Pens and Stationery for Traveling: My Travel Kit in 2019

Way back when I first started this blog, I published a short post titled “The Gentleman Hits the Road” where I walked through my travel kit that I used for work. Since I’ve spent so much time on the road this year, I thought it might be a good time to revisit that post and offer some insight into what I’ve been using when I’m away from my desk. There may be some recency bias here, as you’ll recognize several things that I’ve reviewed in the past month or so, but this selection is fairly representative of my work “road carry”, with the exception of pen shows where I’ll obviously take more. Here goes:

1. Nock Co. Sinclair. The Sinclair remains my preferred travel pen case and general carry-all, mainly because it zips closed and holds all of the pens that I would want to carry with me on a work trip, along with room for a pocket notebook and a few other things. I’ve thinned out my pen cases over the years to where I only have one Sinclair, with black waxed canvas with red interior.

2. Rotring 800. I like having a pencil on me, but sharpening a woodcase pencil on an airplane or in a hotel or conference room isn’t exactly convenient. My choice of mechanical pencil typically alternates between one of my Rotrings (this time it was the 800) or the Uni Kuru Toga.

3. PenBBS 355. Even though I don’t carry it with me everywhere and it often never leaves the hotel room, I travel with at least one fountain pen, and preferably one that either has a large ink capacity or uses cartridges so I don’t have to refill from a bottle when I’m away from home. I’ve been extremely satisfied with PenBBS’s take on the syringe filler (or “bulkfiller”), and it likely will be at least another month of steady use before I have to refill this thing.

4. Baux Pen or Pokka Pen. I’m sometimes torn on whether to actually bother to pack a ballpoint when I’m traveling for work, since most hotels and conference centers will supply a functional ballpoint pen (and sometimes pretty good ones). If I do take a ballpoint, it’s one of the sturdy and portable Baux Pens or the pocketable Pokka.

5. Nanami Paper Cafe Note. This compact-yet-voluminous B6 notebook has been my constant daily writing companion over the past two years. Since much of my notebook writing takes the form of long lists of bullet points, the longer, narrower format of something like the Cafe Note, the hardback Kunisawa Find pocket notebook, or even the Field Notes End Papers or Front Page works best for me. I still use standard A4 or A5 notebooks, but for specific purposes such as long-form journaling or drafting things longhand.

I was pleased to see that the general format of my travel carry hasn’t changed much over the years, and that my use is fairly consistent. If I ever needed to take a truly extended trip, I might add another fountain pen and consolidate my ballpoint/rollerball/mechanical pencil carry into a multi pen like the Lamy 2000 or the Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black, but I still try to limit it to no more than three pens/pencils. Packing for trips and making these decisions is all part of the fun!

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Deals & Drops: Building Your Perfect Travel Kit

I’ve spent a lot of time on the road during the first quarter of this year, and one of the things I’ve been considering is my travel setup. In particular, how do I cover all of my different analog and digital bases - especially on a long trip - without loading myself down with junk I’ll never use? This week’s Deals & Drops offers some insight into things that have worked for me, plus some other new releases that have launched or become available over the past week or so.

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1. Rickshaw Joey Feldman Limited Edition Deluxe 6 Pen Roll (via Vanness Pens). I bought one of these at the L.A. Pen Show, when I was working behind the Vanness table. In addition to Joey’s great design, I love the layout of this six-pen case, the protective microfiber interior, and how it closes securely with the elastic cord and fits neatly into your travel bag. These limited editions should sell out quickly, so if you want one jump on them.

2. Nock Co. Sinclair (via Nock Co.). For quick, non-pen show trips the Sinclair is the only pen case I’ll bring with me. It holds three pens (or more if you get creative and don’t mind them touching) and pocket notebooks.

3. Bellroy Classic Pouch (via Amazon). A staple in my daily carry. This sturdy, woven fabric pouch provides plenty of room to stash cables, chargers, SD cards, pens, headphones, and pretty much any other small item you don’t want sliding around loose in your bag. My review here.

4. Makrolon Fountain Pen. I love Makrolon pens for their durability and understated aesthetic. When I’m on the road and working in hotels and coffee shops, I don’t want something that looks at all flashy to minimize the risk of it “wandering off.” My favorite option is the Lamy 2000, but the KACO Edge comes at a much lower cost and makes for a great knockaround travel pen.

5. Baron Fig Squire Rollerball (via Baron Fig). It’s rare that I won’t have at least one Baron Fig Squire on me, especially when I’m traveling. The pens are compact, sturdy, and use reliable refills.

