Paper
The best pocket notebooks for fountain pens
A pocket notebook is bought on the cover and regretted on the paper. Only one brand here tells you what is actually inside it.
How this page is funded. Buying through a link here earns us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend or the order we recommend it in, and we have not hands-on tested these products — see how we choose and the full disclosure.
Pocket notebooks are sold almost entirely on appearance. Kraft covers, limited editions, seasonal colors, a subscription that arrives quarterly. It is a well-designed market and it is remarkably quiet about paper.
That quiet matters more here than at A5. A pocket book is where you write standing up, quickly, often with whatever pen is in the same pocket — and a thin sheet that bleeds turns a 48-page notebook into a 24-page one.
How we ranked these
On published paper specification first, then on format, then on what the binding lets you do. That order is deliberate and it produces a different list from most pocket-notebook roundups.
- A published weight beats an implied one. Several well-regarded pocket notebooks publish no gsm figure anywhere we could retrieve. They may well be excellent. We simply cannot rank them above one that shows its numbers.
- Format is a real decision, not a detail. A staple-bound memo book, a hardcover journal and a perforated pad are three different tools that happen to be the same size.
- Coating matters as much as weight. Rhodia's paper handles a wet nib better than its weight would suggest, because it is coated. The GSM guide explains why the number alone never settles it.
- No hands-on testing. As everywhere on this site, nothing here is based on our own writing tests.
What the makers actually publish
| Notebook | Paper weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Field Notes Original Kraft / Pitch Black | 60 lb (90 gsm) Finch Opaque, named mill | Staple-bound memo book, 3.5" x 5.5", 48 pages |
| LEUCHTTURM1917 A6 pocket | 80 g/m2, acid-free | Thread-bound hardcover, 90 x 150 mm, 187 numbered pages |
| Rhodia No. 11 | Not published on this listing | Stapled perforated pad, A7, 80 sheets |
| Midori MD A6 | Not published | Thread-bound paperback, A6 |
| Stalogy 365 Days B6 | See the product entry | Thread-bound, B6, thin-paper high page count |
Two brands publish, three do not. That is the honest state of this category, and it is why the ranking looks the way it does rather than matching the usual enthusiast consensus.
The notebooks
Quick picks
Ranked for the beginner buying their first setup. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (3-pack) The Original Kraft's paper in a dark cover with a dot-graph, which is the version most people actually want. | The same 90 gsm paper, with a grid to write on | $14.95 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 2 |  LEUCHTTURM1917 A6 pocket, dotted The A5 journal shrunk to a coat pocket, thread-bound and numbered - and unlike the A5 listing, this one publishes its paper weight. | A hardcover pocket book with numbered pages | $20.50 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 3 |  Field Notes Original Kraft, mixed paper (3-pack) Ninety gsm in a staple-bound memo book, named down to the mill - the only pocket notebook here whose paper you can check before buying. | The pocket notebook that publishes its paper | $12.95 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 4 |  Rhodia No. 11 pad, A7 grid Eighty sheets of Clairefontaine-family paper with a perforated top edge, in the format that fits a shirt pocket. | A pad you tear pages off, not a book you keep | $15.09 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 5 |  Midori MD Notebook A6, ruled Midori's MD paper in a plain paperback cover - the least designed notebook here, and the one people describe by how it feels to write on. | The writing experience, in the smallest format it comes in | $9.99 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 6 |  Stalogy 365 Days Notebook B6 A thin-paper daily notebook with a full year of dated grid pages in a book you can still carry. | One book for a whole year | $23.89 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
1. The same 90 gsm paper, with a grid to write on
Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (3-pack)
The Original Kraft's paper in a dark cover with a dot-graph, which is the version most people actually want.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
Same paper as the Kraft, same size, same page count - the difference is the cover and the dot-graph, and the dot-graph is why we would buy this one.
A dot grid is the ruling that does not commit you. It guides handwriting, it squares up a sketch, and it disappears in a photograph, which is the argument the dot grid roundup makes at A5.
The dark cover hides the wear that makes a Kraft cover look scruffy after a month in a pocket. That is cosmetic, and it is the reason people keep buying this version.
| Paper | 60 lb (90 gsm) Finch Opaque, acid-free, bright whiteSource: Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
|---|---|
| Size | 3.5" x 5.5"Source: Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Extent | 48 pages per book, three books per packSource: Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Ruling | Dot-graph, printed with soy-based inkSource: Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Made in | USASource: Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
What it does well
- Dot-graph rather than blank
- Dark cover survives pocket wear visually
- Identical published paper spec to the Kraft
What it does not
- Costs a little more than the Kraft for the same paper
- Still only 48 pages
- Uncoated paper, so a wet nib will show through
Skip this if you write large. A 3.5 x 5.5 inch page with a dot grid suits small, dense handwriting and frustrates everyone else.
