Note taking...what do you use?

[Antonymous]

I have used a variety of notebooks over the years to record my "useful" information, e.g. notes on tree id, carving designs, tool and kit info, etc.
but always the same problem of not being able to add in extra info after the first entry on a topic as my knowledge grows or having unrelated topics on concurrent pages.

The answer would seem to be some form of ring binder, but that seems a cumbersome notion in the outdoors, so...What system do you use? What would be an ideal system? What hasn't worked for you?

I'm looking for innovative ideas as well as your tried and tested systems.

Cheers

Anton

 

[Nice65]

Have a look at Atoma notebooks.

https://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/atoma

 

[Janne]

Old fashioned small notebooks. Placed in a plastic bag to prevent water damage.
Just leave two empty rows between each sentence/entry.
And be laconic.

 

[Le Loup]

I use this journal & 18th century style pencil that I made myself.
Keith.

 

[Ooops]

Notes app on my iPhone, you add to it for ever, you can transfer it to a file on the Mac and you can print whenever you want in any style, size or format that pleases you
For the time when I must have an absolutely bullet proof / no technology item its a pocket size waterproof paper note book and a couple of pencils

Even if you're hard core you're almost certainly going to have a phone to hand as comms for emergencies, so why not make best use of it?
It'll also have a compass for back up & camera to take vids & photos that will enhance your notes

 

[SCOMAN]

I use Field Notes as a daily journal, handy place to note things down. I put a small card at the front and create an index just writing the page number on the bottom of the page so I can find things reasonably easily. Rite in the Rain do a binder, it's basically a Filofax. I picked one up in a sale on Amazon, bulky and heavy. When outdoors I take on the spot notes in a small waterproof notebook and then translate the important bits into a RiTR hardback notebook. They do a range of sizes so you'll find one that fits your needs.

 

[Paul_B]

I'm a part time bullet journalist so still on my first leuchtturm bullet journal notebook.

As far as notebooks go I've heard good things about Lemome. It is good quality paper, well bound without glue but stitched iirc and takes real ink well too. Good if you use a fountain pen or a bit of pen and ink sketching.

Of course that doesn't solve the OPs issue with later additions to his notes. However imho a good base for note taking is worth having. A lot of the ring binder style note books don't have the quality of paper. No good if your ink bleeds through the pages is it?

Filofax do a project book based on ring binder with many rings. You could buy an organizer and use that but a bit expensive. Alternative is to transfer your notes from notebook into a home kept folder. Or use the bullet journal technique of an index where each topic has the page numbers it appears on. For example notes on your favourite wading bird observation spot could be on pages 38-41, 52, etc. Easy to find

 

[MagiKelly]

Have a look at Atoma notebooks.

https://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/atoma

‘The disk binding system is really flexible. It lets you open it back on itself like a spiral notebook. Pages can be taken out and reordered and in your archive books back at home you can use the cheap plastic ARC discs and have an A4 set up that can have pages of any size intermingled in it.

Also if you do leatherwork you can make a selection of options.

 

[Robson Valley]

Forestry field notebooks have 6 rings. No problem. You buy packages of the pages.
Waterproof pages meant for ball-points and pencils in particular. Dux-Back.
The plastic cover isn't very attractive at all (bright reds and yellows) but glamor isn't a part of the job.

I have a cloth bag of watercolor painting supplies incloding several paper blocks.
The coil-bound sketch book has 50 pages, 6" x 9" pages of 110 lb acid-free paper, good for every thing/mixed media.
I am into volume #6.

 

[forrestdweller]

I use this journal & 18th century style pencil that I made myself.
Keith.

how do to make a pencil yourself?! i presume you prefer to a traditional lead pencil...?!

for note taking i just carry a small note book +some extra sheets of paper (in case i have to leave a message) and a pencil inside a Ziploc bag (still looking for a better solution for that as water protection is important in a rainforest environment)

 

[Womble_Lancs]

I use Pages, on my iPhone, iPad and Mac. Because the document is stored in the Cloud, I can open it on any device and it will synchronise to whatever the last edit was. I can use it without an Internet connection, and it will synchronise whenever it gets one.

Rather than actually typing the notes, I use the built in dictation feature and just speak my notes, and it converts them to text for me. Whilst it isn’t 100% accurate, it’s not bad and I only have to make one or two manual changes when I get back to my Mac. Of course, this relies upon having enough battery life to make the notes.

 

[Mark Baigent]

You could try one of the smaller Filofaxes, the ring binder allows additional pages to be added or for pages to be re arranged, I picked up a leather A6 version for a couple of pounds at a boot sale, it was full of waterproof paper that the seller had added himself by using a filofax hole punch.
They are very versatile and the accessories include plastic see through pockets.

 

[santaman2000]

3x5 index cards solve that problem.

 

[demographic]

Pretty sure some time in the dim and distant past there was someone called Ukko who complained that this new fangled alphabet on parchment was taking over from Rhunic symbols scratched onto slate.

Me? I just fire notes onto my phone, sometimes with photos as well. Its usually work related stuff and most of the pictures have a tape measure showing the dimensions of the thing I'm trying to remember.
If I don't have a tape measure I sometimes use a five pound note. Having a series of photos showing mushrooms with a fiver beside em for scale is much more Gangsta, erm...innit?

 

[Woody girl]

I have a small notebook I take with me. I take notes etc and then transfer notes and drawings onto A4 and add to a ring binder. You can add a page of notes where and wherever you want. Not very techy, but I like to use old fashioned ways as they have worked well for hundreds of years. Why change a working system?
I also like to do modern scrapbook ing. Pressed flowers and leaves, photos, magazine articles that interest me about nature etc.

 

[demographic]

I have a small notebook I take with me. I take notes etc and then transfer notes and drawings onto A4 and add to a ring binder. You can add a page of notes where and wherever you want. Not very techy, but I like to use old fashioned ways as they have worked well for hundreds of years. Why change a working system?
I also like to do modern scrapbook ing. Pressed flowers and leaves, photos, magazine articles that interest me about nature etc.

Aye, got to admit that its not right easy pressing flowers with my phone. Definite problem for my way right there.

 

[Nice65]

Aye, got to admit that its not right easy pressing flowers with my phone. Definite problem for my way right there.

Taking notes is perhaps a little different from flower pressing. I’m still gonna push Atoma as a great system, your books look fantastic @MagiKelly.

 

[Woody girl]

Aye, got to admit that its not right easy pressing flowers with my phone. Definite problem for my way right there.

I'm surprised that a phone cannot be used to press flowers... I thought they could do almost anything!
Something to be said for the old ways though.
I do use my phone for photos but I realy miss that hard copy . I have a box full of memories. I can't say I have a phone full of memories!

 

[Oliver G]

I'm a fan of the rite in the rain note paper, I picked up a few TAMs folders which fit the filofax personal size paper (Same size as the RITR paper) and either use a water proof pen (fisher space type) or a chinagraph. the whole lot fits nicely into your map pocket on your trousers and you can chop and change the notes around.

 

[Mark Baigent]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/1880984520