing the journel will take some practice but I can see that it'll soon be second nature. It does provide a nice looking pad once closed properly. I believe the designer of the journel didn't want just the rubberband on the leader as that amount of pressure placed on a supple piece of leather will create an undesireable indentation the size of the rubberband diameter. - the paper is good but not great. Good for pencil, color pencils, pens, ink pens, etc. I use a fountain pen with a semi flex nib. There a high amount of inflow so it's understandable there's bleedthrough but not toilet paper amounts. Overall, it's a great leather journal that I will be using for years to come.

So basically, I wanted a naturalist or pocket journal that wouldn't take up a lot of room, that also had a vintage look and feel. This worked perfectly. It came very well packaged. The paper is sturdy and has a nice vintage bridal white tone to it. It didn't ghost when I used ink, but it does have a slight shadow. That's not a problem for me. However, it won't hold up to wet mediums such as tom bow or watercolor. I love the refillable feature which will allow me to add a few sheets of watercolor paper for visual journaling later. As well as replacing the papers instead of having to buy a new journal, although I probably will for other subjects. It is real leather with a nice soft leather smell, nothing chemical or odorous. How to tell is you look at it magnified to see if it has skin pores. Faux leather or pleather won't have those, and this one does which I've included as a photo. It has an excellent polish, so it took bending it slightly to get those to show. Overall, I would recommend this if you're looking for something that's compact, with quality paper with a genuine leather cover for pocket journaling.

tl;dr - if you need a journal for work, school, or personal writings, the Wanderings Notebook is perfect and you must buy it. Let me start by confessing that I have an office supply fetish. I was the first one in my college crew to have a Staples membership card, back before Staples let just anyone in, and I was more proud of that card than my first checking account, or even the organ donor sticker on my driver's license. To my wife's exasperation, I can spend an hour comparing, contrasting, and choosing the right day planner, notebook, or pen. We've been a team for many years, but there are some things about me that she doesn't understand. I take a lot of notes, about a lot of things, and I like to keep them so I can go back later and remember what I was thinking or see how much smarter I've grown over time. I've gone through Day-Timers, At-a-Glance, Franklin Covey, Composition books, Moleskines (all flavors), gridded notepads in a simple binder, and even multi-subject 5-star notebooks. None of them really felt right. I needed partitions for multiple subjects, the ability to replace sections as they filled up, and the benefit of archiving for later reference by subject or date. Plus it had to fit in my briefcase without squeezing it in next to my laptop. The Wanderings Notebook fits all these requirements perfectly. It's basically a durable leather cover with an elastic binder that fits multiple folios (that's English Major talk for "notebooks"). It has a flexible spine so you can bend it backward to lay it flat, the pages are sized amply, and yet it's small enough to be easily portable. You can get folios in blank, ruled, or gridded pages - they're very easy to insert and remove. If you devote each folio to a specific subject, you can keep your thoughts properly separated - I have one for work, one for my side business, and one for my innermost thoughts and feelings (only a few pages there...). When one folio is full, you can remove it and archive it in a sturdy hardback binder (sold separately), so eventually, you'll have multiple volumes of your own brilliance lining your bookshelves for easy reference, personal retrospectives, and subpoenas for legal discovery. All this, PLUS, the notebook is just plain badass. First off, it smells great. Like, I know that's not something you look for in a notebook, but trust me - it's important. I've literally asked people at work to smell my notebook. Afterward, they agree it was worth it. Second, I've had mine for two weeks, and eight different people have asked me if I was Indiana Jones. Including my wife, who you'd think would know by now that I'm not, but perhaps was hoping that the 1930's-looking office couture was a preamble to the more adventurous lifestyle she's always craved. And, I have to admit, scribbling my notes, diagrams, doodles, and maps - all with a fine-nib Montblanc fountain pen - does *feel* right. (Especially while I'm wearing my fedora, which I sometimes do. No, I'm not weird - I was just born 40. Don't judge.) All this to say that this may be my Forever Notebook.

This is a nice, high quality "travelers" style notebook. I bought the planner to go with it. I like the A5 size better. With the blank refills, it makes a nice sketchbook. And for those who care, the paper stands up to fountain pen ink, with medium nibs, gel pens (like the Pilot G2), and rollerballs. I highly recommend this A5 Notebook.