2. A hardcover pocket book with numbered pages
LEUCHTTURM1917 A6 pocket, dotted
The A5 journal shrunk to a coat pocket, thread-bound and numbered - and unlike the A5 listing, this one publishes its paper weight.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
This is the interesting one. The A5 Leuchtturm listing that this site covers elsewhere publishes no paper weight at all, and the argument about whether it bleeds is unresolved because of that. The A6 listing states 80 g/m2 outright.
Eighty gsm is real information and it is a modest number - below Field Notes' 90 gsm, above Moleskine's 70. A Fine nib and a dry ink will be comfortable; a wet Medium will show through.
Everything else is the full-size journal in miniature: thread binding that opens flat, numbered pages, an index page, two ribbons and a rear pocket. At A6 that is a remarkable amount of book.
| Paper weight | 80 g/m2, acid-freeSource: LEUCHTTURM1917 Pocket A6-187, Indigo, Dotted (retail listing, read 2026-10-03) |
|---|---|
| Size | Approximately 3.5" x 5.9" (90 x 150 mm)Source: LEUCHTTURM1917 Pocket A6-187, Indigo, Dotted (retail listing, read 2026-10-03) |
| Extent | 187 numbered pages, 8 perforated detachable sheetsSource: LEUCHTTURM1917 Pocket A6-187, Indigo, Dotted (retail listing, read 2026-10-03) |
| Binding | Thread-bound, opens flatSource: LEUCHTTURM1917 Pocket A6-187, Indigo, Dotted (retail listing, read 2026-10-03) |
| Fittings | Gusseted rear pocket, two ribbon markers, elastic closure, blank contents pageSource: LEUCHTTURM1917 Pocket A6-187, Indigo, Dotted (retail listing, read 2026-10-03) |
What it does well
- Publishes 80 g/m2, which the A5 listing does not
- Thread-bound and opens flat despite the small format
- 187 numbered pages is a lot for a pocket book
What it does not
- 80 gsm is below Field Notes' 90 for four times the price
- Hardcover makes it bulky in a trouser pocket
- Ink-proof is claimed but not measured
Skip this if it needs to survive a back pocket. This is a hardcover book for a bag or a coat, and a staple-bound memo book is the thing that folds.
3. The pocket notebook that publishes its paper
Field Notes Original Kraft, mixed paper (3-pack)
Ninety gsm in a staple-bound memo book, named down to the mill - the only pocket notebook here whose paper you can check before buying.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
Ninety grams per square meter is the headline, and it is a genuinely good number for a pocket book - heavier than a Leuchtturm's 80 gsm and well clear of the 70 gsm that causes most beginner complaints.
Naming the mill matters more than it sounds. 'Finch Opaque' is a specific, checkable paper rather than a marketing adjective, which is the difference between a specification and a claim.
It is still a staple-bound memo book with a card cover. Ninety gsm uncoated paper will take a Fine nib comfortably and will show a wet Medium through the page - the GSM guide explains why weight alone does not settle it.
| Paper | 60 lb (90 gsm) Finch Opaque, acid-free, bright whiteSource: Field Notes Original Kraft 3-Pack, mixed paper (retail listing, read 2026-10-12) |
|---|---|
| Size | 3.5" x 5.5"Source: Field Notes Original Kraft 3-Pack, mixed paper (retail listing, read 2026-10-12) |
| Extent | 48 pages per book, three books per packSource: Field Notes Original Kraft 3-Pack, mixed paper (retail listing, read 2026-10-12) |
| Ruling | Mixed - one graph, one ruled and one plain book per packSold as a sample pack to find which ruling you prefer.Source: Field Notes Original Kraft 3-Pack, mixed paper (retail listing, read 2026-10-12) |
| Binding strength | Not published |
What it does well
- Publishes both the weight and the mill
- Heavier paper than most hardcover journals costing four times as much
- Three rulings in one pack, so you find out which you prefer without buying three packs
What it does not
- Uncoated, so it is absorbent in a way coated 90 gsm is not
- 48 pages goes quickly
- Card cover offers no protection in a back pocket
Skip this if you want three books of one ruling rather than one each - the Pitch Black version is the dot-graph in the same paper, three books alike.
