The Ultimate Pen Loadout – Part 1: The Plan

Though not something I’ve written about on this site yet, I very much consider myself to be a stationery nut.

Truth be told, I’ve been a stationery nut for almost as long as I can remember. Maybe it goes back to childhood; I still remember being seven years old and wishing for a typewriter, and always making sure in elementary school that I would get the 2B pencils instead of the HB ones (they just write so smooth and dark!). But regardless of how early it goes back, what I know for sure is that I had fully caught the stationery bug by the time I received a Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen for my tenth birthday.

From there the hobby only spiraled; in addition to the teenage years I spent getting more and more into traditional calligraphy and book arts, I took on the hobby of collecting random fountain pens and inks. From that first Pilot Metropolitan, I built an assortment of some Lamys, a couple of Pelikans and Sailors, the occasional Platinum or Kaweco and even the odd pen from a brand that no longer exists. This of course was accompanied by my attempts to collect every Pilot Iroshizuku ink (which was foiled when Pilot started cycling some new colors to replace older ones) and a steadily growing shelf of various fountain-friendly writing papers.

With time, however, I found that my tastes shifted toward minimalist ideals. At some point, my vast collection of calligraphy inks and pens gave way to the simple loadout of gouache, stick ink, and Mitchell nibs. Likewise, I haven’t collected (or really used, even) a fountain pen since I received a Lamy 2000 (my “holy grail” pen) as a graduation gift.

But in recent times, having aught the stationery bug once more, I think I have a way of reconciling my love of fine writing with an air of functional minimalism. Thus, I present to you: The ultimate pen loadout!

The Plan

So: what, you may ask, is this “ultimate pen loadout”? In a nutshell, it is what it says on the tin; the pen loadout to end all pen loadouts. The idea of this is that I can have some portable set of high-quality writing utensils that covers every possible writing situation I could see myself in.

To elaborate, I’ve put some thought into both the practical and emotional aspects of writing in everyday life, and this loadout is an attempt to curate a set of pens and accessories that cover both of those domains in a balanced manner.

For a practical example, there are some situations in which the choice of writing utensil is limited by the writing surface; for example, consider the humble thermal paper receipt, upon which any water-based ink may not dry or adhere to the surface. In this case, an oil-based ballpoint pen is the only choice. Or consider the possibility of wanting to execute a semi-technical drawing on the go; in this case, a drafting pencil and straightedge are a must.

On the other hand, I at times place a great amount of emotional weight on how I manifest my thoughts into the written word. While ordinary writing situations may be served best by a well-balanced gel pen, I would much rather use a fountain pen for a heartfelt note to family or friends. In the same way, I feel that my personality comes through much better with a wood-cased pencil over a mechanical one with a uniform point.

These were just a few of the thoughts that went through my mind as I created the following list of what I would consider ideal for a full everyday carry kit:

A good fountain pen
A refillable gel-ink pen
An oil-based ballpoint pen
A mechanical pencil
Some wood-cased pencils
A multi-pen(cil)
A “colored pencil”
A couple different erasers
A ruler and knife, and
A notepad.

Of course, I have a rationale for each of these.

The Fountain Pen

While easily the most impractical item on this list, the fountain pen is still one of the most important to me. After all, it was looking at fountain pens online that inspired me to start this idea.

Writing with a fountain pen just feels good. While I wouldn’t say it’s universally smoother than rollerballs or ballpoints, there is a smoothness to a good pen that’s just wonderful to work with. And with the functionally endless selection of inks and pens, it’s easily the most customizable way to write. I find that degree of customization to impart a very personal touch on my writing, and it’s for that reason that I feel that the fountain pen enhances any sort of personal writing with an air of importance.

The Gel Pen

I see a gel pen excelling in almost any situation where I want to jot something down. Against the fountain pen, the gel pen has the advantage of being able to write well on a much wider range of papers, and without as much care to how the pen is held. Against oil-based pens, the gel pen has the advantage of a much smoother writing experience with a darker, more uniform line. While not as suited to the luxurious feeling of the FP or the resilience of traditional ballpoint ink, I see the gel pen as the workhorse of the three for its balance between a frictionless experience and versatility.

The Ballpoint Pen

The traditional oil-based ballpoint fills the gap of being able to write on almost any paper-based surface. Water-based ink doesn’t stand a chance against most glossy papers, but oil-based ink takes on them like a champ. While not my favorite in terms of writing experience, the number of times I anticipate having to sign off on a receipt or annotate some less-than-ideal printouts has made convinced me that the humble ballpoint pen deserves a spot in my arsenal.

