Upgrade pick
This Field Notes book offers a great combination of paper quality, durability, and a range of page and cover choices.
It has been a pick in our guide to the best notebooks and notepads since 2018. Applauded for its compact size and paper quality, the 48-page memo book proved to be the best-performing notebook that actually fits in a pocket without feeling too cumbersome.
Its pages are virtually smudge-proof—an important quality in a notebook used primarily in a hurry and on the go. And the little memo book holds up surprisingly well for something that’s constantly getting pulled out of pockets and bags. (To make your Field Notes Memo Book last longer, we suggest keeping it tucked away in a separate pocket of your tote or backpack, if possible. That way, there’s less chance it will snag, tear, or become crumpled.)
This teeny, affordable notebook is also extremely versatile. Available in a pack of three, it comes in a range of styles and ruling options (you can even nix the lines altogether).
The Field Notes book can be used for anything. I personally reserve one for my ongoing grocery list, another for research and reporting, and the third as a catch-all journal — they’re small enough that I can carry all three around in my bag. I have friends who like to sketch in theirs and others who use them as travel buddies.
In our guide to the best notebooks and notepads, senior staff writer Melanie Pinola writes that “the 48-page length of the Field Notes notebook feels like the right amount for covering a three-day conference, documenting a weeklong vacation, planning a novel, scribbling a few weeks’ worth of grocery or to-do lists, or just jotting down a number of random thoughts.”
Each little notebook has a handy 5-inch ruler on the inside back cover, and this has saved me in hardware stores time and time again. And the notebook’s aesthetically pleasing rounded corners somehow give it an instantly approachable, friendly look.
What I like best about the Field Notes Memo Book, though, is how thoughtfully made it is. I’m currently working my way through my second National Parks–themed set, and I’m constantly delighted each time I pull one of the beautifully illustrated notebooks from my bag.
Each time I flip to the last page of a Field Notes Memo Book, I feel a wave of sadness wash over me. These little books become my go-to companions day after day, and it’s hard to say goodbye once they’re completely full.
But then I remember I get to buy a fresh three-pack to fill the hole in my heart, and things don’t seem so bad after all.
The original version of this post was part of our 2020 “52 Things We Love” series, an ode to Wirecutter picks that have withstood the test of time. Read the entire series. The current version was edited by Rachelle Bergstein and Catherine Kast.
