A pen when you need it

In the years that I worked as a journalist, I found myself paying attention to the items that I'd be carrying. I'd jump in the car or on a plane, and had a short checklist of items to take with me to cover whatever contingencies that I'd come across. Most of those items were to support the writing that I'd do: notebooks, pens, backup pens, cameras, and other things that I might need. I'd take along some other things, too: pouches for chargers, a spoon, packets of sugar, business cards, tea packets, just on the off chance that I'd need them.

Having all of that stuff was useful, but it also meant a lot of chaos in whatever bag I was carrying them in. Enter Lochby, whose products I came across in 2020. The company produces a range of waxed canvas accessories for writers, and I picked up their Field Journal and Tool Roll. The latter is an excellent field book that I hold a trio of notebooks in, while the former is a great storage accessory that keeps all of my pens in one place.

In the five years that I've had them, I've literally used them every day. I've been immensely impressed with how well they've held up in that time. Not only are they still doing what they're supposed to be doing, outside of a bit of natural fading, they're in outstanding shape.

Ever since, I've kept an eye on the company and what it produces. Some of their items fall into fairly specific use categories (smaller field journals and notebooks, which I don't really need), but their latest product caught my eye: the Sidekick. I'd been looking for a new wallet: I had a cheap leather one that I picked up at Walmart and it's been fraying and tearing in places, and it was just kind of boring.

In a behind-the-scenes blog entry about the development of the Sidekick, Lochby explained that when it came to a wallet, "we saw an opportunity that many wallets on the market overlooked—a design that accommodates a full-size pen," without having something that was too bulky.

Like the journal and tool roll, this is an item designed for practicality, and I fell in love with it n as soon as it arrived. It fits neatly in my hand, and opens to reveal a trio of card slots on the left, another on the right, and a neat slot that forms the spine for a pen. There are some additional slots under the card slots where I can tuck cash and other cards away. Product images show that it's the perfect size for an A7-size notebook, but that's not something I really use or need: I tend to prefer other, larger notebook sizes.

The clincher for me was the pen slot. It's an addition that never occurred to me as being something that I'd ever use, but it makes sense for a company that caters to writers. It's not an entirely novel concept: I've seen others incorporate loops or slots for pens, but they always seem to be stuck on the side or just sort of feel added on as an afterthought, or they require pens that are smaller in size. What I like about this one is that the pen sits right in the spine of the fold, giving it

There are other neat design choices as well: a small square slot on the upper right side: it's the perfect size for an Apple AirTag, which I need because I'm always misplacing my wallet.

Something that I've appreciated about the three items that I own from this company is that they're geared towards being useful while simultaneously being unobtrusive. I've seen plenty of gimmicky writing things over the years: flashy notebooks or pouches or pens, designed to signal that you're a writer. I've generally found that they take up space or simply aren't very practical to carry around day in and day out.

I've been using this for the last couple of months, and in that time, I've been impressed with how readily I can access everything: the cards I regularly use are right where I need them, and I'm now always carrying a pen that would otherwise hang out in my pocket and risk running through the wash. The design is so intuitive that when I don't have it loaded with a pen, it was noticeably absent. And because I'm sort of relying on this as the go-to place to snag a pen, I generally have a better idea at all times where my wallet is: something that's useful, given that I tend to be forgetful and misplace it.

Moreover: where I was impressed with the durability of the tool roll and field journal, I'm equally impressed with this one. Where those items tend to sit in my bag, this is constantly in my pocket, and it's getting quite a bit more use, and I'm expecting that it'll hold up just as well as those other items.

I write a lot: not just for this newsletter, but I take notes during meetings, at my desk, jot down ideas as they come, doddle when I'm bored, and so forth. It's easy to carry a pen or pencil around with me in a pocket or pouch somewhere. I like the idea of a company that puts writers first by making sure that you have the tools that you need when you need them. Sometimes, you need them where you least expect it, and being able to grab it – and knowing where it is at all times – makes that job easier. It makes it more convenient and reflexive, and that helps when I'm inspired by something or just need to jot down a phone number when taking a message.

The point here isn't to save the extra seconds that it takes to dig a card out of a pocket or find a pen. A good tool does its job quietly and well, and if it's anything like the Tool Roll or Field Journal, I'm looking forward to using this one for years to come.