Blog · Everyday Carry
Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket Review After Two Months
Why I moved from the Traveler's Company Passport to the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket, and the three-notebook Field Notes system I carry in it.
The Paper Republic Grand Voyageur in the pocket size is the cover I moved to after the Traveler's Company Passport. It is one of the tools I carry everywhere I go.
I have been using it for two months now, and I love it.
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Short answer: pick the Paper Republic if you want to carry several Field Notes and a pen in one soft leather cover. Stay with the Passport if its size already works for you.
Why the Traveler's Company Passport did not work for me
The Traveler's Company Passport did not work for me mainly because of its size. I used it for quite a while, but its notebooks are a little small for me.
The Midori paper in those notebooks is one of the nicest papers out there, and I enjoy writing on it a lot, but the Passport size never clicked for me.
About a year ago I started using Field Notes, and I have really enjoyed their 3.5 by 5.5 inch pocket size. The dimensions, the thickness, everything about them feels right.
When you are trying to build a writing habit that lasts a long time, how the notebook feels in your hand is super important, at least to me.
To be fair, the Passport cover's leather is very nice and thick, and it is a great pocket notebook. For the right person, its size is perfect.
I was just looking for something different in my setup.
I wanted a cover that could hold my Field Notes. Carrying a single pocket notebook is nice, but I wanted to explore a system that holds several notebooks at once.
Paper Republic vs Traveler's Company Passport
| Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket | Traveler's Company Passport | |
|---|---|---|
| Notebook size | Fits my Field Notes (3.5 x 5.5 in) | Smaller Passport refills |
| Leather | Softer, more malleable | Thicker, stiffer |
| Back of the cover | Flat on both sides | Metal clip and a knot on the back |
| Best for | A multi-notebook Field Notes system | A compact single-notebook carry |
The two leathers are quite different. The Traveler's Company cover, made in Thailand, uses a thicker, stiffer leather, and its edges are finished more neatly. The Paper Republic, made in Vienna, has rawer edges.
Still, the Paper Republic leather is definitely softer and more malleable. It feels smoother in the hand, and I prefer it over the Traveler's Company leather.
The Traveler's Company cover is a little more rugged, so it may be the better choice for travel, as the brand's name suggests.
The Traveler's Company cover also has a metal clip on the back that gets in the way when you lay it flat, plus a knot on the back that you feel while writing. Neither makes for a pleasant writing experience.
The Paper Republic does not have those issues. It is flat on both sides, so writing in it is super clean, and a page clip sits better on it too.
The Paper Republic's one downside is a knot in its elastic. I have been meaning to loop the elastic through and move the knot to the back, where it would be out of the way. It is an easy fix that I just haven't gotten around to.
Best for a clean writing surface: the Paper Republic. Also consider: the Passport if you want thicker, more rugged leather for travel.
Why it fits Field Notes
The notebook that comes with the Paper Republic is very close in size to a Field Notes, and the height is the same. After watching tons of videos online, I realized the cover would fit my Field Notes, which is exactly what I was looking for.
So I bought one and filled it with Field Notes.
Fitting Field Notes was my main goal. A nice bonus is that, even with everything inside, the cover is a little wider than the notebooks, which leaves a narrow strip of extra leather along the edge.
That strip is perfect for a fountain pen. The pen sits there without sticking out the side and stays semi-protected, and that is how I carry the cover wherever I go.
The pen I carry these days is a Pilot Vanishing Point. I sometimes add a clip to hold the pages down. The clip does not live in the cover full time, but it holds the pages well and makes writing on the go super easy.
The leather is developing a super nice patina and the beautiful character I enjoy in leather.
My three-notebook system inside
All three notebooks inside are Field Notes. The first, a Field Notes National Parks Edition, is my catch-all notebook, where anything goes.
The second is my master index. Every day I write a simple note about what happened, and when something in one of my notebooks is worth keeping, I tag it in the index.
The third, at the back of the cover, is my collections notebook. Together, the index and the collections let me see where every piece of information is.
I have experimented with how many notebooks to carry, and right now this three-notebook system is working well. For a while I ran a mind, body, and soul system: one notebook for each, plus the catch-all.
That meant carrying four notebooks at all times, and I realized I wasn't using the mind and body notebooks much. So they moved out of the cover and became standalone notebooks.
One benefit of that move is that I get to try different notebooks, papers, and sizes for them, which is fun. I am not stuck using Field Notes for everything.
Is the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket worth it?
The Paper Republic is definitely not cheap. It is an investment, but for me it was worth it.
I wanted a cover that let me use notebooks in different ways. I still loved the leather feel of the Passport size, and I wanted a little more from it.
Paper Republic's own notebooks are great quality too. The paper is super nice, and I have nothing to complain about.
The leather is durable and flexible, and it honestly feels a lot better in the hand than the Traveler's Company cover.
Verdict: worth it if you already write in Field Notes and want to carry more than one. Skip it if one Passport notebook already covers your day.
The gear worth a look
- Paper Republic: the cover I carry every day, holding three Field Notes and my pen.
- Passport size: the Traveler's Company cover I compared it against, with thicker leather and hardware on the back.
- Field Notes: the 3.5 x 5.5 inch notebooks my whole system runs on.
- Pilot Vanishing Point: the fountain pen that rides in the extra leather along the edge.
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Related reading
- Lochby Mini Field Journal vs. Paper Republic Grand Voyageur
- Pocket Notebook Covers: 7 I Have Carried and What Each Is For
- Galen Leather TwinFlip Review: Is the $85 Pen Case Worth It?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket fit Field Notes?
Yes. The Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket fits standard 3.5 by 5.5 inch Field Notes, and fitting them was the main reason I bought it.
How many notebooks do you carry in the Paper Republic?
Three Field Notes: a catch-all, a master index, and a collections notebook. I used to carry four, but I wasn't using the mind and body notebooks much, so they moved out of the cover.
Can the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket carry a fountain pen?
Yes. Even fully loaded, the Grand Voyageur Pocket is slightly wider than the Field Notes inside, and that strip of extra leather holds my Pilot Vanishing Point without it sticking out the side.
Is the Paper Republic better than the Traveler's Company Passport?
For my Field Notes setup, yes. The Paper Republic leather is softer and more malleable, and the cover is flat on both sides, so writing in it is super clean. The Traveler's Company Passport is a little more rugged, which may make it the better choice for travel.