Pen or Pencil

[cachman9]

So, I wanted people's opinion on which writing tool is better. Pen or Pencil? I lean toward a pen.

[+St.Matthew]

Gel pen because it writes better on moist logs.

[+basscat5]

i use a Fine tipped permanent Sharpie...

[+-CJ-]

I used to leave pencils in my own geocaches and in caches that I restore far from civilization. Pens may suffer more from weather conditions. In our climate here you sometimes cannot use pen to sign a log because it's too cold and ink is frozen. As for humidity, last month I did maintenance for one cache in Co.Donegal (Ireland). I was the first to find this cache in more than a year and the container was all wet. Half of its content was lost and the pen was rusty and unusable. Zip-lock bags help in some cases but it depends on the size of the box. While hunting for caches in cities/towns I use pen for signing logs. Sometimes one has so little space left for date/nickname in that tiny nano logsheets that a pen proves to be better then a not-so-sharp pencil.

[+mrreet]

This hands down!

 

http://shop.geocaching.com/default/cache-essentials/pencils-pens/trackable-trekker-space-pen.html

[+ngrrfan]

i use a Fine tipped permanent Sharpie...

Same here.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

i use a Fine tipped permanent Sharpie...

Same here.

 

+ 3.

[+kunarion]

So, I wanted people's opinion on which writing tool is better. Pen or Pencil? I lean toward a pen.

If the log sheet is Teslin waterproof "National Geographic" map paper (as in most of my micros), a pencil won't work. If it's "Rite in the Rain" coated paper (the log books in my ammo can caches), a pencil is ideal, and a roller ball pen (or a felt-tip pen) won't work. If the log sheet is wet (none of my caches ever are, of course ), you'll ruin a Sharpie by writing on it, if you don't dry the paper first.

 

Pencil won't bleed like pens will if the log sheet remains wet (many Micros around here have soaking wet logs), but will be tough to write with if the sheet is turning to pulp.

 

Most of the time, a ball-point pen is OK, so I usually bring a couple of those and a Sharpie. And I keep pencils available.

[+Lieblweb]

Inka Pen

 

[+kunarion]

Inka Pen

 

How did they get from the middle picture to the bottom picture? Is there a lot of assembling small pieces?

 

Oops. Yes, assembly is required. Fumble-fingers (me) would lose the little pieces at the first cache. See the video at 2:29:

Edited November 15, 2013 by kunarion

[+cerberus1]

I have a Fisher space bullet pen and a Sharpie fine point on me most times.

But even our camera bags have little golf pencils in 'em, so something's gonna work.

CJ has lost so many (not cheap) space pens that she went back to what we started with, a Pilot G2, sometimes has a uniball 207 and it's always in her pocket.

- Hasn't lost one yet. Go figure.

[+T.D.M.22]

I carry theee writong sticks. A pen- because you don't have to sharpen it. A pencil because a pen won't always work. A sharpie because I haven't found a log it won't write on. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, yet I have not found something that works on everything.

Edited November 15, 2013 by T.D.M.22

[+niraD]

For something to leave in a cache, I think pencils are best. I've used regular ballpoint stick pens (both full size and "shorty" pens), but they often don't write well after spending months in a geocache. On the other hand, a pencil and a small sharpener will work for years.

 

For something to carry while geocaching, I like an assortment of pens. I carry a gel pen, a regular pen body with a Fisher Space Pen refill (much cheaper than an actual Fisher Space Pen), and an ultra-fine Sharpie. I've yet to find a log that I couldn't write on, even one that had been soaked for so long that the folded layers of paper had fused into an 1/8-inch thick mass of wet pulp.

[+BlackRose67]

I use a Fisher Space Pen (Trekker).

 

It's always attached to my GPS lanyard. Works on wet, dry, and frozen log sheets.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Rite in Rain pens (same as a Fisher Space Pen). They write on damp logs no problem. Only downside is the price. At $10/pen, you'd better be sure you don't drop it somewhere.

[+The Jester]

Mostly I use a Zebra F-301 pen because it's a fine point - I can write 3 lines on a nano logsheet. I also have a Fisher Space Pen Stowaway pen as backup (one in the kit, one in my wallet) but they have a pretty fat tip so I can't write as small - but will write on anything anytime. There's also a Zebra M-301 pencil in the kit, just for fun.

 

These are used to add extra notes (or signing in nano's) as I use a stamp (a couple of different sizes) with waterproof ink that I use.

[+JohnnyVegas]

So, I wanted people's opinion on which writing tool is better. Pen or Pencil? I lean toward a pen.

I use a rubber stamp because people kept having issues with my hand writing. If I want to add the date I use A an extra fine point sharpie, I like the smell of their ink

[+Chief301]

Fisher bullet Space Pen....writes on just about anything, ink doesn't seem to bleed on wet logs, and carries easily in a pants pocket without being all jabby like a full size pen.

