Galen Leather A5 Expansi Folio Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I have loved using my Galen Leather A5 Zip folio for years, and it shows. It has the patina of many grand adventures. And while it has a dignified worn look, it is far from wearing out. We have many adventures ahead of us! It's perfect for holding an A5 notebook, my writing pens, and a few accessories. But there are some instances where my chaos has outgrown it, specifically at work. The Galen Leather A5 Expansi Folio saves the day, here.

My work kit, which follows me from my desk, to meetings, to the reference desk, and on outreach adventures, can get unruly. I have a notebook for taking notes, my planner for making plans, a selection of pens for color coding, a pencil because librarians just need pencils, a general writing pen, stickers (always, and I don't know why), dozens of tiny slips of paper with random notes and call numbers on them, and whatever else I gather throughout my day. And my keys! And my phone, sometimes. Maybe a chapstick. It all takes up space, and the Expansi Folio has the space that I need. There's a pocket for everything.

The Expansi Folio is nearly twice as thick as the regular folio, so I can work in layers. Inside the right cover, there's a flap-folder pocket where you can put a notebook or a notepad. In the spine is a key ring attachment. And on the left there are three elastic tool loops, a handful of card slots, and a removable pen-holder that has elastics for four pens. With a slim notebook on the right, I can fit a variety of writing tools and still fit my Hobonichi Weeks Mega alongside them. And I can stuff the card slots with all the random stickers and papers that I need.

The inside of the case is lined with a suede-like microfiber that will keep the contents safe from scratches and will not transfer any dye to your supplies. The outside is a vegetable tanned leather that shows its character with age. This one is the Crazy Horse Blue, which is more of a teal color in this instance. Colors and markings will vary with each unique piece of leather. Mine is already starting to show its battle scars after a few weeks of work, but aren't we all? The zipper that closes the folio is a brass YKK zipper that goes all the way around the case, stopped only by its spine piece. This allows the case to lie open flat while you use it. The whole piece is a simple but effective design that is effortlessly practical, which is why my older one has stayed in rotation for so long.

The Expansi Folio sells for $149 at Vanness Pens, which is very fair for their handmade quality and durability. It's a big price tag, but a small investment for something that will last forever.

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Grit Mercantile Leather A6 Travelers Journal Cover Review

It’s not often that I feel a stationery product is designed specifically for me, but in the case of this Grit Mercantile Leather A6 Travelers Journal Cover, sent to me by Austin, Texas based Letterpress PLAY, it suits what I’m looking for in a simple pocket notebook cover perfectly.

Simple is the key to this design. It’s a cover - that’s it. There are no pockets, no pen loops, no accessories or ephemera. Just an internal elastic band to slide a small notebook through, and an external band to keep it closed. That meets all of my needs for how I intend to use it.

That specific intention is as a cover for a Field Notes pocket notebook when I travel. A small notebook like this is my preference to log trip details, day-to-day notes, tracking events, remembering food and drink, and anything else that I’m compelled to jot down. I’ve used this type of setup many times in the past, but none with an added cover like this one.

As I’ve learned more and more about my tastes over the years, I’ve learned that smaller is better when it comes to notebooks. I’ve tried countless options on the market, and the ones that stick in the rotation the most are the thinner ones. Think PLOTTER, as opposed to Traveler’s Notebooks. I don’t do well with bulk, especially when on the go.

A quick note on sizing: I believe the cover itself is A6 sized, not necessarily what you can fit into it. Thin A6 notebooks likely stick out the sides, and thicker A6 notebooks with square bindings are a no-go. It is perfect for this 3-1/2” x 5-1/2” Field Notes.

That makes this Grit Mercantile cover perfect. It spent a long weekend in by back pocket on a recent trip to New Orleans, and proved to be my second favorite travel companion - my wife was first, of course! The cover handled wet bar tops, dinner tables, hotel desks, and the random knee while sitting on a bench, and came out unscathed. It handled everything with ease.

Action shot from the bar! Note: they do offer free embossing on notebooks and covers when ordering.

Most importantly, I didn’t notice it was there when pocketed. I carry a front pocket wallet, so the notebook cover slid into the back. It’s thin enough you could carry a pen tucked inside and barely notice it, but I preferred carrying a pen - in this case a uniball Zento Signature - clipped to my shirt, or next to my wallet in my front pocket.

