Rite In The Rain All-Weather Top Spiral Notebook Review

Overview

The Rite In The Rain No. 146 is a 4” x 6” top-spiral notebook with 50 sheets of all-weather paper, a yellow Polydura cover and a Wire-O binding that resists rust. It was built for surveyors, contractors and field crews, and it has migrated to the trail for the same reason: a regular notebook turns to pulp the first time a pack liner fails. The trade-off is weight and price. At 91 g, it costs more in both grams and dollars than the paper pad most hikers would otherwise carry.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Item number	No. 146
Weight	91 g (0.2 lb)
Dimensions	4” x 6.25” x 0.375”
Pages	100 pages / 50 sheets
Paper	20# Rite in the Rain all-weather, white
Page pattern	Universal, blue ink, unnumbered, not perforated
Cover	Polydura, 19 gauge, yellow
Binding	Top spiral, rust-resistant Wire-O
Cover reference	Imperial and metric rulers, conversion table, map scales
Made in	USA

Performance

Weather resistance. The paper is the point. Rite in the Rain’s coating sheds water, sweat, grease and mud, and the company’s own pitch is that notes survive “through rain, sweat, mud, & over time.” Owners across hiking, hunting, lab and construction settings report the same thing: the pages stay legible after a soaking, and a spilled coffee wipes off without bleeding into the next sheet. For a trail journal or a log of water sources and mileages, that is real insurance. A damp pocket or a leaky bottle in the pack no longer means losing a day’s notes.

Writing in the wet. The paper works with a pencil or an all-weather pen when it is actively raining. A standard ballpoint or permanent marker writes normally once the page is dry, but it skips on a wet sheet. Pencil is the usual backcountry pairing, and a mechanical pencil is a common choice because it needs no sharpening. Ultralight hikers who bring a pen often take Rite in the Rain’s own all-weather model. Expect the 20# stock to feel slick and slightly stiff compared with ordinary notebook paper. It takes pencil well but never feels soft.

Durability. Backpackers on the Backpacking Light forums have long said the paper’s tear resistance matters more to them than its waterproofing. Ordinary notebook pages loosen from the spiral after a few days of pack abuse, leaving loose sheets and a bare wire. This paper doesn’t rip, so the notebook can ride loose in a lid pocket or hip belt. The Polydura cover is tough but flexible and protects against scratches and stains. The Wire-O binding holds its shape in a pack or a back pocket, and the rounded corners don’t snag or dog-ear.

Format. The top spiral lets the book flip back on itself, which suits writing standing up, in a tent vestibule or with gloves on. The 4” x 6” page is large enough for a day’s notes on one side and small enough to slide into a pocket. The Universal pattern is a mix of ruled and gridded areas that handles lists, sketches and trail measurements without much fuss. The ruler and map-scale reference on the cover is a small bonus for anyone navigating from a paper map.

Weight. Here the notebook gives ground. At 91 g it is not an ounce-counter’s item. The usual fix among gram-conscious hikers is to cut the book in half or tear out the pages they won’t need, which is easy to do with a top-spiral book. Even so, this is a full-size field notebook, and anyone who only wants to jot a few lines a day will pay for paper they never use.

Price. The manufacturer lists a three-pack at $20.85, about $7 per notebook. Retailers sell singles for anywhere from under $6 to nearly $13. That is a lot more than a drugstore pad, though owners who have filled several of these over years of field work generally consider it fair.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Paper sheds water, sweat, mud and grease, and stays legible
• Very high tear resistance; pages don’t work loose from the spiral
• Top spiral flips open for one-handed writing and standing use
• Rust-resistant Wire-O keeps its shape in a pack or pocket
• Cover includes rulers, conversion table and map scales
• Made in the USA, widely stocked

Cons

• 91 g is heavy for hikers who count every gram
• Ballpoint pens won’t write on wet pages; pencil or all-weather pen required
• Slicker, stiffer paper than standard notebooks
• Costs several times more than a regular pocket notepad
• Pages aren’t numbered or perforated

Who Should Buy This

This notebook suits thru-hikers and section hikers who keep a daily journal, log resupply and mileage data, or sketch campsites, and who have been burned by wet paper before. It also suits anglers, hunters, mountaineers and anyone writing in a climate where rain is a regular visitor. Hikers who only need a few lines per day should trim it or take a smaller book, and anyone who prefers to write with a ballpoint in the rain should plan on carrying a pencil as well. Anyone on a strict base-weight diet who is unconcerned about wet notes can skip it and carry a few sheets in a zip-top bag.

Verdict

The No. 146 does one job well: it keeps paper notes legible in any weather and survives the abuse of a loaded pack. The cost is 91 g and a higher price, both of which are easy to reduce by cutting the book down. For hikers who value written records, it is the safe default.