Galen Leather Zippered Single Pen Case Review

Pocket pens are such a fun form factor — one that I really enjoy using and carrying. They're small and generally lightweight, so why not carry one with you everywhere you go? Due to this common sentiment, it's not uncommon for pocket pens to get a little battered over time as they share pockets and bags with other objects. That's where a pocket pen case comes in handy — it protects your pen while also remaining easy to carry in a pocket.

The Galen Leather Zippered Single Pen Case for Pocket Pens is a single function pen case. It holds a small pocket pen — Kaweco Sport or similar. I'm tempted to call this a pocket pen sleeve, but I think that's an inaccurate term for this product because it has a zipper that provides complete coverage. In my mind, a sleeve doesn't have a zipper — just a small slit or open end to slide the pen in and out of.

This little case is solid. The full zipper means your pen will not fall out by accident, and it has an added benefit of helping to contain any ink spill incidents. Granted, an ink spill happening inside the case while it's zipped means something else catastrophic has happened, so take that with a grain of salt.

So, like the name implies, a standard Kaweco Sport model fits perfectly. But, there are many other pocket pens out there that will also fit. I gathered up all the pocket pens I could find in my collection, and they all generally fit. As long as they are roughly 106mm (4 and 1/8 inches) or less, this case can handle it. In some cases, you can even fit two pens into the case or a couple extra cartridges. But, you can't fit two Kaweco Sports.

Using the case is a nice experience. The zipper is smooth and easy to operate, which is necessary since a pocket pen needs to be easy to deploy and store. The smooth leather material makes it easy to slip in and out of a pocket or bag, and the outside of the zipper is also smooth and doesn't hang on other fabrics.

The leather is full-grain, and all the stitching and craftsmanship is top notch. I have the undyed version, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the leather take on character through its lifespan. The fold in the case was pretty stiff when I first started using it, but it's loosened and softened a bit over the past two weeks of use.

If you're not a big fan of the undyed look, there are plenty (8!) of other color options, as well as pristine or distressed finishes.

At $15, I can heartily recommend this case to anyone looking for a little extra protection for their pocket pens (or pockets!). The design is clean and well-thought out, and I love the single function aspect. Plus, being made of leather means it will hold up well and develop lots of character with use.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Galen Leather Co. Zippered 10 Slot Pen Case with A5 Notebook Holder Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Always in search of a good notebook and pen case, I couldn't pass up the chance to check out Galen Leather's 10-slot pen case with A5 notebook holder. This is essentially a combination of their 20-slot pen case and the notebook folio with plenty of pen storage and compatibility for A5 notebooks that are both side and top bound.

There are plenty of options for combining a notebook holder and a few pen slots inside a zipped case, but what's special about this Galen Leather case is that it holds 10 pens in their own individual elastic loops. In my mind, this was going to be a perfect case for holding my testing pens and testing notebook in one central location since I normally have between four and ten pens inked up at a time for testing.

Like everything in life, there are tradeoffs when it comes to this product, but it can be a perfect fit for you if you consider its strengths and limitations prior to buying. But first, let's focus on the exterior of this case.

Like all the leather goods that Galen make, this case is exceptional and looks fantastic. The semi-distressed dark green leather is beautiful, and feels great in the hand. This is my first time owning any kind of leather good that has a dark green hue, and I'm in love. It still has plenty of brown tones and unique marks to let you know it's real leather, but I love the color of the finished product with this dye treatment. Paired with the forest green zipper fabric and bronze-colored zipper, the color combinations are on point.

The stitching is all tight and clean, and the attention to detail is obviously high. I like the worn-in look and feel of this leather, and I'm looking forward to the patina it takes on as I use it over the years.

Inside the case, Galen use a soft velvet fabric to line the interior covers and the divider flap that keeps your pens separate and protected from the notebook area.

On the left side of the case are ten elastic loops. The loops are all the same size and can easily stretch to accommodate a pen with a diameter of 16mm (about 2/3 of an inch), but the relaxed size of the loops is closer to 7 or 8mm (quarter of an inch), which means smaller pens aren't held in place.

There's a large flap attached to the spine of the case that provides coverage for your pens and protection for the cover your notebook. The material isn't very thick, but provides just enough cushion to prevent scuffs and dents inside the case.

The right side of the interior is where the A5 notebook is stored. There's a flap for inserting the back cover of a notebook for a tight fit, and the flap even has a horizontal slit at the top so that you can use it with a top-bound notebook or notepad. Really glad that Galen Leather added this feature! Notebooks are held securely in either configuration, and the notebooks are easy to use when inside the case — similar to any other notebook cover.