6. Pineider Pen Filler (via Pen Chalet). If I want to travel with a piston filler fountain pen, I don’t bring a full bottle of ink. This little gadget from Pineider minimizes the risk of spills when filling your pens in hotels, and works as advertised. My review here.

7. Nanami Paper Cafe Note with Gfeller Leather Cover (via Nanami Paper). What I’ve been using as my “Fauxbonichi” / Journal for the past year. This compact notebook holds a ton of Tomoe River Paper, and the natural leather cover looks great as it ages and develops a “travel record” of scuffs.

8. Clairefontaine A5 Wirebound Notebook (via Vanness Pens). My preferred choice for a scratch pad spiral notebook that’s compatible with all different types of ink. I love the French-ruled paper, but it’s not always available.

So What’s New This Week?

1. New Viscontis (via Vanness Pens). Vanness has a wide range of Visconti pens in stock at many different price points. In particular, check out the Visconti Breeze, a well-priced pen that has a nice steel nib.

2. Leonardo Pens Stateside! (via the Nibsmith). Dan Smith recently started carrying the entire line of pens from Leonardo Officina Italiana. I’ve been gushing over these pens for months so you know that this is news I like to see.

3. Loclen Electa Fountain Pens (via Pen Chalet). These new machined pens out of Italy were very popular this past weekend. Check out the integrated piston/converter!

4. PenBBS 308/206 (via Goldspot). PenBBS has developed a reputation for making reliable, low-cost pens that still look great. Goldspot has some on sale as part of their “Weekly Dip” special.

5. Pilot E95S (via Anderson Pens). I thought I’d highlight Pilot’s compact pocket pen, which really doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should. I’ve seen more of them at pen shows this year, and I hope they continue to catch on. (It also makes a great travel companion.)

6. Pelikan M101N Grey-Blue (via Appelboom). I saw this pen in person this weekend, and found it stunning in person. It could be my favorite of the M101N limited editions.

7. PK Custom Goods Pen Cases (via PK Custom Goods/Etsy). These cases are one of my favorite discoveries from this past weekend’s Atlanta Pen Show. Star Wars and Harry Potter themes? Count me in.

L.A. Pen Show Friday and Saturday Recap

The Los Angeles Pen Show is definitely one of the more interesting shows I’ve visited. Most notable is that three out of the four show days are trader days, meaning that the show is open to the public only on Sunday (and therefore crazy). This is the exact opposite of how most pen shows run, with nearly all others being open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday typically being the “dead” day where things really slow down in the afternoon. As I write this, I’m mentally preparing myself for the Sunday rush in L.A., since I’ll be behind the Vanness Pens table helping out. If you’re at the show, come see me! In the meantime, here is a photo-heavy recap of some of the things I saw on Friday and Saturday. I should have some additional pictures later this week and some additional reporting on the show once I see how Sunday goes.

This year the entire L.A. Pen Show was held in a single downstairs ballroom. It remains to be seen how the new venue will handle the Sunday crowds, and there were already a few issues with the aisles being very narrow. I will say, however, that the lighting in this recently refurbished space was excellent - some of the best I’ve experienced.

One of the most exciting things I got to see this weekend was the launch of the Vanness/Shawn Newton production-line collaboration, The Pinnacle, which comes in two sparkly colors: Sassafras (on the left) and Wild Blackberry (right). Like Shawn’s famed Shinobi model, the cap has a single facet that acts as a roll-stopper.

I got to handle a Sylvester Stallone Chaos Pen at the Montegrappa table! I have to say that despite all my past skepticism this pen was impressive to hold in person.

Pierre from Desiderata Pens was set up, with a full stock of pens that included his latest Soubriquet model that features a vacumatic-style filler. I acquired the red and beige ebonite pen pictured in the gallery below. Pierre made his name selling pens that accept Zebra G Calligraphy nibs, but you can also purchase them with JoWo nibs.

The Montegrappa “Grappa” set, complete with - wait for it - a bottle of Grappa!

Mike Masuyama was present, and he changed things up at his workstation! I had two pens tuned today, nothing fancy!

And, of course, Brian Anderson showed me some rare Esterbrook “V-Clip” and Relief pens that he had “under glass” at the table. The kind of stuff you can only see at a Pen Show!

