What sort of pen do you carry, and what do you carry it in?

[lareine]

Ladies, I have a dilemma. I want to start carrying my own fountain pen with me at work, so that I'm not stuck using some scratchy ballpoint in a meeting, but few of my outfits have pockets and none of them have breast pockets as that is incredibly unflattering on my large bust. I don't really want to "do a Joan" and wear my pen on a chain around my neck, but is there any other way? Right now I carry my handbag everywhere I go (we have had a lot of earthquakes in the last 18 months and I don't want to be evacuated from the building without my things) but when the quakes settle down this willl become an issue.

And, while we're on the subject, what sort of pen do you use? I used a fountain pen for years but somehow got out of the way of it, and have been using Uni roller balls or gel pens for the last decade. I just switched back to the fountain pen recently.

[lareine]

Nobody here carries a pen with them? I find that hard to believe. C'mon, gals, spill!

In the past two days I've had one person scoff at my fountain pen ("Nobody uses those any more!") and two people comment on what a nice surprise it was to see somebody with a "real" pen.

[Monsignore]

Carrying a pen without pockets, nor purse... hmmm....

My first bet should be a ringtop vintage fp:

Could a belt clip be a solution?: Napa Leather Double Pen Case w/Belt Loop

If not, I'm afraid I can only think of a solution:

The pros: You can carry a LOT of pens.
The cons: Everything else. But everything.

Best

[lareine]

Ha ha, I am so tempted to go with the last option! Brilliant

The leather carrier might work. We have to wear swipe cards somewhere on our bodies at all times and mine is usually clipped to my belt or hanging on a lanyard. Maybe I could combine a pen carrier with a card carrier...

Anyway, regardless of any solution to my own problem, I'd still be interested to read about what the other ladies carry.

[Shangas]

Be careful with ringtop fountain pens. There are two kinds.

Men's ringtops, and women's ringtops.

Men's ringtops are 3-4 inches long, and are vest-pocket fountain pens. You clip them to your watch-chain and put them in your waistcoat pocket.

Women's ringtop fountain pens are about 5 inches long, and they're meant to go around your neck, on a chain or a ribbon.

These pens lasted for about 20 years, ca. 1910-1930/40. After that, they really died out.

[LizzieMaine]

I've got a pretty generic marbled-blue Esterbrook fountain pen I've been carrying for years -- it slides neatly into the little pouch in the lining of my WAC shoulder bag. It gets bounced around a lot, given that my bag is frequently carried in the basket of my bike, but so far there have been no disastrous leaks.

[John in Covina]

There are a few specail fountain pen cases but it solve no problem because they go in your pocket. Do you carry a cell phone? If you do, there may be a cell phone case that will handle a pen too.

The pen on a chain is very vintage, the guys in my pen club use the term Librarian pen sometimes for that type. If you are wearing an outfit with a belt, there are cases that clip to a belt that might accomdate a pen.

My suggestion is to always wear an outfit that has pockets.

Two thumbs up on the Esterbrook always a favorite of mine, I like the ability to swap out the nib and feed easily - I like using their medium and broad nibs a lot.