Field Notes recently released their Fall 2015 limited edition, Shenandoah, inspired by the trees of the Shenandoah National Park. This design is more reminiscent of Field Notes’ earlier releases, but still presents some more modern and unique elements. Check out the above video for our complete review.

Overview

Just like most other Field Notes editions, these measure 3.5″ x 5.5″, feature 3/8″ rounded corners, three sturdy staples holding the covers and all 48 pages together, and come as a three-pack, wrapped with a belly band; however, there are quite a few design elements which set this edition apart. The first thing you’ll notice is the belly bands, which feature real Birch wood veneer (created in a process similar to the covers of the Shelterwood and Cherry Wood editions.) The bands look fantastic and match the theme of the edition very well.

Covers

The Shenandoah edition featured three different green covers, each representing the leaf covers of specific trees of the park. Sweet Birch, Chestnut Oak, and Red Maple are all represented. The back of each notebook includes a leaf illustration and information about the species of tree the notebook is colored to match. The inside covers are colored with a different stock to match the fall foliage of the respective tree. Instead of simply printing two colors on opposite sides of white coverstock, a special duplex process was used to create the covers. The outside covers, a 100#C green stock, was bonded with adhesive and extreme pressure to the interior stock, a yellow, orange, or red 70#T stock. This gives the notebooks a very unique look and very sturdy feel.

Interior Paper

The Shenandoah edition is filled with Finch Opaque “Bright White” 60#T paper. Up from 50#T in their regular editions. While it might not seem like much, it makes the paper much more resistant to bleed and show through from some wetter pens (such as fountain pens.) As usual, the paper performs well with pencils and pens, but didn’t hold up as well as I’d like to my fountain pen. While the paper still isn’t completely fountain pen friendly, it definitely holds up better than the 50#T offerings, and would likely be completely fine with lighter writing, drier inks, and or extra-fine nibs. Each page is printed with a 3/16″ square graph ruling in Appalachian Moss, which is a nice touch to match the covers.

Final thoughts

Overall, I really like this edition. It looks absolutely fantastic, performs very well, and has some interesting design features that push this edition into my top five. One thing to keep in mind is that this is Field Notes’ largest print run for a single edition to date at 40,000 packs (120,000 books,) so I think they’ll be around for a while; however, they are limited edition. So, once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

Available in the store now for $9.95/pack: http://www.zellerwritingcompany.com/Field_Notes_3_Pack_Shenandoah_p/fn-s020.htm

What do you think of the latest edition? Let us know in the comments below.