Blog · Gift Guide

Stationery Gifts for Dads Who Plan: An Analog EDC Gift Guide

A gift guide focusing on stationery and analog tools that really make my life, my personal life, a lot better.

Luis Duque, PE · September 26, 2026 · 8 min read

I wanted to put a gift guide together that's focusing on stationery and analog tools that really make my life, my personal life, a lot better. All the tools here, things I use every single day.

If you're someone looking for ideas for a dad in your life, this is the list. And if you're a dad who is trying to get ideas you can send this to whoever is going to give you some gifts.

Watch the full video.

Gift	Best for
Rhodia No. 16 notepad	A dad who sketches and jots at the desk
Zebra Sarasa Clip, vintage colors	Planning and journaling in muted colors
Zebra Mildliner highlighters	Color coding
A few bottles of fountain pen ink	A dad who already has a fountain pen
Field Notes Space Pen	Outdoors and the car
Kaweco Sport	A first fountain pen
TWSBI Eco	Any bottled ink, and a see-through barrel
LOCHBY Voyager	A planner cover for Traveler's-size inserts
Paper Republic leather cover	A dad who loves leather and tactile things
ALPAKA tech case	Carrying a full stationery kit

Paper, pens and highlighters

### Rhodia No. 16 notepad

I've talked about this one before. It's A5 size, with a really subtle grid.

This one is one that I just keep on the desk, whenever I need to write something or maybe sketch something, or I don't have my notebook with me and I just want something quick that I can sketch.

### Zebra Sarasa Clip, vintage colors

These are great pens that I've talked about in the past, because I've talked about most of these products because I love them so much.

They're not super bright. They have a nice variety of colors that anyone can use for when they're planning or journaling.

At least for me, the clip works if you have a notebook that is a little thicker.

### Zebra Mildliner highlighters

Another great product that I'm sure you've seen a lot of people talk about are the Zebra Mildliners, especially if the person in your life likes to plan and do color coding and a lot of color organization.

They're dual-ended, with a chisel tip and a fine tip. Great highlighters to have, colors that are a little muted and maybe not for everyone. I know a lot of people enjoy having this staple in the stationery world.

They tend to smear a little bit, but there are a few tricks, like highlighting before you write. They are something that I keep both in my main kit as well as in my full stationery kit.

### Fountain pen ink

If that person in your life loves fountain pens, there's a wide variety of inks you could possibly get.

They're very well reviewed, and I have the Diamine Oxford Blue and the Diamine Red Dragon.

Best for color coding: the Mildliners.

Pens for someone already into stationery

These are a little more premium. For someone that enjoys having high quality tools and is already into stationery, and already has some tools in their kit, but they're always going to look into improving and finding some new tools.

### Field Notes Space Pen

I've been carrying this one for years, and they come with a pressurized refill. So they're great to bring outdoors.

I leave one of those in the car. I know it's going to write every single time no matter what, if it's cold, if it's hot. If they're outdoors, it's a great pen to have to bring places that you need something reliable to write with.

The one I carry every day is set up differently. I don't enjoy the pressurized refill this comes with. So I went ahead and replaced it with a Zebra refill.

I just trim it to size.

So now I have a really compact gel pen that I carry with me everywhere I go.

### Kaweco Sport

This was my first fountain pen, the Kaweco Sport in the plastic body, with a fine nib. It writes very smooth.

They get amazing reviews, and it's a fantastic pen that I keep coming back to. I bought a couple that I have in different kits, very portable, similar to the Space Pen.

This is a great pen if they're not into fountain pens yet, but they're starting to collect some stationery. Not very expensive.

### TWSBI Eco

Another great fountain pen that gets amazing reviews is the TWSBI Eco. This is a piston fill fountain pen.

That means it's maybe a little more advanced than a pen that uses cartridges, which is a little easier to handle. But this one opens the possibility to any ink bottle.

It is a demonstrator pen. I've left this pen alone for six months, and I come back and it just writes immediately.

So it's a really reliable pen, especially if you have someone that is maybe getting into fountain pens and they're not sure what to get. Either the Kaweco Sport or this one are great starter pens.

Best first fountain pen: the Kaweco Sport, or the TWSBI Eco if he wants to fill from a bottle.

Covers and cases

### LOCHBY Voyager

This is what I use for my project planning slash planner slash multiple things. It's a great product that uses waxed canvas, and it's the size of the Traveler's Notebook, so it uses the same inserts.

So I have a monthly insert from Sterling Ink, and I have a weekly insert from Sterling Ink as well. I have a notebook where I keep projects, any ideas, anything that needs action.

And then I have my work notebook, where I just take meeting notes, anything related to projects.

### A leather notebook cover

My favorite thing in this space is these leather covers. This one is from Paper Republic, in the olive green.

I've had this one for, I want to say, six months now, and it's aging great. I keep it as more of an on the go setup, with a couple of Field Notes.

They're more on the premium side, but they're totally worth checking out if they love stationery, if they love tactile things.

The waxed canvas from LOCHBY is also a fantastic product, but I do prefer the leather a lot of times when I carry it with me and I want to see it age.

Seeing all the stains and scratches and all that just gives it a nice story and a nice character.

### ALPAKA tech case

This one is actually in the X-Pac version. I was looking for a stationery kit that could hold all my stationery, and this one really does the job.

This is my kit that I carry with me everywhere I go around the house, or if I'm traveling and I know I want to do a lot of planning and journaling.

Best keepsake: the leather cover, for a dad who wants something he will carry for years.

The gear worth a look

Rhodia No. 16 Notepad (A5): the subtle-grid desk notepad I grab for quick sketches.
Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pen: smooth gel ink in muted vintage colors.
Zebra Mildliner Highlighters: dual-ended, in my main kit and my full stationery kit.
Field Notes Space Pen: the stock pressurized refill is the one I trust in the car; the one I carry runs a trimmed Zebra gel refill.
TWSBI Eco: piston filler and demonstrator, a great starter pen.
LOCHBY Voyager: my 2026 planner cover for Traveler's-size inserts.
Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket): the leather cover that holds my Field Notes.
Field Notes: collection, catch-all and master index.
ALPAKA Elements Tech Case: the case my whole stationery kit lives in.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good stationery gift for a dad who plans?

Zebra Mildliners for a dad who color codes his planning, or a Rhodia No. 16 notepad for the desk. Both are things I use every single day.

What is a good first fountain pen to give?

The Kaweco Sport or the TWSBI Eco. The Kaweco Sport was my first fountain pen, and the fine nib is the one that I keep coming back to all the time. The TWSBI Eco is a piston filler for bottled ink.

What is a good pen for the car or outdoors?

The Field Notes Space Pen with its stock pressurized refill. I know it's going to write every single time no matter what, if it's cold, if it's hot.

Is a leather notebook cover worth it as a gift?