Travel Stationery Pouch: Inside My ALPAKA Tech Case

I always find it interesting to see what people keep in their journaling kits: the tools they like to use at their desk and on the go. This is mine. I've been making it my own and improving it over the years.

Watch the full video for everything shown on camera.

Short answer: the ALPAKA Elements Tech Case is roomy, opens flat on a desk, and stands Tombows upright. Skip it if you want a slim pen case, because it is easy to fill.

Two kits

I have two kits. One is my on-the-go kit. The other, the ALPAKA tech case, mostly stays home on my desk, and I carry it around the house when I need to.

On longer trips, I sometimes condense everything into the tech case and pack it.

Why this pouch

I've considered getting a pouch designed specifically for stationery, but the ALPAKA tech case already meets my needs.

I already had one, so I decided to build my kit in it.

It has loops for attaching a strap so you can wear it as a sling, and that's how I used it for a long time.

But I found that its height and capacity are perfect for stationery.

What I like most is that it lies flat on the desk. I fold it open, and I can see everything at once.

It also fits Tombow markers perfectly, so I stand them upright where I can see exactly what's there.

Best for a desk kit that opens flat and shows everything at once.

The pens up front

I organize the case from front to back, so that's how I'll go through it.

Up front are my Zebra Sarasa pens from the vintage collection.

They're my favorite pens, and they write extremely well. I really like the clip and the colors.

I swapped the refills in a few of them for different colors. One color was a little too dark for my taste, so I put a Muji refill in that pen instead.

The Sarasa takes a common gel refill, so it's easy to swap if I ever find a better red or a better blue.

These are my color pens, and they stay up front for planning, journaling and adding some color to my pages.

The customized Space Pen

I recently added a Field Notes Space Pen.

I have two of them in different finishes, and I swapped one end between them for a nice two-tone look.

I like customizing the ink in my pens, and this one was a super easy swap.

I'm not in love with the stock Fisher Space Pen refill. It's a ballpoint, and it works fine.

Instead, I put in a Zebra Sarasa refill made for Zebra's multi pens. All I did was cut it to size and add some tape.

The tape keeps the refill from flying out the front, because it's a little thinner than the original.

When you swap refills, watch the tip. If there's a big gap around it, the tip will wiggle.

The Sarasa refill stays put pretty well, so it's a perfect swap.

Mildliners and the pencil

Next are my Zebra Mildliners. They're popular in the stationery world, and there's not much to say about them.

Zebra does a great job with its tools, and I like how the Mildliners look more than anything.

I've been collecting the colors I like, and the one I always keep with me is olive.

I also carry a Pentel 0.5 mechanical pencil. It's nothing special, but it fits perfectly in my hand.

I've been using this pencil for years and have a bunch of them. They just work, though I may upgrade in the near future.

An eraser sits next to the pencil.

The tools pocket

The zipper pocket holds my essential tools.

There's a pair of scissors, from Muji I believe, which I bought at their London store a while ago.

There's also a tape runner. I've found it's very sticky and holds well.

I carry a ruler too, I believe from Muji. It's the kind that folds in half, so it packs small and unfolds for extra length.

Sticky note flags are always handy when I'm reading or planning.

There's a pencil sharpener too. I don't keep a pencil in the case, but I often carry a Blackwing or another pencil around.

These tools cover scrapbooking and pasting things into my journals.

Tombows, Microns, and stickers

The case also holds a bunch of Tombow markers.

I probably need to narrow them down to my favorite colors, but overall I'm a big fan of greens and earthy tones.

The Tombows and the Mildliners may be a little redundant, but I haven't decided which colors I need, and I use each for different things.

The Mildliners mostly get used for Bible highlights and random things in my notebook, while the Tombows get used more for sketching and drawing.

The back of the case holds a few extra things, starting with my Micron pens.

I have a hunter green, a royal blue and a bunch of black ones, in tip sizes from 005 to 12 for different line widths.

There's also a Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen.

I keep a Traveler's Company sticker release insert there, and it stores all my stickers.

Those are stickers I find in places I travel and ones I enjoy using in my journal.

The last item is a set of Faber-Castell Black Edition colored pencils I got for Christmas last year. They're nothing special.

I'm not an artist trying to win any prizes, but they do the job.

I like that they fit in the case, where they stay semi-protected so the tips don't break.

Skip the ALPAKA tech case if you want something slim. It has a ton of space, and it fills up.

The smaller kit

My smaller on-the-go kit follows many of the same principles.

The Pilot Vanishing Point with a fine nib usually stays with my notebook, and it's one of my favorite fountain pens.

Because it clicks, I can pop the nib out and write right away, which is super convenient.

The kit also has a Kaweco from the Olivine collection and a pencil holder with half a Blackwing in it. I cut the Blackwing in half: one half goes in the kit, and the other stays on my desk for whenever I need it.

Inside is a Pentel Multi 8, a lead holder with eight colored leads, for drawing and sketching.

There are also two fountain pens with different inks.

I also carry a Micron and a hard-tip Fudenosuke, which draws finer or bolder lines depending on pressure.

Finally, there's a Traveler's Company ballpoint pen, which fits very nicely in the kit.

As you might guess, I swapped its refill for a Uni Jetstream, my favorite ballpoint refill.

I don't use it much because I prefer writing with fountain pens or gel pens, but every now and then you need a ballpoint.

The gear worth a look

• ALPAKA Elements Tech Case: the pouch my whole journaling kit lives in.
• Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pen: my color pens.
• Field Notes Space Pen: customized with a Sarasa multi pen refill.
• Zebra Mildliner Highlighters: for highlights and a little color on the page.
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen: fine or broad lines from the hard tip.
• Pilot Vanishing Point: the clicking fountain pen in the small kit.
• Pentel Multi 8: a lead holder with eight colored leads.
• Traveler's Company Brass Ballpoint Pen: with a Jetstream refill swapped in.

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• Pocket Pen Case Setup: Every Tool I Carry Daily
• What I Actually Carry My EDC Stationery In (And Why)
• My Everyday Carry Setup: Aer Day Sling 4 Max Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ALPAKA tech case good for stationery?

Yes. The ALPAKA tech case is not designed for stationery, but it fits everything I need, and its height and capacity are perfect for a journaling kit.

Do Tombow markers fit in it?

Yes. Tombow markers fit the ALPAKA tech case perfectly, and I stand them upright so I can see exactly what's there.

What refill do you put in the Space Pen?

I put a Zebra Sarasa multi pen refill in my Field Notes Space Pen. I cut it to size and added some tape, because it's a little thinner than the original refill.