It is a little while back that I had already reviewed the MindPapers-loose leaf notebook system in A6 (orange leather) and A5 (brown leather). They are both really gorgeous and I love using them for concept development in my research, for preparing lectures, talks, or just for general mind mapping and brainstorming.
However, since quite a while I struggled in finding an appropriate notebook for everyday carry. While I do like pocket notebooks, the problem to me often is the need to reorganize the notes that I take on the go upon returning home. Since I do normally use the Bullet Journaling-technique as well as several other notebooks for different purposes (research projects, inspiration journal, and so on), I do not want the notes that I take outside to be stuck in the pocket notebook. Neither do I want to carry all my other notebooks with me when being on the road without a bag, or copy all the notes I took on the run into where they belong once I am back home.
So, after having played around with different – to me unsatisfying – options the past some months, I have now tried and tested the X17 Mind Papers A7 (leather in cognac) as an everyday carry for about one month and can happily say that I basically never leave the house without it anymore. Since Mind Papers is loose leaf, I can take notes of whatever I please and then sort them into wherever they belong upon returning home, which to me is amazing. I can write on the index cards that MindPapers comes with, or just cram any A7-sheet into it that I can possibly find (or folded A6, for that matter). Once back home, I just file or glue those notes into my Bullet Journal, research notebook, inspiration journal, or whatever. Super practical.
The MindPapers A7 costs around 20 € on the X17-Webshop. Matthias Büttner of X17, who also happens to be a friend of Scrively, kindly send it to me for review since I really wanted to try the system for everyday carry as well. Anyway, all the opinions given here are mine and I have not been influenced by Matthias in any way in this review, blah, blah, you know what I’m saying 🙂 .
So let’s go check the A7 MindPapers out!
This is the frontside of the MindPapers A7, which is available in different materials. I got the leather version in color cognac here. As you can see from the nice patina it already developed from being in my pocket everyday for over a month now, it still looks quite neat since it’s leather. I can’t wait for carrying it over the next couple of years, since leather normally only looks better the longer one uses it.
Flip MindPapers around, and you will see the product name embossed into the backside of the loose leaf-notebook.
MindPapers is held together by something called the “Sloop!”, which essentially is a leather coated foldback clip which allows for also tucking a pencil into it. There is a short black pencil that comes with MindPapers. However, I do not use this since I carry other pens with me – as you will see below shortly.
When taking apart the whole thing, MindPapers reveals what it actually really is: a leather wrapper that is filled with index cards (or anything else A7 or foldable to A7 such as business cards, money, or whatever) and held together by said Sloop.
So the great thing about this system is it’s flexibility. I can take notes on different index cards, rearrange them, take them out and file them upon returning back home, throw away what I don’t need anymore, or keep what I still want to have with me on the go (e.g. shopping list, things to do or visit outside, and so forth). What I really like about MindPapers is that I can also use the leather wrapper as a writing surface, since it’s pretty sturdy. I just take out one index card (which in itself is already quite stiff), put it on top of the leather wrapper on my lap, and there I go with my super-handy mobile-mini-desk 🙂 .
MindPapers A7 also comes with a small notebook that is also available from X17 for you to try. I got one in a lined ruling here. So, as you can see, you could technically also fit a small pocket notebook (in addition to the index cards) into MindPapers, if you would want to…
…while the great thing about the X17 mini-notebooks is that each single page is detachable, keeping it the flexible system that I love it for!
Those index cards are available in different colors from X17 as refills. Alternatively, you can of course use whatever – e.g. Clairefontaine index cards or paper from a Rhodia Bloc.
All in all, as said above, the system has now been tried and tested for about one month and I do absolutely love it. I complement the MindPapers A7 with a Kaweco 2pen pouch containing a Classic Sport rollerball (white) & mechanical pencil (blue). Both pens are plastic and, hence, super lightweight. Those all paired together – to me personally – make up the “total package” for everyday carry.
Hi! Nice EDC indeed! (Just discovered your website today, and I’m learning a lot of stuff about inks and fountain pens.) I’ll be buying my first ever fountain pen this month, and I am very excited.
Keep it up!
Thank you for your kind comment. Great to hear you start venturing into fountain pens – I hope you will enjoy the ride! What will your first pen be?