The Grit Mercantile Leather A6 Notebook Cover did its job perfectly - protect my notebook, and stay out of the way. And at just $22, it is a great deal for an item that will be seeing a lot of use. I’m already trying to find other ways to use it around the house so it doesn’t have to wait for another trip to see its next action.

(Letterpress PLAY provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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!

Helen’s Creations NJ A5 Japanese Fabric Notebook Cover Review

In addition to being a pen addict and an inkophile, I am also an avid notebook lover/hoarder. I rarely use notebooks without a cover - even hardbound notebooks are often covered. Just before the DC Pen Show, Helen of Helen’s Creations NJ released A5 notebook covers using some of the same Japanese fabrics that she uses for her pen cases. So, I asked/begged the Bossman to pick up an A5 notebook cover from Helen when he was at the DC show. I also bought one from her at the Empire State Pen Show. Brad got me a green/orange/brown one (which is really difficult to get the colors right in photos) and I bought a blue/white/black/gold one.

Helen and her son Dominic at the Empire State Pen Show.

A one-of-a-kind A5 notebook cover made from green/orange/brown fabric that Helen bought when she visited Japan and a blue/black/white cover that I bought last month.

The flap on the right isn’t sewn shut to accommodate thicker notebooks as well as notebook growth (from stickers, ink, washi, etc.). The strip holds the right side of the notebook in place.

The notebook cover is meant to fit A5 soft cover notebooks like Midori, Leuchtturm, LIFE, etc. It does not fit the hardbound Passepied Paper Notebook that I tested recently or other hardcover A5 notebooks as its hard cover is too tall to fit in the fabric cover.

These are the notebooks I used to test the covers. Left to right: FreeField Vertical from Luddite (more of an insert as opposed to notebook), LIFE Noble, Midori A5, Leuchtturm A5 softcover.

When I first put the cover of the notebook next to the cover pocket, it looks like it won’t fit, but all it takes is a bit of gentle bending to get the cover inside and then you can gently slide/push the cover all the way. It is a snug fit heightwise. Widthwise, it can fit slim inserts to thicker notebooks because the right cover flap isn’t sewn shut. This allows the cover to fit thicker notebooks, or multiple notebooks.

Will the notebook fit?

Gently bending the notebook in the middle will allow it to fit. Then you can close the notebook flat and slide the rest in place.

Same thing for the back - you can see the curve of the notebook’s cover for the initial fit.

Nice and flat with the flap tucked in under the strap.

There is also a ribbon bookmark that’s sewn into the top of the fabric cover. Depending on how thick/thin your notebook is, the bookmark might not be at the center of the spine. This is a minor nitpick for me as I don’t really use the ribbon bookmarks (from either the notebook itself or the cover).

The bookmark is on the backside of the notebook because this insert is very thin.

You can fit more than one notebook, if you like, by inserting one notebook in the front flap and one in the back.

An A5 Paper Source notebook (left) and a Midori A5 (right). You can also see that the green bookmark is in the middle of the two notebooks.

Both notebooks fit nicely when the cover is closed.

The fabric provides a little bit of structure to softbound notebooks, but it is not rigid. Both the fabric cover and the notebook cover can bend if you’re not careful, or if you cram it in a backpack hard enough. You don’t need to baby it, just something to be aware of.

The notebook cover has a double layer of fabric that is folded over itself on the front and the back, so you may notice the “bump” during writing. Placing an A5 pencil board a few sheets below your page could help even things out.

You can see the slight bump from the left/front cover fabric.

The back fabric bump is more pronounced because of the added strap in the back.

Overall, the covers are well made and I love the variety of fabrics that were offered (I wish I took a better closeup of her offerings). Since they are made from delicate fabrics, gentle handwashing is recommended if you need to clean the cover.

A cropped picture of Helen’s table at the Empire State Pen Show. The cover on the front right is the one that I couldn’t resist.

Helen plans to put the covers on her Etsy site in the coming weeks. The notebook covers are $44 for cotton and $70 for silk when purchased online (slight discount for in-person purchases). Helen also makes custom notebook covers (and pen cases) in varying sizes, shapes, and fabrics. For more information, you can reach out to her via DM on Instagram or by contacting her on Etsy.

(Disclaimer: The Bossman purchased the green cover at the DC show and I purchased the blue one at the Empire State Pen Show. All other products are my own.)