4. A pad you tear pages off, not a book you keep
Rhodia No. 11 pad, A7 grid
Eighty sheets of Clairefontaine-family paper with a perforated top edge, in the format that fits a shirt pocket.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
Rhodia does not state a paper weight on this listing, so we do not publish one - which is frustrating, because Rhodia's paper is the reason to buy it. The Rhodia profile covers what the brand does state elsewhere in the range.
The format is the point. A perforated pad is for notes that leave: a phone number, a shopping list, a sketch you hand to someone. A bound notebook is for notes that stay, and confusing the two is how people end up tearing pages out of a journal.
The cover is water-repellent card rather than plain card, which is a small, real advantage for something carried loose.
| Size | No. 11 (A7), 2.9" x 4.1" (7.4 x 10.5 cm)Source: Rhodia No. 11 notepad, A7 grid (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
|---|---|
| Extent | 80 sheetsSource: Rhodia No. 11 notepad, A7 grid (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Ruling | Grid (squared)Source: Rhodia No. 11 notepad, A7 grid (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Cover | Water-repellent card, PEFC certifiedSource: Rhodia No. 11 notepad, A7 grid (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Binding | Stapled at the head, perforatedSource: Rhodia No. 11 notepad, A7 grid (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Paper weight | Not published |
What it does well
- Perforated, so pages come out cleanly
- 80 sheets in a shirt pocket
- Rhodia's coated paper handles a wet nib better than its weight suggests
What it does not
- No paper weight published on this listing
- A7 is small enough to be fiddly for anything but notes
- A pad, not a journal - nothing holds the pages once torn
Skip this if you want to keep what you write. This is a pad for disposable notes, and a bound pocket notebook is the opposite purchase.
5. The writing experience, in the smallest format it comes in
Midori MD Notebook A6, ruled
Midori's MD paper in a plain paperback cover - the least designed notebook here, and the one people describe by how it feels to write on.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
Midori does not publish a gsm figure for MD paper anywhere we could retrieve, and we are not going to invent one. What the maker does describe is the paper being developed specifically for writing rather than printing, which is a different design brief from most notebook paper.
In the hand it behaves like a well-made uncoated sheet: it takes ink without feathering and it dries faster than a coated paper like Rhodia's. That is a description of behavior, not a measurement, and we are labeling it as such.
The cover is deliberately blank cardstock. Midori sells separate clear and leather covers for it, which is the same buy-the-cover logic the leather journals page argues for at A5.
| Size | A6Source: Midori, MD Notebook (read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Cover | Paperback, no cover design or branding on the frontSource: Midori MD Notebook A6, ruled (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Ruling | Horizontal ruledSource: Midori MD Notebook A6, ruled (retail listing, read 2026-09-13) |
| Binding | Thread-bound, opens flatSource: Midori, MD Notebook (read 2026-09-01) |
| Paper weight | Not published |
| Page count | Not published |
What it does well
- Paper designed for writing rather than printing
- Opens flat despite being a paperback
- Cheapest way into MD paper
What it does not
- No published paper weight or page count
- Bare cardstock cover marks easily without a separate cover
- Ruled only in this listing
Skip this if you want a notebook that protects itself. This is a paper block in a card wrapper, and it assumes you will add a cover or accept the wear.
6. One book for a whole year
Stalogy 365 Days Notebook B6
A thin-paper daily notebook with a full year of dated grid pages in a book you can still carry.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
The idea is a single book for a year: thin paper, high page count, and a date grid printed at the top of every page so you do not have to write one.
Stalogy does not publish a weight, and the buyer feedback on its own listing is openly divided on bleed-through — some inks are fine, some are not. That division is what thin paper looks like when it is well made but still thin.
Ghosting is guaranteed. Whether it bothers you is a matter of taste, and some people like it.
| Format | B6, 365 Days NotebookSource: Stalogy 365 Days Notebook, B6 squared (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Paper weight | Not published |
| Ruling | Grid, with date and time markers printed on each pageSource: Stalogy 365 Days Notebook, B6 slim, squared (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Also available | A5, A6 and B5 in the same formatSource: Stalogy 365 Days Notebook, A5 (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- A full year in one carryable book
- Date grid printed on every page
- Several sizes in the same format
What it does not
- No published paper weight
- Bleed-through reports are genuinely mixed
- Ghosting is unavoidable at this thickness
Skip this if show-through bothers you, or if you want to use a broad nib every day.
