best small notebook for work?

December 7, 2019 7:12 AM

my job requires me to carry around a notebook, so that i can keep track of all the information i might need to reference on a daily basis (vet receptionist/tech). i've been using a flexible 3x5 moleskine, but it's just not holding up. any other suggestions? i usually carry it in the little cargo pocket on my scrub pants.
posted by megan_magnolia to Work & Money (8 answers total)

We have found that Rite In the Rain notebooks hold up really well to hard use in the field. They aren't cheap, but they do have the benefit that if you get soaked with water or something worse, it won't ruin your notebook at least.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:38 AM on December 7, 2019 [6 favorites]

Steno pads work very well for this and hold up well.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:51 AM on December 7, 2019

I’m a fan of Rhodia notebooks, found they held up very well on my shifts as a nurse and midwife.
posted by stillmoving at 7:56 AM on December 7, 2019 [3 favorites]

There are many, many, many covers available for 3x5 notebooks (the ones I've linked are mostly either leather or on the tacticool side, but there are also a lot of nice fabric ones, including these bright nylon ones, that might better match what I imagine to be a vet receptionist/tech's aesthetic). I use this one most days.

Expedition Field Notes are more durable than most 3x5 notebooks.
posted by box at 8:16 AM on December 7, 2019 [6 favorites]

This Rite in the Rain notebook is pretty sturdy.
posted by gudrun at 9:29 AM on December 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

(Me mail me, I'm clearing out my stash and happy to send a few to you gratis)
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 11:06 AM on December 7, 2019 [6 favorites]

I was going to mention the Expedition Field Notes, as well. They're made of Yupo, a synthetic waterproof paper that doesn't tear.
posted by jonathanhughes at 11:08 AM on December 7, 2019

Nth-ing Rite in the Rain - I see them all over in forestry and ag fieldwork and Rite-in-the-Rain xeroxed forms in wet laboratories.
posted by clew at 4:22 PM on December 7, 2019