The waterproof notepad: Paper evolved

When you’re out of cell service and your mind has had some time to relax, you might find yourself thinking about new solutions to old problems — things you don’t want to forget about. Of course, you might also be journaling, drawing maps, or taking notes about flora and fauna you see along the way. The problem with writing notes in the wilderness is that it’s not always easy to keep paper dry, and when it gets wet, blurred ink or soaked paper is never fun to decipher. That’s why when we had the chance to test out the waterproof notepad (No 935) and pen (No 93k) provided by Rite in the Rain, we were beyond excited.

We thought about testing this waterproof notepad during a rainy day in Austin, or inside a car wash, however it’d be easy for someone reading our review to assume that we’d not gotten the page wet enough. We decided to take drastic measures.

Like most water-lovers in Austin, we spent some time in the pool on the 4th of July, and (unlike most water-lovers in Austin) used the opportunity to take the waterproof notebook underwater to test it under the most extreme conditions.

First the video, then what we learned.

The all-weather universal No 935 waterproof notepad by Rite in the Rain and accompanying pen worked solidly underwater. When we removed the notebook from pool, we noticed a little bit of water intrusion on the sides of the paper, but the pages didn’t fall apart or get soggy and the ink didn’t blur or smear.

Under normal rainy or splashy conditions, the water hitting the notepad is easily wiped or blotted away, and there isn’t a noticeable effect to the integrity of the paper (except for a little bit of curling). It’s also possible to write on the paper when the pen and paper is wet. Pure wizardry!

As much as we love Field Notes, a waterproof notebook feels like the evolution in paper that every outdoorsperson should be taking note of.