We recently received a question whether or not Rhodia paper is waterproof – which it isn’t. This lead me to wonder under what different circumstances someone might be needing to write outside in less than optimal elemental conditions. Entomologist performing research in the rain forest? Backpacking in the Himalayas? Captain of the Maid of the Mist?
Have you ever wanted to or needed to be writing in the rain? Or snow?
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Comments
Not just write!
When I was doing geological fieldwork at school, we’d have to write notes & do diagrams of the locations. Usual solution was to put the fieldbook inside a clear plastic bag, and write with your hands & pen inside that. It could be pretty challenging in the wind & rain.
Actually, I used my first “rite in the rain” notebook at the beach last year. I worked on blog posts by the pool and at the water’s edge. Dripping hair and tidal pools didn’t stop me from writing. Other than that I can’t really think of any need I have for waterproof paper.
Jen beat me to it, the Rite In The Rain brand is probably what the original person was asking about. I’ve heard that they are used in outdoorsy scenarios where a little moisture isn’t uncommon (think: park ranger, fish hatcheries.) Obviously there’s some sort of special formulation to the “paper” that makes it water-friendly, perhaps like the stone paper I see for sale sometimes — which is made from finely pulverized stone and a plastic binding material, but looks and feels paper-like.
Naturally, waterproof paper would be useless with a fountain pen, which relies on the absorbency of the surface, but a soft pencil or ballpoint pen would be compatible.
For fifteen years I was an evaluator for FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Canine program. We put on tests in all kinds of weather, once even a hurricane in New Jersey. The tests were outside on enormous piles of rubble. Keeping our note paper and score sheets from melting in the rain was always interesting. We experimented with waterproofed paper but it was proved difficult to write on.
When I was in university I frequently went on field trips as part of my class work. The field trips were a must, no matter what the weather, and it wasn’t unusual to be having to jot notes down in the rain. Most students used Rite in the Rain notebooks for this. Since then, I haven’t needed mine, but I’m keeping it in case I need to work outdoors with a notebook again in the future!
Rite-in-the-Rain was the obligatory field book for us for working outdoors or on or near the water. We used their notebooks and bought their paper to make our own forms. The paper would take pencil or ballpoint pen ink. No fountain pen ink, of course. The Fisher Space Pen was especially compatible, and the RITR company sells them too. I guess if you were backpacking cross-country, the RITR notebook would be your perfect travel journal.
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