Best field book ?

I like Elan Cross Section book E10x10K

It is bigger than the regular book. Good for pics.

N

One of my daughters hand binds mine using waterproof (synthetic) paper.
They are brilliant and very robust.
She started making handmade books for friends so I commissioned her for field books.
She also makes my pocket diary. I have a smart phone but the custom diary still gets first place.

I like these because they have numbered pages, are small enough to fit in a vest pocket or construction gear back pocket and of course is write in the rain.

inside picture

I prefer the Rite in the Rain "Geological" fieldbooks. They've got everything I need: Headers with job #, client, location, date, etc; one page with a small grid; and one page with rows and columns.

Rite in the Rain Fieldbooks

SOKKIA Transit Field Book No. 8152-00.

They still have the index with slope staking, stadia, trig formulas, curve information, and conversion information in the back.

I use mining transit books (Teledyne 408, National 408, or Sokkia 8152-20). 6 columns on the left, 8x8 grid on the right.

Prefer rite in the rain loose lief book filled with rite in the rain level pages. Don't need to worry about a little rain destroying the pages also they fit good under the armpit while running the gun or even moving from point to point. When I was doing route surveying or a site plan, I for the right half of the open book I wanted a grid using 10 to the inch so a quick rough scale sketch was produced. I usually just used a Murry pad with the 10 grid, 8 1/2" X 11" on a clipboard. I don't do work that an electronic data collector be be of much benefit, have used data collectors and don't care for them except for topo work, where they shine.
jud

> I prefer the Rite in the Rain "Geological" fieldbooks. They've got everything I need: Headers with job #, client, location, date, etc; one page with a small grid; and one page with rows and columns.
>
> Rite in the Rain Fieldbooks
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>

Da' schizzle as far as I'm concerned! A proper fieldbook has bound pages, which reveal spreads "taking a walk" after the fact.

Also, pencils only, no erasers, and no hilighters allowed.

I use the little mini field books from Hayes Instrument Co. with 14 pages. They're inexpensive (0.50 ea), so I use a new one each job and stick it in the job folder.

There's not a lot of data there, or at least not like when we wrote down every shot, so a job rarely requires more than one.

I do write down enough data to justify having one. I'm not to the point to go all electronic, and probably never will be. I write everything with a pen, too.

I like the National No. 401 - a 6 ring binder with a hard yellow plastic cover.

They are filled with Elan Level ruled no. AA-325-Level.

I know there are those that prefer the bound book - go for it, if that is your choice, but the loose leaf fillers are convenient and easily go in the job file for storage.

And, I erase from time to time, and use a highlighter as needed.

Ken

Friend of mine I went to College with tried to have his field books introduced as evidence in a court case. Like most of us he was taught to use pencil only, with no erasures only cross-outs, in his field books. Unfortunately the judge didn't go to College for Surveying he went for Law, and he was taught for something to be official it needs to be in pen. His court, his rules. The field books were not allowed into evidence. After that everything was done in pen.

> After that everything was done in pen.

Interesting; I've never had pencil field books not admissible. BTW we use hard (#4) pencils which emboss the paper, so erasures cannot be hidden.

As an aside we once lost a fieldbook during a creek crossing and found it that autumn downstream. The writing was faded but still legible. Thank God for bright yellow Rite in the Rain fieldbooks!

That's what I use, too. A Job Book, and stored in each project folder. I am still a pencil-handwritten field note guy for boundary surveys.

> [ . . . ] And, I erase from time to time, and use a highlighter as needed.
>
> Ken

Sinner!

I don't like the rings getting in the way of my pencil.

I have been using a custom made form printed on card stock. The only problem is some of the toner tends to flake off especially at folds (one of my forms is landscape with half on the left and half on the right, the form is folded in half).

I used to use Bic round stic pens but they are troublesome in cold weather and rain and whenever they feel like it. Lately I have been using pencil. I don't think it is sinful to erase so pencil offers that option.

I may go back to the bound field book, though. There are a lot of advantages to that.