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Field Notes Winter Edition Review: The 1943 Two-Way Memo Books

A first look at the Field Notes 1943 two-way memo books, stapled the short way.

Luis Duque, PE · September 26, 2026 · 3 min read

This is the new Limited Quarterly Edition number 69 for Field Notes. I haven't opened it, but I think I'll do it here with you guys.

Watch the full video for everything shown on camera.

What comes in the box

It's a set of three 1943 two-way memo books.

Again, I love the colors. So, this reminds me of the Colombian flag.

The short-side staple is the whole point

What makes these special is you can use it like a pad where you open it. It's stapled the short way. You can open it as a pad, which is pretty cool. Or you can use it as more of a sideways notebook. I don't know which way I'll end up using it.

I'm thinking of just using this as a notepad. And if I take a whole page, you really can get a ton of information there.

And obviously these are the exact same size as your regular Field Notes. Same amount of pages. It's stapled in a different orientation, which I think is pretty, pretty cool.

Best for: anyone who wants a pocket notebook that works as a top-opening pad. Skip it if you only write in the regular portrait direction; the size and page count do not change.

Paper: natural, not bright white

Let's check out some of the specs on the back because I'm curious to see what paper they're using. So the same 4.7mm by 4.7mm grid. So this one is a 60-pound natural paper. So again, more of a cream paper.

The previous edition used bright white.

The Maltese Falcon for subscribers

Subscribers also got The Maltese Falcon. It comes in the pocket format of the Armed Services Editions that went to troops in the Second World War. I'm looking forward to reading this book. I have never heard of it, but it looks pretty cool.

Is it worth it?

I know they were teasing it for a while. And yep. They are pretty different. Pretty impressed with this edition. And yeah, it's cool to see all the different editions that they come up with.

I actually like keeping previous editions inside the wrapper just in case I want to give them out, or do a giveaway in the future.

These go into the system I already run. My trifecta of notebooks, one for the body, one for the mind, one for the soul, and my catch-all, all together run at the same time, and it has worked tremendously well for me.

The gear worth a look

Field Notes: the regular pocket notebooks this edition matches in size and page count.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Field Notes 1943 edition different?

These are the exact same size as your regular Field Notes. It's stapled in a different orientation. You can open it as a pad.

What paper does the 1943 edition use?

So this one is a 60-pound natural paper.