Pocket Notebook Covers: 7 I Have Carried and What Each Is For

If you want one pocket notebook cover, start with the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur in the pocket size. It is the one I have been carrying the most, and it holds two notebooks, a pen, and a pencil board.

Watch the full video for everything shown on camera.

Pocket notebook covers come in a lot of styles. Over the years I have bought and used seven of them, and this is what each one turned out to be good for, in case you are shopping for a cover.

I bought every cover on this list with my own money. None of them were sent to me, and I still try to use every one.

Two of my favorite pocket notebook brands are Field Notes and LOCHBY.

The paper quality keeps bringing me back to LOCHBY, and the fun cover designs keep bringing me back to Field Notes.

The size I prefer is the standard pocket size, 3.5 by 5.5 inches. A few of the covers below are built for A6 or passport-size notebooks, but when I carry pocket notebooks, I stick with 3.5 by 5.5.

Pocket notebook cover comparison

Etsy leather sleeve

My first cover was a simple leather sleeve I bought on Etsy many years ago, with my initials embossed on it. I enjoy the simplicity of a cover that only holds a notebook.

The notebook slides into the flaps, and that is the whole design.

I still go back to it sometimes because it is so minimal. It is the cover I take to conferences and more formal settings, where a Field Notes with one of its fun cover designs might look out of place.

Best for minimal carry and formal settings. Skip it if you need room for a pen, cards, or a second notebook.

Etsy wallet-style cover

I bought this wallet-style cover on Etsy at the same time as the sleeve, thinking I would use it as my wallet. Instead it became a prayer setup: a notebook with some prayer cards tucked in beside it.

I still carry it as a wallet sometimes, when I know space will be limited or I just want to try something new. The quality is excellent, and if you search Etsy you will find many makers selling pocket notebook covers like it.

Best for a notebook plus a few cards. Also consider the plain sleeve if you do not need the extra compartment.

Etsy custom A6 cover

The third cover also came from Etsy. It is forest green leather, sized for A6. I ordered it to hold my prayer book and my A6 Pocket Bujo notebook together as my prayer journal.

The leather has started to soften, and it feels fantastic in the hand. I don't remember the exact store, but the maker let me customize the cover to fit my prayer book exactly. I love being able to order covers like this in a custom size.

That is something I appreciate about Etsy makers, and supporting those small businesses is always a great option.

Leather is my preferred cover material. It ages beautifully and develops the patina and character that leather lovers enjoy.

Best for a custom-sized A6 setup. Skip it if you change notebook sizes often.

LOCHBY Pocket Journal

I bought my two LOCHBY covers because I kept seeing the brand everywhere. LOCHBY makes a lot of covers in the pocket size.

The Pocket Journal was my everyday cover for quite a while early on, when I was using pocket notebooks a lot more. It holds two notebooks comfortably, and I have fit three when I really pushed it.

The materials are high quality: waxed canvas on the outside, ripstop nylon on the inside, and a YKK zipper that I would expect to last a lifetime.

These days it holds my reading journal, which is two LOCHBY notebooks. In the first I summarize quotes and books I am reading. The second is a thinking book, where I take some of those quotes and map them into something that makes sense to me.

A pen and a couple of highlighters ride in the cover with them, and the whole thing stays near my books.

It is too large for most pockets. Big cargo pants pockets will take it, but I usually carry it in a bag or in my hand.

Best for a reading journal with two notebooks (three only if you squeeze). Skip it if you want true trouser-pocket carry.

LOCHBY Mini Field Journal

Earlier this year I wanted to explore LOCHBY further. I was enjoying the materials on the Pocket Journal, and I already use the LOCHBY Venture Pouch as my main everyday carry pouch for tech, tools, and stationery.

When LOCHBY released the Mini Field Journal in olive green, I decided to try it.

The inside has a lot of organization for rulers, cards, extra notebooks, and loose papers. That is a fantastic amount of storage for a pocket notebook cover.

It has four notebook elastics plus a separate elastic for the pen loop. The elastics feel strong and hold the notebooks down extremely well. It fits four notebooks, and I have seen people fit five or six.

