Over the course of 3 years of carrying Traveler's Notebook collection at our shop, we have heard different insights and feedback from our lovely community. One thing our customers wished often... was accessories for the notebook that brought more tactile experience. Something that would feel as nice as Traveler's Notebook leather cover itself and can tolerate the everyday heavy usage.
So we have been collaborating with the team of 1.61 Soft Goods (we also carry some of their products at our shop:) to make it happen! I combed through all the past correspondence I had with our Traveler's Notebook customers to gather insights in order to create artifacts that are beautiful but also useful! We are happy to launch two brand new items today at our shop - [Essential] and [Portfolio]!
[Essential] - available with white or black zipper details.
We think that the name "Essential" is perfect for this item!
Dictionary defines the word as "absolutely necessary; extremely important." and we feel that this little beauty can do exactly that! To carry things that are absolutely necessary during your adventure and help you stay organized!
We heard that a lot of our customers are using their Traveler's Notebook as their wallet... so we wanted to create a perfect spot to keep credit cards, cash and checkbook, etc... securely. The other half of the [Essential] is a sturdy zipper case to accommodate anything and everything loose! You can fit your creative tools like pens and rulers to accompany your journaling process or use the zipper case to correct special memorandum from the vacation.
When we were designing and making some serious decisions (we went through so many prototypes and samples!), there was a discussion of "hand stitch - aka saddle stitch" vs. "machine stitch". Machine stitch will be cheaper to produce because it can be sewn a lot faster... but hand stitch will make more durable products. Once we laid out all the facts, it was an easy decision for us! Definitely hand stitch to make sure that [Essential] can live as long as your Traveler's Notebook... (or even outlast it!) So overall construction of the [Essential] is hand stitched except the zipper part. Same philosophy went in when we picked the hardware. Plastic zipper would have been cheaper but brass zipper will be more durable. (and who wouldn't love the look of well worn in brass hardware, right??).
The leather is hand finished using 1.61 original leather conditioner with cedar oil. When you open the package, the leather might still have a little bit of aroma from the conditioner. It's pleasant and makes you feel like you are in a forest! The smell of conditioner will eventually disappear over time. Like a lot of the nude leather, the leather will age with time, exposure to the sun and wearing in!
**scroll down to read more about [Portfolio]!
[Portfolio]
[Portfolio] is more of an open container for all things loose like itinerary, map and receipts. Items that might be bit too tall to fit in [Essential] will easily fit in this case! We love the minimalistic look of [Portfolio] with clever design details. The side panel has a diagonal slot that is perfect for keeping business cards or most frequently used cards. The right panel has a horizontal slot that can hold Passport or small notebooks like Field Notes. We love the versatility of [Portfolio]...
It is also hand stitched and hand finished in the same way as [Essential]!
If you scroll down, you can compare the picture of Traveler's Notebook with one or two leather inserts. I personally enjoy the feel of "full" notebook! (makes me feel that there is so much inspiration to dig in:)
Traveler's Notebook with a blank refill with one leather insert.
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