Everyday Carry

The Best 2017 Planners for Everyday Carry

Authored by:
Ed Jelley
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
The Best 2017 Planners for Everyday Carry

Related Gear:
  The 25 Best Pocket Knives In 2024 - Ranked and Reviewed
  The Top 8 Wallets for Men in 2024
  The 12 Best Flashlights in 2024

The new year is right around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to set new goals for yourself. Making resolutions is easy, but sticking to them is the hard part. One way to get closer to achieving your goals is to be organized, and a planner or EDC notebook can make all the difference. To help you stay on top of things, we’ve put together six of the best planners you can carry everyday.


Moleskine 12 Month Weekly Notebook

Small enough to carry in a pocket, the Moleskine 12 month weekly planner is ideal for those who want to keep track of their to-do list, with some extra notes on the side. Each two-page spread shows represents a single week with all seven days on the left, and a lined page on the right for notes. The book features a cloth bookmark so that opening up to the current week is quick and easy.

Buy on Amazon


Hobonichi Techo Planner

One of the most popular daily planners in Japan, the Techo by Hobonichi, is packed with premium features to help get yourself organized. The lay-flat stitch binding makes it easy to write in the book, while the impossibly thin, yet bleed-proof paper helps it fit easily into a bag or notebook cover. There's a page for each day of the year with a grid-style layout, and it's packed with quotes for inspiration and references guides for extra utility.

Buy


Word. Standard Memorandum

It might seem counter intuitive at first, but even minimalists can benefit from keeping a planner. A slim, pocket-friendly journal like the Standard Memorandum can keep tasks in their place, instead of piling up. It’s efficient in nearly every way, with a compact 2.35” width giving you just enough room for short daily notes, all year long. Other useful features include a 5” ruler on its inside cover, an index of important entries and reminders, and a table of common holidays. And in case you don’t have all your days planned out, the Standard Memorandum works great for daily journaling as a personal record of your year.

Buy


Nomatic Planner

Looking for a planner that can do it all? Then definitely check out Nomatic's offering. They've packed in the standard planner features (year, month, week) along with goal mapping, effectiveness activities, a whiteboard paper insert, pen holder, and an elastic band to keep it all closed. The subtle branding and black cover keep a low profile, ideal for something you're going to be looking at every day. This planner measures in at 6”x9”, giving you a little more room than the others.

Buy on Amazon


Field Notes 56 Week Planner

The Field Notes 56 Week Planner packs a ton of useful features into an easy-to-carry package. Its 4.75x7.5” heavy-duty chipboard cover is held together with durable double-o wire binding to hold up to a full year of use. Each two page spread covers one week, making easy to see what you have coming up in your schedule. You write in each day as it comes up. That way, if you need to skip a week or two, it's easy to catch up and you don't waste any pages. Each day has a few lines for notes, appointments, and events, ideal for both brief journaling and planning.

Buy


Baron Fig Confidant Planner

Baron Fig is known for their minimalist notebooks, and their approach to a daily planner is no exception. This charcoal cloth covered planner features open-flat binding, quality paper, and a dot-grid ruled section in the back for notes. The layout is simple and to the point. There's a year overview, month overview, and a weekly spread that covers two pages. Also included is a year overview insert for longterm planning at-a-glance. Baron Fig's notebooks and planners measure in at 5.4” x 7.7”, small enough for easy carry, yet large enough to accommodate lots of notes and sketches.

Buy


How are you making and organizing plans? Leave a comment and share your go-to planner or EDC notebook to help your fellow EDCers get organized.

This post was last updated 12/10/2016.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (36 total)

Wildsau ·
I'm not quite sure how useful a post on planners is that doesn't actually show the planner pages. I think we all have a pretty solid grip on how the outside of a notebook looks. It's the inside and the layout of the planning pages that would be of actual interest here. Kind of a waste, in my opinion.