The Mechanical Pencil

Now we’re coming out of pen territory. I think the value of any sort of pencil is pretty obvious, given the ability to erase your markings and vary your strokes with pressure. But the value of a mechanical pencil in particular is with its consistency and convenience. The mechanical pencil here fills the role of a precision instrument, being able to lay down a consistent, predictable line. As such, it has a variety of practical uses, from sketches and technical drawings to temporary marks or even just a consistent writing experience. This versatility makes a good mechanical pencil an indispensable everyday carry in my eyes.

The Wood-cased Pencil

If the mechanical pencil is a precision tool of steel, the wood-cased pencil is an heirloom with a legacy behind it. That might be a bit of hyperbole, but I find that the experience of using a wood-cased pencil is too enjoyable to forgo. For one, I’ve found with my hand that a well-sharpened wooden pencil holds a sharp point for much longer than its mechanical equivalent. This is especially important to me in long sessions of writing, where I want as fine of a point as I can get. If that’s not enough, I also just really love using wood pencils. Something about the smell of the wood and the feel in the hand just draws me in.

The Multi-pen(cil)

The multi-pen fascinated me as a child. To a young pen enthusiast like eight-year-old me, there was nothing more exciting than the prospect of having multiple colors available in the body of one pen.

While being able to switch colors on a whim is already a fun (and practical! Think annotations) feature, the multi-_pencil_ is an area where I’ve found even more novelty. It turns out that the 21st century has blessed us with erasable colored pencil leads, allowing for a device that can not only write in different colors, but also be corrected after the fact! While maybe not as practical for tasks requiring permanent markings (say, grading papers), the idea of such a niche tool as the multi-pencil is too exciting for me to not include.

The Colored Pencil

So far, every writing implement I’ve described mainly writes in a single color (forget the multi-pencil). What am I to do if I want some color in my life? As it turns out, there are portable solutions for those of us who want dozens of hues in our pocket.

While not as convenient as having a pencil ready for every color, there exist wonderful devices called lead clutches that provide a pencil-shaped body to hold full-size leads. Carrying one of these alongside a set of colored leads is a fine solution in my eyes for the problem of taking color on the go. With enough base hues, they can be mixed and layered to create millions of possible shades, while avoiding the mess of paints or the bulk of multiple pens.

The Erasers

Of course, the erasability aspect of carrying pencils doesn’t really apply unless you have erasers, right? In general, I find that my needs are actually best serviced by carrying two types of erasers with me: the block eraser and the stick eraser. The block eraser has the wonderful ability to erase huge swaths of writing at once, which is ideal in situations where I may need to mark out entire paragraphs at once. On the other hand, the more precise stick eraser allows for the quick removal of anywhere from a sentence to an individual character, making it useful for editing word choice or calculations.

The Ruler and Knife

Though not directly used for writing, I find that the utility of a knife and ruler warrants adding them to a kit like this. The number of situations requiring one to cut something warrants carrying a knife anyway, in my opinion, especially given the frequency of encounters with product packaging or loose threads on clothes. The ruler, on the other hand, allows for quick measurements and the construction of clean lines when sketching. Plus, combining the two allows for making straight cuts on paper and other materials, something I find myself doing especially often when I’m struck by the papercraft bug.

The Notepad

Last, but certainly not least, is the notepad. While I intend to carry this set in conjunction with regular notebooks, I anticipate getting great value out of carrying a notepad as a core part of the kit. Being able to jot down notes or quick sketches on a whim without taking up space in a long-form notebook is a prospect that speaks strongly to me; to that end, I see a pocket-size notebook being just as indispensable as any other item on this list.

These pens and tools, plus some accessories like pencil leads and sharpeners, and a sleek carrying case, form my vision for the ultimate pen loadout. The idea is to have a very high-quality and durable tool for each of these categories, to the point where this kit could easily last a decade with the proper maintenance and refills. Beyond this list, I have a couple of minor considerations like aesthetics (I’m thinking having everything be black could be cool!) and size (I’m not looking to carry around cigar-sized pens), but what I’ve written just about sums up my plans.

If (let’s be honest, when) this plan goes through, I’ll be sure to follow up with the results (with plenty of photos!). Look forward to it!