I don't carry it as much these days, and I am still deciding what it should hold. One option is a health journal. Another is a coaching log for my kids' soccer, with notes from practices and games. For now it comes with me on trips.

It is durable, and it has room for passports and other items besides notebooks.

Best for capacity and organization. Skip it if you want the smallest possible cover.

Traveler's Company Traveler's Notebook, Passport Size

I already use the Regular size Traveler's Notebook from Traveler's Company as the daily notebook I write in every day, so the Passport size seemed like a great option for pocket notebooks.

I have conditioned the leather, and it feels really nice in the hand. But the shape of the Passport size never clicked with me, and I could not use the cover the way it was intended.

With more than one or two pocket notebooks inside, the notebooks overhang the cover quite a bit, which I did not like.

These days it is my passport cover. I have two passports I need to carry, and this cover fits both comfortably, keeps them protected, and looks great.

It no longer holds notebooks, but it still gets a lot of use.

Best for carrying passports. Skip it as a multi-notebook pocket system if overhang bothers you.

Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket

The Paper Republic Grand Voyageur in the pocket size is my current cover and by far my favorite. The branding is minimal, just a small mark at the bottom.

I had it embossed with my initials. Its leather feels much softer than the thicker, more rugged leather of the Traveler's Company cover. The olive color has started to patina and wear beautifully.

It carries my daily notebook. I usually slide the notebook under the elastic, but lately I have just been tucking it in and closing the cover, and it still stays secure.

I added a Traveler's Company pencil board, which gives me a straight edge and a firm surface to write on when there are bumps behind the page.

My favorite feature is the extra width. A pocket notebook is a little narrower than the Paper Republic cover, and the leftover space is almost exactly right for holding a pen securely. Even with a fountain pen in there, I would not worry much about scratches.

The setup inside has not changed much: a collections notebook, my daily Field Notes, the pencil board with a pen loop to hold my pen, and a Traveler's Company plastic zipper insert for small things I need when I am out and about.

Best for everyday pocket carry. This is where I would start if you want one cover that holds two notebooks, a pen, and a few small things.

How I rotate them

I try to rotate between the Paper Republic and the LOCHBY Mini Field Journal, if not every day then regularly, so neither one sits on the shelf gathering dust. The other five each have a specific job: the sleeve for formal events, the wallet-style and A6 covers for prayer, the Pocket Journal for reading, and the Passport cover for my passports. There are still covers from other brands I want to try.

The gear worth a look

• Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket): my current daily cover, holding two notebooks, a pen, and a pencil board.
• LOCHBY Pocket Journal: my reading-journal cover, a couple of notebooks, and three only if I really push it.
• LOCHBY Mini Field Journal: four notebook elastics, a separate elastic for the pen loop, room for four notebooks, and plenty of organization.
• LOCHBY Venture Pouch: my primary EDC pouch for tech, tools, and stationery items.
• Traveler's Company Traveler's Notebook, Passport Size: now the cover that protects my two passports.
• Field Notes: the daily notebook that lives in my Paper Republic cover.

Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Related reading

• Lochby Mini Field Journal vs. Paper Republic Grand Voyageur
• Pocket Pen Case Setup: Every Tool I Carry Daily
• What I Actually Carry My EDC Stationery In (And Why)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pocket notebook cover has the largest capacity?

The LOCHBY Mini Field Journal. It has four notebook elastics plus a separate pen loop elastic and fits four pocket notebooks, and I have seen people fit five or six.

Does the LOCHBY Pocket Journal fit in a pocket?

Only a large one. The LOCHBY Pocket Journal fits in big cargo pants pockets, but I usually carry it in a bag or in my hand.

Is the Traveler's Company Passport Size cover good for pocket notebooks?

Not for more than one or two notebooks. Beyond that, pocket notebooks overhang the Traveler's Company Passport cover quite a bit, so I now use mine as a passport cover instead.

Which pocket notebook cover would you start with?

Start with the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur in the pocket size. It is my current cover and by far my favorite, and it holds two notebooks, a pen, and a pencil board.