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Traveling with Fountain Pens: In Praise of the Humble Ink Cartridge

Fountain pen manufacturers introduced ink cartridges as a way to counteract the threat posed by ballpoints, which had offered a less messy way to refill a pen by eliminating the possibility of knocking over an ink bottle, dripping ink on your clothes, etc. Eventually, the “cartridge/converter” filling system became the default, with most modern fountain pens shipping with a sample ink cartridge alongside a converter that you can use to fill from an ink bottle (though lately many companies have been omitting the converter altogether, forcing you to buy it separately).

Cartridges often go ignored by die-hard fountain pen lovers. There’s definitely an attitude out there among certain segments of the pen community that if you use ink cartridges, you’re not a “real” fountain pen user. Heck, some people believe that if you use a converter, you’re not a real fountain pen user, because the only “real” fountain pen is one that features an integrated filling system like a piston. While I’ve been guilty of thinking like this in the past, I’ve long since changed my tune, especially as I’ve been traveling more for work. While I still opt for the converter most of the time, mainly because I have a huge collection of bottled inks and I enjoy the variety they offer, I do keep a steady supply of cartridges handy. Here are a few of the reasons that I sometimes prefer to use them:

• They take up no space and are easy to change on the go. When you’re on the road, it’s quite easy to grab a matchbox-sized pack of Kaweco cartridges and stick it in your briefcase, as opposed to sealing an ink bottle in a plastic bag and worrying about leaks, breakage, and TSA inspections, among other things.

• Cartridge inks are typically safe and low-maintenance. A general rule of thumb is that if an ink is made by a pen company (especially one that makes expensive pens), it’s probably safe to use in most, if not all fountain pens. With a few exceptions, most widely-available ink cartridges are made by pen companies because they need to have a refill to include in the box with a newly purchased pen. If you use ink cartridges made by the same company that manufactured your pen, I can almost guarantee you there won’t be a problem, and if there is the pen company will have to make it right.

• Cartridges are inexpensive. Sure, on a “per milliliter” basis, ink bottles offer you the best bang for your buck, but when was the last time you finished an entire 50ml bottle of ink? If you’re not someone who journals or takes extensive notes, a $4 pack of cartridges might last you a very long time, even though you’re “paying more” for the ink itself.

For all the advantages, there are also some annoying things about ink cartridges, including many that keep me coming back to my converters and ink bottles whenever it’s practical:

• Cartridges lack variety. While companies like Diamine, J. Herbin, and Monteverde release many of their inks in cartridge form, for the most part the range of colors available in bottles dwarfs the selection available in cartridges.

• Difficulty cleaning and changing colors. Cartridges are convenient if you’re traveling and don’t mind using only a single color of ink for a few days to a week. If you’re a serial color-changer, however, cartridges can be a bit of a pain because there’s no easy way to flush the pen in-between ink swaps, unless you travel with a converter or bulb syringe.

• You create plastic waste. One of the reasons that I’m drawn to fountain pens is because they don’t generate the large volumes of plastic waste that cheap disposable pens do. (I know it’s a drop in the bucket, but I do what I can.) Unless you refill them with a syringe and reuse, ink cartridges are thrown out once they run dry, going to the landfill along with your spent ballpoints.

• Nostalgia. Let’s face it. Filling a fountain pen from a cartridge simply isn’t as fun as filling from a bottle, and doesn’t give you that same “nostalgia fix” that you get from inking up a pen, knowing you’re doing it the same way that people have done it for more than 100 years.

Note: Not all cartridges fit all pens. Different brands use proprietary cartridges and converters that will not fit other pens. For these pens, unfortunately, you have to purchase pen-specific cartridges, which may further limit your available ink selection and possibly require you to buy a lot of cartridges if you want to have the option available for all of your pens. Most other brands accept the standard international (generic) cartridge. Be sure to check the specifications on your pen before purchasing. Pictured here, from left, are cartridges from Lamy, Sailor, Diamine (Generic Short International), Platinum, and Pilot.

To sum it up, cartridges aren’t my favorite way to ink a fountain pen, and I would never consider using them exclusively, but they do have their place. I make it a point to have a steady supply of cartridges on hand to give me options when traveling, because they make a much cheaper, easier, and less messy alternative to traveling with an ink bottle or something like a traveling inkwell. Fountain pen ink cartridges are also widely available, and most of our site sponsors keep them in stock, including Pen Chalet, Vanness Pens, Anderson Pens, Goldspot, and Appelboom.

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Traveling with Fountain Pens: Do You Need a Traveling Inkwell?

