(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
I love pen cases, and I love pockets, so if you fill a pen case with pockets, you have my attention. And considering several positive past experiences with Nomadic's Wise-Walker products, this Carbonium Pen Case was a must-try.
The case is made from a polyurethane with a woven-like texture that mimics carbon fiber. The look is sleek, but vintage. The case has two main pockets with silver zippers and poly-tab zipper pulls. The front main pocket has a nylon mesh bottom so items are visible from the outside of the case.
Inside the large main pocket, there are So Many Pockets. The bulk of the space is divided in two by a centered zipper pocket that is perfect for holding small accessories. There is a larger space on either side of this pocket. On the front wall of the case, there are two mesh pockets, and on the back wall, there is one long nylon pocket. That's seven separate compartments for keeping your treasures organized. Consider me charmed.
One thing I noticed fairly quickly is that the pockets and placements mimic a tech case more than a traditional pen case, so of course I had to test-pack it with both stationery and gadgets.
It worked great for pens, notes, and washi tapes. The slip pockets are the perfect size for a roll of washi, the larger compartments can hold lots of gel pens or highlighters, and the interior zipper pocket is great for erasers and clips.
It worked equally well for tech. It fits phones, portable chargers, cables, and dongles well. It even fits my camera and all my camera essentials, with spare batteries and memory cards safe in the central zipper pouch. In fact, as I type this, the case is traveling with my husband across the country with all his tech inside, including all his chargers and cables and a mini handheld game console.
It would even make a decent clutch or EDC kit case. The well-planned pockets make it very versatile, and the waterproof fabric provides added benefits, though the zippers are not waterproof.
The zippers are actually my one and only issue with this case. They're a bit flimsy feeling, with small teeth and a thin fabric backing. It feels like I'm going to break the zippers--though I haven't broken them, despite some aggressive handling. They just feel cheap on an otherwise excellent case.
The Nomadic Wise-Walker PF-03 itself is not too expensive, anyway, at only $22 at JetPens. That's just over $3 per pocket, which is well worth the cost. I've paid much more than that for cases that weren't as functional as this one. And I'll probably have to buy a duplicate of this one, as I suspect the spouse has permanently adopted the original.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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