When you're ready to go, just stash your pens in their loops, close and zip the case, and throw it in a bag. It's a beautiful little system that I've really enjoyed lately. But, there are some downsides regarding the capacity of the case.

In my testing, this case works best if you only use a thin notebook (80-100 pages) instead of a standard ~220 page hardcover book. The reason for this is that the total expand-ability of the case isn't enough for a full loadout of standard diameter fountain pens and and typical hardcover notebook. The case barely zips up in this scenario, and it bulges quite a bit once closed.

For me, I've been happy with a small softcover notebook paired with ten fountain pens. There's plenty of room to zip up the case without feeling like I'm compressing anything, and that's still a lot of pens to carry.

The other limitation is that you can't carry slim pens with the same level of confidence that they'll stay put. Slim pens (like typical gel pens) are too narrow for the elastic loops to hold, so they move back and forth inside the loop. When the case is closed, there's no way for the pens to come out of the loop, but they can fly out if you forget about them and open the case in a hurry. This is something to remember! Also, the loops are centered in the interior, so you also can't use pen clips to your advantage in most cases since clips are almost always located at the top third of the pen.

Still, despite these limitations, it's a great case. I don't think these cases were designed for gel pens and fineliners. There are plenty of other options out there for those writing instruments. This case excels at storing and organizing a collection of ten fountain pens along with a notebook.

I'm fairly confident that this case will continue to break in with use, and it will probably feel less strained when fully loaded with pens and thick notebook. Everyone will have a different threshold for what they find acceptable, and I'm sure every case is just a little different in thickness. At any rate, this is a great example of the typical quality and craftsmanship you get from Galen Leather products. If this configuration isn't right for you, they have several other A5 sized notebook and pen folios that might work better for you.

At $89, the Galen Leather 10-pen holder and A5 notebook zippered case is priced fairly. The materials and craftsmanship are top notch, and this is a case that you could hand down to the next generation as long as you provide basic maintenance and care. It also makes a fantastic gift!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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SHEdesigns Pen Wrap Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It's not every day that we get the pleasure of writing about a company that exists because of a non-profit program that teaches under-privileged people a skill from which they can earn a living, so that's why I'm really excited to tell you about SHEdesigns out of Nepal. The pen wrap that I've been using is actually from HelloTello — a custom pen maker out of Ohio who includes a pen wrap from SHEdesigns with every pen purchase. Here's a description of SHEdesigns' history and mission from their website:

The vision for SHEdesigns began in 2015 when a cross cultural worker from the US moved to a remote village of Nepal. It was a region that was known for staggering poverty and human trafficking. An initial survey revealed multiple risk factors that perpetuated the issues villagers were facing. Partnering with a local non-profit, they established a sewing program which grew into the business that SHEDesigns is today. This small initiative has had a huge impact – not only for the ten women who have been empowered through employment there but for the entire community surrounding them who have been affected in ways that will benefit generations to come!

This is the kind of inspiring and uplifting that I can get behind all day long. According to their website, they haven't quite launched to the public, but they're obviously hard at work making beautiful hand-sewn products. Purchasing a beautiful pen from HelloTello is a great way to get one of these pen wraps.

The pen wrap I have in front of me is a mostly medium red/gold color scheme that includes lots of shiny/reflective bits in the fabric and string. It's a thing of beauty that is both functional and a piece of art.

The pen wrap design is a pouch and flap that closes with a string. Simple but effective design! There's plenty of room for a single pen, and I'm sure you could stuff a couple more in if you wanted to. I prefer the idea that this wrap is meant for a single pen that has specific meaning or sentimental value over a more utilitarian case that's purpose is to hold as much stuff as possible. The exterior fabric is a lovely pattern with lots of right angles and rectangles of different shades of red and gold. Some of the thread is sparkly, which adds so much visual interest to the wrap.

Inside the wrap, the fabric is a velvet-like dark red or maroon that is really soft. The pouch that holds your pen actually has some stitching at either end of the opening to make it more secure. Instead of a large envelope opening, there's a a half inch pocket on each end of the pouch that the pen can slide into for some extra security. It's a thoughtful design that works great in practice.

Once your pen is in the sleeve, closing it and securing it a simple matter. Just wrap the string around the ca a couple times and tuck the string under itself with the help of the bead at the end. No need for any knots or double-tucks — the string stays secure with the friction created by one tuck, and that also means it's still easy to unwrap. After a little practice, the act of opening or closing the wrap takes just a second.

This is such a simple product that looks amazing and functions perfectly, but knowing where it came from makes it even more special. I'll enjoy telling the story to people that inevitably comment or compliment the wrap (happens often due to the eye-catching fabric), and I'll also look forward to supporting their shop directly when they open.

You can keep an eye on their website and their Instagram account for any news!

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!