The old saying goes “Necessity is the mother of invention.” We all have come to love our digital tools: keeping notes in our phones, data input on digital tablets, digital voice assistants, the list goes on and on. But sometimes, either by preference or “necessity”, we need to go the more traditional route and put pen/pencil to paper. The challenge comes when the field environment is not conducive to the inherent limitations of traditional paper and writing utensils. In comes Rite in the Rain. Rite in the Rain offers an impressive line of all-weather writing products and gear for record-keeping, field logs, and much more. Here we take a look at just some of their products.
Rite in the Rain Overview
Generally speaking, Rite In The Rain is focused on durable, versatile record-keeping, and writing tools. Their products are especially useful when you’re in the rain, snow, or a dirty/greasy environment. Some are general purpose and many are very industry-specific.
Record-keeping can be critical to completing a job or mission and most digital tools are not immune to the effects of weather, dirt, and moisture. The below list is just some of what Rite In The Rain offers:
- Notebooks and book kits (soft and hard-cover)
- Paper (legal, letter, envelope, tabloid)
- Writing utensils (pocket and belt-clip pens, all-weather pens, mechanical pencils, carpenter pencils)
- Planners (calendars and undated spiral planners, planner kits)
- Protective and carrying gear (wallets, top and side-bound covers, organizer pouches, wallets and wallet kits, etc…)
- Many of their products come in various colors and designs like plaid, grass, and even an American Flag embellishment
Rite in the Rain Features
We chose to focus on a few notebooks, associated writing utensils such as pens, and additional protective coverings for holding it all together. Let’s zoom in a bit and examine our sample items one by one.
Rite in the Rain Products
This All-Weather Metal Pen performs in temperatures from -30F to 250F as well as underwater (down to 35 ft). And talk about versatility; it can write upside down and will write through water, sweat, grease, and mud. It is offered in four barrel colors, and can be ordered with black or blue ink. Note that Rite In The Rain also offers black, blue, and red refill cartridges.
This is Rite in the Rain’s Metal Readiness Pen. Distinct features include glass-breaking capability provided by a hardened steel tip. Law enforcement and military personnel will surely like this feature. The bolt-action clicker and capacity to write in dirty, wet environments are good features to have.
Aside from this particular pen, some of Rite In The Rain’s writing utensils come in various colors, like a bright yellow mechanical pencil or their All-Weather Belt Holster RevMark Pen in orange. Rite In The Rain also offers handy carpenter pencils.
Next, we come to a Rite In The Rain Hard Cover notebook. Its pages and cover are waterproof and can take quite a beating when it comes to moisture exposure.
Smaller notebooks like this 4.625×7-inch Field-Flex stapled notebook fit virtually any and everywhere you could want. The Rite In The Rain selection of writing “books” range from smaller 3×5-inch spiral notebooks all the way up to larger 8.5×11-inch top and side-spiral notebooks, and the 8.75×11.25-inch Hard Cover Fabrikoid notebook pictured above.
If you want a folder or protective cover, Rite In The Rain offers several products like this side-bound book cover. Aside from giving additional protection to your records, the book cover gives plenty of storage and instrument pockets for writing tools and notebooks. It is made of a resilient CORDURA fabric, and comes with a zipper closure. A committed field professional will appreciate the extra protection against the elements Rite In The Rain equipment casings like this book cover provide.
This carrying sleeve is another Rite In The Rain gear option to go along with their notebooks and pens. The TRAYVAX leather “Guide” cover has two pouches and is built around a steel frame with two attachment points to ensure you don’t lose it in the field. An all-weather pen is also included.
Rite in the Rain Performance
Now for the fun part. We tested the “water resistant” claim.
Here is dry Rite In The Rain (white paper) and a piece of yellow sticky note paper. Both with writing on them from a Rite in the Rain pen.
Both look pretty ordinary, right?
We put all this in a bowl of cool water. Note the writing was legible before immersion. We also threw a Rite In The Rain pen in the water because why not?
After immersion, the ordinary yellow paper is understandably soggy but if you look closely, you’ll see that the ink didn’t run. You can still make out what was written, down to the smallest detail. With respectful drying and handling, you could squeeze out a quality copy of this writing even after it’s been soaked in water.
Pictured here, after prolonged water exposure: the notebook, and pen. We wiped off the water and the pages were perfectly intact, the ink writing was unspoiled, and the pen was completely unaffected.
Rite in the Rain Value
I’m not sure one could accurately place a value on Rite In The Rain products. When you must have durable, all-weather writing tools, these could be considered “priceless”. So I would have to say based on their quality and performance they are a good value. Even if the featured Metal Readiness Pen is priced at $99.95/each. Field scientists, law enforcement personnel, carpenters, field medics, and other specialists that work outside the office will benefit from Rite In The Rain gear. You can purchase their other products on Amazon.
Rite in the Rain Wrap Up
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” And sometimes it’s “necessary” to be able to write in harsh, non-optimal writing conditions. Rite In the Rain goes a long way towards providing durable, all-weather writing capacity where it was previously not possible. With many products tailored to industries such as agriculture, energy, medical, law enforcement, tactical/military, and many others, these are the solution for someone who needs to keep accurate records in an outdoor environment.