Anyway, I agree with Daniel - I use the Leuchtturm weekly planner and the Moleskine weekly planner. Both are excellent. I think these things are very, very personal as everyone's needs and wants are different.
Patrick LaFollette ·
It's helpful as a starting point. One can easily click through to the respective product pages to see more information and pictures. This is more a general overview, and the pictures reflect that by giving you a quick glance at the outside and inside of the notebooks.
Patrick LaFollette ·
Also, I bought my wife the Leuchtturm1917 planner for Xmas, so I am totally in agreement with you there.
Leuchtturm seems to be a brand that everybody respects, and are as good as you can get, but don't have that it-factor that generates a following, like Field Notes, Moleskin, Rhodia, etc. But that's fine with me as it helps keep the price down.
Ed Jelley ·
Hey! This year's update features photos of the inside of each book. Thank you for the valuable feedback!
Daniel Marcinkowski ·
I recommend Leuchtturm1917 12 months Weekly Planner and notebook. It's great!
David Rogers ·
I've used a hobonichi for the past three years and will NEVER use another planner. Nothing comes close. Buy one and prepare to be obsessed
Ed Jelley ·
I just got my first one. Have a custom leather cover on the way too!
David Rogers ·
I have a one star leather cover, it's really great.
Ed Jelley ·
That's what's on the way!
jonathan jone ·
Well, every one of us has a unique way of jotting down notes/infos. You have to note the keyword so it will guide you and be reminded. Being religious in checking your diary or planner is the best thing in putting it into actions, especially when looking into days ahead in preparation for a specific meeting or event.
Overall these are helpful materials, but the one that has an edge would be “Rite in the Rain Planner Kit” due to its durability and protection from humidity or rain. It does not crumple easily. It’s definitely worth using.
John Walrath ·
Levenger Circa product line is the best I've ever used. High quality paper, with a wide variety of options, different calendar and program management options. All of this packaged superbly in a extensive array of covers. I used steno pads in a simple notebook for years. Now I have the levenger Circa, I'll never look back.
Anibal Perez ·
I would never support a company like molskine, they are open and proud non supporters of the US Military and Law enforcement, so they can burn in their self created liberal hell
Wouldn't even accept a gift from someone else if it was from that POS company
Johnny Keefe ·
What is the pen in the top picture?
Johnny Keefe ·
Nevermind I found it.
Eugenio Curia ·
Good update! I'm going to be sticking to my trusty Moleskine as it has proven to be handy and useful. Couple of personal hacks to it and I have never left home without it.
I use plannerpad.com
They have three sizes to choose. Not pocket friendly, but concise and thorough for everyday use. I've used these for over 20 years
Dave Dillard ·
What pen is that in the main image?
Blair Wolston ·
It's a Will Hodges @tactileturn Shaker - check him out at tactileturn.com
这个推荐的真是好!
Matthew ·
The minimalist in me prefers an unmarked, gridded notebook. Easy to organize, less than 10 dollars. Lots of great tips for journaling/scheduling out there, and it doesn't bulk up your daily carry.
Linda Mac ·
Try the Hobonichi Weeks planner. Paper is very thin so not bulky. They also have 'weeks' sized blank pages and they are all in grids. Can't say they are less than 10 dollars with shipping included but do come in packs of 3.
Chris ·
Ed - I just got the standard memorandum and really like it. I do carry a FSP with just the standard refill - medium I think. I do see it bleeds a bit on the pages. Any idea if the fine would work better? I really like how easy that pen is to carry in my pocket, but I'm open to something similar if you have another suggestion. Thanks
Eugenio Curia ·
My wife gave me the Moleskine one as a XMas gift, and I have to say it's been really good, with a little bit of crafty modding, especially since I'm a total scatterbrain.
Hans van Lingen ·
What kind of pen is that in the first pic?
Ed Jelley ·
That's a "Mover" by Tactile Turn in titanium.
Dezmond Loh ·
What watch is that :) ?
Ed Jelley ·
It's the A-3P by Bertucci, nice watch for around $100!
Blair Wolston ·
Will's pens are world-class! Tactileturn.com and @tactileturn on IG
4 more comments