After trying a whole bunch of pocket notebooks, the Apica A7 has become my go-to.
It’s 2.8 x 4 inches (10.2 x 7.1 cm), which is quite a bit smaller than your typical Field Notes-sized notebook. However, I’ve come to really like it better at this size. I’m rarely writing prose in these notebooks; I’m always writing short lists. So I usually don’t take up a full line anyway. This tiny size leaves less wasted space on the page. It’s also small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, whereas Field Notes often doesn’t.
I’ve also been using the regular old Fisher space pen with it. I usually prefer something I can use one-handed, like a clicky or bolt-action, for my daily pocket pen, since it makes jotting things down that much quicker. But the size and simplicity of the space pen’s design is just really satisfying sometimes.
Could you expand a bit on the "great writing features" it provides?
The notebook? Honestly, it has special features, and I like that about it. It's reasonably sturdy for a paper cover, has a stitched binding (as opposed to stapled), looks nice, and has plain old lined pages in it. I've tried other pocket notebooks that have special templates for todo lists on the pages, and I've ended up preferring just regular, lined pages. Makes for better free-form use.
I don't use a fountain pen for small pocket notebooks, but if you do, the paper is fountain pen friendly. It's the same paper that they use in their larger versions of this notebook.
The one feature I kind of wish it had was some perforated pages in the back for tearing out. But I can live without that. I could also just buy a perforating tool and give it some perforations myself.
Damn, I've never considered that such a tool could exist! I've got all kinds of stuff to look into now. Do you use your notebook for sketches or writing? Is there a particular reason you chose to begin carrying one?