Blog · Everyday Carry
Pocket Pen Case Setup: Every Tool I Carry Daily
Every tool in one pouch, and it still fits in a pocket. Here is exactly what is inside my daily pen case and why each piece earned its spot.
For a long time I have been obsessed with compact stationery: tools I can carry easily wherever I go and that stay out of the way until I need them.
This pen case is a complete system built around that idea. A couple of pens I picked up on a recent trip filled the last gaps.
It pairs with my Paper Republic Grand Voyageur in the pocket size and the couple of notebooks I carry every day. Between the case and the notebook, I have a pen, paper, and everything else I need to plan on the go.
The pouch
The case is an ALPAKA HUB pouch. I bought it a few years ago and it sat unused for a while, but I have always liked keeping small kits of compact pens and tools that are easy to carry.
The kit mirrors my full desk setup, which I have covered before: fountain pens, fine liners, ballpoints, pencils, and gel pens, all the tools I reach for on a daily basis, in a smaller package.
Mine is the earlier HUB Pouch, which is now discontinued, so the link above goes to the current version.
The pens
The first pen is a Field Notes branded Fisher Space Pen, one of my favorite pens and one I have written about before. It is very compact.
I swapped the stock pressurized cartridge for a Zebra Sarasa gel refill, and the ink flows really well.
I wanted a gel pen in the kit. For a pen this compact, the quality is hard to beat.
A recent addition is the Tom's Studio Lumos Mini, which is very compact.
Tom's Studio sells the Lumos in a dual configuration, but I chose the Mini with what they call the fine liner tip. It works as a replacement for a Micron or a similar fine liner, except that it takes fountain pen ink.
That feature is what caught my attention when I was looking at Tom's Studio pens. I wanted to test one myself, and so far it has been excellent.
For a ballpoint, I carry the Traveler's Company ballpoint pen fitted with a Uni Jetstream refill, which is a high-quality insert.
I like the form factor of the Traveler's Company pens, and I own both the ballpoint and the fountain pen from that line.
I have wanted to try the rollerball too, but I have not had a real need for it yet. The ballpoint, on the other hand, goes with me very often and fits this setup well.
Markers and a ruler
For color, I carry a few Stabilo Minis, which I have shown before.
Mine are green, blue, red, purple, and orange, the five colors I reach for first. I wish the Minis came in more colors, but I have not found them in a wider range.
One thing to check before you buy: the Mini and the full-size Point 88 come in different color ranges and are sold in different pack sizes, so look at Stabilo's own listing for the current counts.
I also carry two dot markers by Midori, which I have covered before. They work for dots or highlighting, and they are small enough to fit the pouch easily.
For a straight edge, I carry the Genius Lab Gear Pocket Engineer. It works as a ruler, can draw circles, and helps with quick measurements.
The back is printed with formulas and conversions. It is very compact for how much it can do.
Pencil, brush pen, and fountain pens
The Traveler's Company Pencil holds a Blackwing instead of its original pencil. It works the same way. I just like the Blackwing's lead better.
It is compact, and the point will not poke the pouch or anything else inside. It takes a short wood pencil of common thickness rather than a lead refill, so you may need to trim a pencil to fit.
The Tom's Studio Wren is a pen I bought on a recent trip to London. I fitted it with a Kaweco clip, which fits perfectly and was a fun find.
The Wren is my brush pen. I put in one of the brush tips that come with the Lumos, and it fits the Wren perfectly for me. Tom's Studio does not list the two as compatible, so try it at your own risk. It is inked with one of my green fountain pen inks, and it writes beautifully.
The last two tools are fountain pens. The first is the Kaweco Liliput, a very compact fountain pen with a form factor I really enjoy.
The Liliput is very light, which makes it comfortable for long writing sessions. Once you post the cap, it feels like a full-size pen, and it is a natural fit for this kit.
The second is the Kaweco Sport in the olivine colorway, an aluminum pen that feels and writes very well. It has a Kaweco medium nib.
I swapped nibs between the Liliput and this Sport. Even though the Sport is a tiny fountain pen, it feels like the biggest pen in the whole lineup.
Kaweco Sports were the first fountain pens I found and fell in love with, though not this exact one. The aluminum on this version feels high quality, and the pen is gorgeous in the hand.
What else is in there
Besides the pens, the pouch holds a few small extras: elastic bands, hair ties for my daughters, some book darts for marking up books, and a few paper clips that come in handy now and then.
I also attached a Nite Ize clip to the back of the pouch so I can clip it to my backpack.
Why not the Quattro
I have only carried this setup for a couple of days, but I like it so much that I wanted to share it already. I get a wide variety of tools in a very compact case, and I do not worry about bringing it wherever I go.
My other setups, including the Lochby Quattro that holds my fountain pens, are great. They always felt just a little bigger than I was willing to carry at all times.
This pouch fits almost anywhere. If I need to, I can put it in my pocket along with my everyday carry notebook, and it has been a great addition to my kit.
The pouch gives me more tools to plan and sketch with wherever I go. The pouch and the notebook now go almost everywhere with me.
It carries a surprising amount of functionality for its size. If you know a small pen or tool worth adding, tell me.