Three formats, three different purchases
Getting this wrong is the most common pocket-notebook mistake, and it has nothing to do with paper.
| Format | Good for | Bad for |
|---|---|---|
| Staple-bound memo book | A back pocket. It folds with you, costs little, and is finished in a few weeks. | Keeping. Forty-eight pages and a card cover is not an archive. |
| Hardcover pocket journal | A bag or coat. Numbered pages, ribbons and an index make it a real record. | A trouser pocket — the hard cover does not bend and the corners dig in. |
| Perforated pad | Notes that leave: addresses, lists, a sketch you hand over. | Anything you want to still have next year. |
If you buy a hardcover and then carry it in your back pocket, you will be disappointed in a notebook that was never designed for that. If you buy a memo book and expect to keep it for a decade, same problem in the other direction.
The 90 gsm question
Field Notes' 90 gsm is heavier than the Leuchtturm A6's 80 gsm and considerably heavier than the 70 gsm in a Moleskine. On paper, so to speak, it should be the clear winner for a fountain pen.
It is not that simple, and the reason is coating. Field Notes' paper is uncoated and absorbent; Rhodia's is coated and holds ink at the surface. A coated 80 gsm sheet can handle a wet nib better than an uncoated 90 gsm one, which is why weight tables are a starting point rather than an answer.
What 90 gsm does reliably buy you is less show-through. A page written on one side will be more usable on the other, and in a 48-page book that is the difference between 48 pages and 24.
Which pen to carry with it
A pocket notebook implies a pocket pen, and that pairing has its own constraint: a pen carried loose in a pocket needs a cap that will not work loose.
A screw cap or a properly sprung clip is the specification to look for. The Kaweco Sport is the obvious pairing — it is designed to be pocket-sized and screws shut — and the Platinum Preppy is the cheap option that survives being forgotten because of its slip-and-seal cap.
Nib width matters more in a pocket book than at A5, simply because the page is smaller. A Fine or narrower keeps a 3.5-inch-wide page usable; a Medium eats it.
A note on the ones we left out
The best-known pocket notebook of all is the Moleskine Cahier, and it is not on this list. Moleskine publishes 70 gsm for its Classic line and nothing we could retrieve for the Cahier, and 70 gsm is the weight that generates most beginner bleed-through complaints. The Moleskine question has its own page.
We also left out the synthetic waterproof notebooks. They are genuinely waterproof, and their makers recommend pencil or ballpoint because fountain pen ink does not soak into plastic — that pick appears on the travel journals page with the warning attached.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best pocket notebook for a fountain pen?
Field Notes, on published specification: 90 gsm Finch Opaque paper, named down to the mill, which nothing else in the category discloses. The Pitch Black version adds a dot-graph and a cover that hides pocket wear.
What paper weight do Field Notes use?
60 lb, which is 90 gsm, described on the listing as Finch Opaque, acid-free and bright white. Naming the specific mill paper rather than just a number is unusual in this category.
Is a Leuchtturm pocket notebook fountain pen friendly?
The A6 listing publishes 80 g/m2 acid-free paper, which is moderate - comfortable with a Fine nib, likely to show through with a wet Medium. Notably, the A6 listing publishes the weight while the A5 one does not.
Should I buy a pocket notebook or a pocket pad?
A pad if the notes are meant to leave - lists, addresses, something you hand to someone. A bound notebook if you want to keep them. They are different tools in the same format, and buying the wrong one is the usual regret.
Which fountain pen should I carry in a pocket?
One with a screw cap or a strong clip, because a friction cap works loose against fabric. The Kaweco Sport is designed for exactly this, and the Platinum Preppy is the inexpensive option with a seal that survives being forgotten.
Does 90 gsm mean no bleed-through?
No. Weight reduces show-through but coating matters just as much - a coated 80 gsm sheet can handle a wet nib better than an uncoated 90 gsm one. Nib width and ink wetness still decide the outcome.
Sources
- Field Notes Original Kraft 3-Pack, mixed paper (retail listing, read 2026-10-12)
- Field Notes Pitch Black, dot-graph (retail listing, read 2026-09-13)
- LEUCHTTURM1917 Pocket A6-187, Indigo, Dotted (retail listing, read 2026-10-03)
- Rhodia No. 11 notepad, A7 grid (retail listing, read 2026-09-13)
- Midori MD Notebook A6, ruled (retail listing, read 2026-09-13)