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Are Field Notes Fountain Pen Friendly? Bleed and Ghosting Test

I wrote with my fountain pens on one Field Notes page to see which ones ghost and which ones bleed through.

Luis Duque, PE · September 26, 2026 · 5 min read

I recorded this on Fountain Pen Day. I've been able to gather a nice little collection of pens over the last few years. And then I'm going to answer one question that I had myself. Are Field Notes fountain pen friendly?

These are the Field Notes, Everglades National Park. They use this 60 pound, in this case, bright white paper that technically is not fountain pen friendly. So we're going to explore different nib sizes and ink choices, and we'll find out if they are or not fountain pen friendly.

Watch the full video for everything shown on camera.

The pens I tested

### Montblanc

This one is a Montblanc, really special pen. This was my father's pen. It's a beautiful 18 karat gold nib. It also has piano accents. I've been taking piano lessons, so every time I use this pen, it reminds me of both those things and it just feels very, very special. For the most part, I'm not sure what size this Montblanc is, but it writes a lot thicker, so I'm guessing it's either a broad or even a double broad.

### Two TWSBIs

These are really, really popular, really, really affordable. They write great, have a beautiful nib, really smooth. All of these are in fine.

### Kaweco Perkeo

The Perkeo is one that is really simple. Really, I just bought it because I thought this one was gorgeous. This is my trial ink pen right now. I got a few samples and I just inked it, and this is a nice dark gray. I will say this one for some reason is a little scratchier than the Sport. Seems to be the same nib, same everything, but a little scratchier.

### Kaweco Sport

This was my first fountain pen. The Kaweco Sport in this green, twisting, feels really nice, really, really light, super compact, great pen to just carry around and really writes beautifully. This Kaweco Sport in Olivine has quickly become one of my favorite ones.

### Traveler's Company fountain pen

What I like about this one is the form factor. It extends to be almost like a full-size pen. I swapped in a Kaweco nib. And that made it so much better, so much more enjoyable to write with.

The results

I wrote a line with each pen on the same page. Then we'll come back and see how much ghosting and maybe even bleed through we see with this paper. This is a 60 pound bright white paper, so it really is not a Tomoe River or Midori.

One of my pens was actually out of ink or dried out.

Pen	Nib	Result on Field Notes
Montblanc	Broad or double broad (my guess)	Bleed-through
TWSBI	Fine	A little ghosting, no bleed-through
Kaweco Sport	Fine	Minimal ghosting, no bleed-through
Traveler's Company fountain pen	Fine Kaweco nib	Minimal ghosting, no bleed-through
Kaweco Perkeo	Fine	Bleeds through

The Montblanc definitely shows a little bit of bleed through. Totally expected, super wet pen with a really thick line, not even a surprise.

The TWSBI did surprisingly well. I see a little bit of ghosting, but there's no bleed through. And then the Kaweco Sport is exactly what I use on these notebooks, so I'm not even surprised that it's just minimal ghosting, no bleed through at all.

The Perkeo, the one that is a little scratchier, does bleed through for some reason. It's the same thickness and bleeds through like crazy on some of this paper.

So, are Field Notes fountain pen friendly?

So, the final question, are Field Notes fountain pen friendly? And honestly, the answer depends on what fountain pen you own, as well as the nib size and ink, obviously.

I found that this Kaweco ink is fairly dry. It gives me really clean lines, which I love, and I haven't had any issues with the Kaweco Sport. With Palm Green or the black ink, I use these two all the time on my notebooks. It's just enough friction in the paper that feels super nice to write with. There's no bleed through, but just minimal, minimal ghosting.

So I'll say yes, I'll continue using fountain pens with my Field Notes. I know there's a ton of videos out there saying Field Notes are not fountain pen friendly. Again, don't expect a super inky fountain pen to work here, but you can definitely use fountain pens on these Field Notes. I have filled about 10 or 15 of them so far.

Best for: fine nibs with a fairly dry ink. Skip wet, broad nibs on this paper.

If the bleed-through is happening in a planner rather than a pocket notebook, I wrote up why fountain pen ink bleeds through planner paper.

Kaweco Sport Olivine. Olive pocket FP capped; clip + gold ring.

The gear worth a look

Field Notes: a standard Field Notes pack. The one I tested is the Everglades National Park edition.
Kaweco Sport: the same model as my first fountain pen (mine is green), no bleed-through on this paper.
Kaweco Sport Olivine: one of my favorites in the lineup.
Kaweco Palm Green Ink: one of the two inks I use all the time on my notebooks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are Field Notes fountain pen friendly?

The answer depends on what fountain pen you own, as well as the nib size and ink, obviously. Don't expect a super inky fountain pen to work here, but you can definitely use fountain pens on these Field Notes.

Which fountain pen worked on Field Notes?

I haven't had any issues with the Kaweco Sport. There's no bleed through, but just minimal, minimal ghosting.

Which pens bled through?

The Montblanc, a super wet pen with a really thick line, and the Perkeo, which bleeds through like crazy on some of this paper.