How to Set Up Your Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter
The Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter is a notebook cover that allows for maximum freedom. Similar to a traveler's journal, you can completely mix and match the inner notebooks to fit your needs. However, unlike a traveler’s journal, the notebooks are held secure by clips instead of elastics, and the Roterfaden comes in regular notebook sizes: A6, A5, and A4!
The Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter also has plenty of pockets to store tickets, receipts, business cards, loose printed paper, phone numbers, and anything else you wouldn’t want to lose. With the built-in pen loop, you’ll always have your favourite writing instrument on hand! The pen holder tends to fit slimmer pens and pencils better than thicker writing instruments, so be sure to opt for a model like a Faber Castell Neo Slim or a Lamy CP1 if you prefer to use a fountain pen.
But with so much versatility, where do you even begin to set it up? Here are our suggestions for five different ways to set up your organiser for different kinds of Roterfaden users.
How do you use your Roterfaden? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
For the Hard Worker
If you're bringing your Roterfaden to the office, you'll probably want to have everything impeccably organised. An A6 size is best for taking on the go, an A4 will give you extra room to write, and an A5 is a happy medium, so you'll want to make sure that you pick the right size for your needs. For office workers, we recommend using a larger notebook and a colour-coding system for important notes and dates. Instead of bright highlighters, try Zebra Mildliners or Atopen Brush Pens to find all of your important information quickly. For those who take their notes to the field, there is no better match than an A6 cover with Field Notes notebooks!
Try keeping one of your notebooks as a journal, another for notes, and the last for important contacts and follow-up information, or you could use each of the three notebooks for different special projects you have on your plate. No matter what, with all of the writing you’ll have to do, you'll want to have some high-quality paper. The varieties from Apica and Life Stationery feel great to write on, and the slim notebooks are inexpensive and easy to replace when they’re full. For best versatility, keep the back pocket of your organiser free to store a cellphone in the A5 organiser or an iPad or small tablet in your A4 organiser!
For the Student
Students often need a loose piece of paper on short notice for things like attendance, reading responses, pop quizzes, and contact information of group members. One of the essentials for students is a flip-open, reporter-style notepad for the back pocket of your Roterfaden. For the best fit, opt for one size (or more) down from your leather notebook cover: A5 users should opt for a B6 or smaller notepad, A4 users for a B5 or smaller, and A6 for a B7 or smaller. Since Rhodia notepads come in so many sizes and varieties, those are often our first choice for back pocket notepads. The paper on Rhodia Paper Pads are also perforated, so it rips off cleanly.
One of the easiest and most logical ways to set up your Roterfaden as a student is to have one notebook per course. Alternatively, you could always use one notebook for school notes, another as an agenda or bullet journal, and the last for a part-time job or extracurricular activity!
For the Artist
Artists, we see you! With so much paint, pasting, and pizzazz, artists’ notebooks are usually bursting at the seams. That means you'll want a Roterfaden that can handle everything you throw at it! Luckily, your notebook folio will stretch over time, giving you even more space to fill.
For the artist, we recommend using a sketch paper like the Clairefontaine Flying Spirit Sketchbook. For light washes of watercolour or a smooth writing experience, Tomoe River paper is a great option for artists. The Hobonichi Memo Pad sets fit perfectly into an A6 or A5 size Roterfaden, or you could try the MacLellan Books Tomoe River pocket notebooks for an A6. Don’t forget to tuck some of your essentials, like stickers and washi tapes, into the pockets!
For the Environmentalist
If you’re looking for a vegan option of the classic leather cover, you’re not going to be left wanting. Roterfaden also makes vegan covers made of similar high quality materials to the leather counterparts: ballet dance floor and vegan felt. Since many organiser options rely solely on leather for their covers, the Roterfaden is a unique option for you!
If you have sustainability top-of-mind, you’re likely wanting to shop as local as possible to reduce the effects of shipping. The MacLellan Books pocket notebooks are a hyper-local collaboration, and they will fit perfectly into an A6 Roterfaden. Pair it with a sustainable pen, like the Caran D’Ache Nespresso ballpoint (which fits perfectly into the slim pen loop), and you have a stylish, environmentally-friendly setup.
For the Traveler
The Roterfaden system is so versatile that you can use it for all of your travels! Since Roterfaden products are made in German tanneries, you know that you’re carrying an authentic, high-quality piece of the world with you everywhere you go.
The traveler will likely want to keep things light. The WK_12 model has one fewer set of clips, making for a sleeker and easier-to-stow design. However, you’ll still want lots of space to store all of your tickets, receipts, photos, and trinkets! You can pop small items under the clips like a paperclip, but you can also add clear card files and sheet protectors that will protect your memories without taking up too much room. Make sure to tuck your contact information into one of the pockets in case your Roterfaden gets lost abroad, and don’t forget the photo corners!