Everyone who writes for the pen community gets questions about the ins and outs of traveling with fountain pens. One topic that comes up frequently is the question of filling from a bottle when you’re on the road, especially for an extended period of time. This issue doesn’t arise much for me - my work trips tend to be 2-3 days in most cases, and two fountain pens filled to capacity will easily last me that long. That said, I know there are readers out there who travel for a week or longer at a time, and may need to consider a piece of fountain pen-specific travel gear: a traveling inkwell or ink pot. Also, if you favor piston-fillers with larger nibs, such as the Pelikan M800 or the Montegrappa Extra 1930, or pens like the Visconti power-fillers that are just difficult to fill to capacity, these devices can be quite useful and will make it easier for you to get a full fill of ink.

You’re pretty much limited to two options: the Visconti Traveling Inkwell or the Pineider Pen Filler Inkwell. Visconti created this highly specialized piece of equipment years ago, in 1997, so the idea has been around for quite some time. After Visconti founder Dante Delvecchio left the company to join Pineider, Pineider released their own version, which holds 5ml more ink than the Visconti and costs less than half the price. (The Visconti Traveling Inkwell holds 5ml of ink, and the Pineider Pen Filler holds 10ml.)

Fill ‘er up! It’s hard to see, but both the Visconti Traveling Inkwell and the Pineider Pen Filler feature a rubber gasket on the inside that forms a seal.

Using these inkwells are fairly simple once you grasp the concept, which can seem confusing and a bit counterintuitive (not to mention risky) at first. To start, you remove the cap of the inkwell and fill with your ink of choice to the indicator line, using the supplied eyedropper (or your own syringe or pipette).

When you’re ready to fill, Insert the pen and press gently until you feel the pen come to a stop. The section should form a secure seal against the rubber gasket inside the inkwell, allowing you to invert the inkwell (yes, you heard me correctly) while you turn the piston or converter. You will get a full fill of ink into most pens, which to me is the primary selling point of these contraptions. Note: for vacuum fillers, make sure your seal is TIGHT and hold onto the inkwell securely when you depress the plunger to fill the pen. Otherwise, you may get the “rocket effect” when the inkwell (and all of the ink in it) goes sailing across the room, coating your walls, carpet, etc. It may also be preferable to try outside for the first few times until you get the hang of it.

Check out how much ink I was able to get into a Montblanc 146! The best part? Hardly any ink on the section afterwards. You’ll only have to wipe off the nib and the very end of the pen where the ink meets the feed.

In terms of actual traveling, I’m honestly a little nervous about flying with these things, only because you’re technically supposed to put all liquids (including fountain pen inks) into single plastic bag in order to get past security. Both of these inkwells have a “stopper” closure, not a threaded cap, so I have some concern about leakage. For the record, the stopper on the Pineider inkwell feels a lot tighter and more secure than the Visconti. I’ve included pictures of the Pineider in action below, featuring a Sailor Pro Gear. I’ve never been able to get that much ink into a Sailor Converter without syringe filling!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I like both of these products, but perhaps not for their stated purpose of traveling. Rather, for me their true utility lies in the ability to swap favorite inks (mostly Sailors) from the hard-to-fill “flat” bottles into a different format that will let you use piston-fill pens with larger nibs, such as No. 8s. They’re also a great way to make sure your pens are filled to the brim if you’re preparing to leave on a trip or attend a class/meeting where you will have to do a lot of writing.

I acquired both of the inkwells featured in this review from Pen Chalet. The Visconti Traveling Inkwell is currently priced at $70 MSRP, with a street price of $56. While it’s certainly not inexpensive, I recall these being priced well north of $100 when they first came out several years ago. Pineider has priced their version lower at $25 MSRP / $20 street price, and to be honest it’s probably the product I would advise most people to buy. While its overall design lacks some of the elegance of the Visconti and feels a bit insubstantial, it’s the more practical choice for what’s going to be a relatively limited-use purchase for most people. I have, however, read reports that certain Visconti pens don’t fit well into the Pineider inkwell, specifically those with the “hook” closure system, so if you have a large Visconti collection stick with that brand.

Side Note: Though you will eventually run into the same problem as you do with ink bottles once the ink level gets too low, many people forego the traveling inkwell in favor of ink sample vials or the 4oz version of these smaller Nalgene bottles. In addition to being extremely inexpensive, the caps on both are quite secure and have survived many a trip through TSA screening.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I purchased both inkwells featured in this review from our sponsor Pen Chalet using store credit generated through Pen Chalet’s affiliate program.