[+Dogmeat*]

I always have multiple blue pens with me. One is always in my pocket, I always have a few in my car, and some in a book bag I carry to most caches. This particular pen has never not worked for me. It's just a papermate thick pen, but it's proven itself. I'll hate when it runs out of ink, but I have a bunch more in the car and bag like I said.

[+Ducky]

I've used Uni-ball power tanks for about 8 years and never had a problem even in the cold of winter

 

[+JohnCNA]

Uni-ball Signo is a gel pen that uses special ink formulated to resist check forging 'washing'. That also keeps the ink from running when the log gets wet.

[+Dgwphotos]

Mostly I use a Zebra F-301 pen because it's a fine point - I can write 3 lines on a nano logsheet. I also have a Fisher Space Pen Stowaway pen as backup (one in the kit, one in my wallet) but they have a pretty fat tip so I can't write as small - but will write on anything anytime. There's also a Zebra M-301 pencil in the kit, just for fun.

 

These are used to add extra notes (or signing in nano's) as I use a stamp (a couple of different sizes) with waterproof ink that I use.

I like the F-402 myself. All metal, so its durable, and it seems to do pretty good writing on wet logs and Rite in the Rain paper. I have a Rite in the Rain pen, but I haven't carried it with me in a while. Some of the Rite in the Rain pens are half metal and half plastic, and I've had both of those that I owned, break where it comes apart to replace the ink cartridge. The one I currently have is all metal.

[+Lieblweb]

How did they get from the middle picture to the bottom picture? Is there a lot of assembling small pieces?

 

Oops. Yes, assembly is required. Fumble-fingers (me) would lose the little pieces at the first cache. See the video at 2:29:

 

It doesn't have to be over complicated. We have 3 of these things attached to our GPS's/keys. All you have to do is remove the short pen part from the tube (center photo).....sign log....and put it back inside the tube (top photo). Easy peasy. No need to make it into a L O N G pen. You can sign with the shorty part.

 

You do have to make sure the pen part is clicked into the tube properly...or the pen will fall out. How do I know this?? LOL

Edited November 16, 2013 by Lieblweb

[+kunarion]

You do have to make sure the pen part is clicked into the tube properly...or the pen will fall out. How do I know this?? LOL

I have a similar pen that clips to a belt buckle. It's super secure, so the first time I used it, I arrived at the cache knowing the clip couldn't come off. And it didn't. The pen, however, had fallen out.

[+DragonsWest]

Cheap stick pens. Carry a half dozen. If that doesn't work, there's always scratching my name with a stick.

[+ArtieD]

I use gel pens all the time because they write really well, even on damp logs.

 

I used to use a pencil way back when until I discovered that your signature could be erased. We had a very sore loser of a FTF hound in our area way back when who took losing the side game very personally. Anyway, this one time three caches got published and I got FTF on all of them. I went home, logged the finds and claimed FTF. Not long after, he logs the finds and *he* claims the FTF, saying in his logs that my signature was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, I was irritated. I emailed the CO and described each hide and told him I found them. Being the good guy he is/was, he went out to check and could still find the indentations and ghostly bits of pencil remaining from someone erasing the signature. So, he let my logs stand and on his page he congratulated me for being FTF. This really ticked the guy off and after some other minor dealings of a less than savory nature, he left the game.

[+Don_J]

I always have multiple blue pens with me. One is always in my pocket, I always have a few in my car, and some in a book bag I carry to most caches. This particular pen has never not worked for me. It's just a papermate thick pen, but it's proven itself. I'll hate when it runs out of ink, but I have a bunch more in the car and bag like I said.

 

The rest of them can call me cheep, or perhaps my priorities are ordered a bit differently, but I'm like you. There is no way that I am going to spend $10 on a pen so I can sign a wet log in a cache that the CO didn't even spend 10 cents to create.

 

I use the promotional give away pens from work. They clip to my pocket, are bright orange so I can find them if I drop them, but most importantly, they put ink onto paper. They will not write on a wet blog of pulp, but that doesn't matter because I'm not touching a wet blob of pulp without hazmat gloves, which I'm also to cheep to buy. I have my Sharpie on my GPS lanyard as a backup.

[+dprovan]

I use a pen, but I cache in sunny California, so I don't have to worry about cold weather. My criteria for a pen is trivial: it has to be free. All my pens have some kind of advertisement on the side, at least until it rubs off. I rarely lose pens, but they do have a tendency to fall apart after a few months in my pocket.

[+anarcha77]

I use the Space Pen -- fits in the pocket and writes on just about anything, even the soggiest of logs. I also have an extra pen and pencil in my caching bag. I do think pencils (and a little sharpener!) are better to include in caches around here though -- I've come across quite a few pens too cold to use.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

Inka Pen

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on this.....I ordered a couple and also a Fisher....my wife signs most logs and she loves a small pen like this that hangs on a lanyard,I don't think she's ever had a good one like these. I think I'll still carry my Sharpie though...that thing will sign a soaked sheet.