Big Apple Fountain Pen Loadout
Recently I had an one-day trip to New York City for a series of meetings. I didn't have to worry too much about packing luggage but I thought long and hard about what fountain pens and stationery to pack. After much deliberation, I settled on the Namiki Vanishing Point Raden Galaxy (M), Lamy Studio (14k EF) and Platinum 3776 Sai (M). All these were nearing the end of their March ink fillings and I was looking forward to readying them with new inks for April but I didn't have time to clean, flush and reload with new inks. I opted to just top up those pens with the hope that I would write lots and use up the ink for an April turnover. Right. Wishful thinking...but then, I didn't want to run out of ink while on a trip full of meetings.
Pen and Ink
I decided on 3 pens that would handle the paper that I would use during the trip. And the pens all had different colours of ink so I could use for regular writing, emphasis, underlining, etc.
Pen: Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point Galaxy Raden M
Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai
This is my go-to meeting pen along with the Lamy 2000. I wrote previously about the medium nib on this pen. I find it a bit wide for my taste and it can feather and write too wet on some papers. But it's great with the Clairfontaine Roadbook, for sketching and for making emphasis.
Shin-Kai is a lovely shading blue-black. Very proper for the boardroom.
Pen: Platinum 3776 Sai M
Ink: Sailor Shigure
Normally I would bring my Lamy 2000 for meetings because of the convenient snap cap. But it was filled with an odd colour, Private Reserve Flannel Grey, which was also from a sample so I didn't have much remaining to top the pen up with. I decided instead to go with the Platinum 3776 Sai.
This is a new pen and I'm loving the nib on it. It's extremely smooth. I also love the crystal clear body with the chrome furniture. It's minimalistic but elegant. I also love the twist cap which keeps the nib from drying out. This pen did not fail me once since I started using it. I intended this to be my primary pen for the trip.
Shigure is deep and richly saturated. It's a serious almost-black with a hint of purple for added character and fun. I love the mysterious feel.
This pen and ink combo was perfect for the trip.
Pen: Lamy Studio Wild Rubin 14k EF
Ink: Sailor Oku Yama
The Lamy Studio is another one of my favourite workhorse pens for meetings. The snap cap makes jotting quick notes very easy. The 14k nib is smooth with just a hint of toothiness. It has never railroads or dries out.
I also love the sparkly red pen body. This is a eye-catching pen. In fact, during the days’ meetings, one of the people I met with stopped mid-sentence to compliment my pen and professed to be a fountain pen lover too.
Oku Yama is a wonderfully complex colour with its shading and sheen. I can't pinpoint if it's red or magenta or some variation in between. It's dramatic. It's great for emphasis but it's dark enough and with substance and body for general note taking. In fact, I did so for parts of my meetings that day.
Stationery
Apart from my selected pens and inks, I also brought along some stationery and accessories.
Franklin-Christoph Pen Case
I carried the Lamy Studio and the Vanishing Point in Franklin Christoph pen case. I thought it would be good to protect the metallic pen bodies from damage and scratching. As for the Platinum 3776, I simply put it into the pen loop attached to my Midori Travelers Notebook.
Midori Travelers Notebook
I subbed my usual 'Chinese practice' notebook insert with my actual passport. I also use a leather sleeve in my TN which I used to carry my identification and some loose cash.
Clairfontaine Roadbook
Well, I got this as a review unit from Exaclair so, of course, I took it along for my one day trip to test for it's intended purpose: travelling. I'm working on a more detailed review so stay tuned.
Leuchhturm 1917 + Whitelines A5 Notebook
This is my work notebook that I use to keep my daily to-do priority checklists and meeting notes. I used the handy back pocket to hold my business cards and notecards. I outlined my meeting agendas and brainstormed how to run my meetings in the notebook.
Nockco DotDash Notecards
I used the notecards to note quick speaking points for each section of my meeting outline so that I could refer to them quickly. These notecards were helpful for keeping me on track. They also handled my fountain pen ink well.
Final Thoughts
This analog load out served me well on my trip. I ended up using everything during the day for the purpose I envisioned. The pen I used least was actually the Vanishing Point because the medium nib is too much for Leuchhturm + Whitelines notebook paper to handle. I did use it though during the flight home for creative lettering so at least I did get some use out of it.
