The best pen
- tahiti_treat
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:47 pm
- Burning Since: 2011
- Camp Name: NoTown
The best pen
I am still looking for my holy grail of pens. I like to journal at burning man, and I am unsatisfied with the performance of the ballpoint pens I've brought in the past as they get clogged with playa and stop working a few days in. Sharpies and pencils work fine and those are my backups, but I prefer writing with a pen. I would love to hear what you folks use to write.
-
- Posts: 974
- Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:44 pm
- Burning Since: 2014
Re: The best pen
We are getting a bit technical here.
My pen of choice on the playa is a: Uni-ball (Vision) Fine. Which they say is "waterproof / fade-proof".
My pen of choice on the playa is a: Uni-ball (Vision) Fine. Which they say is "waterproof / fade-proof".
Specializing in Calibrating Windsocks -- Any where, Any Time, and Any elevation.
Vidi ego exars.
Vidi ego exars.
- Shoeshine
- Posts: 169
- Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 12:21 am
- Burning Since: 2010
- Camp Name: Camp DIY
- Location: San Deigo, CA
Re: The best pen
My go-to for journaling is a Pigma micron drafting pen. They are super fine tip permanent ink. come in a huge array of colors and tip sizes. obviously great for drawing too. for general purpose writing I like the sepia tone .02 tip.
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
- GreyCoyote
- Posts: 2161
- Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:24 am
- Burning Since: 2000
Re: The best pen
The Fisher Space Pen. Hands down my favorite. It will write anywhere, including underwater and upside down. Dust bothers it not. And its comfortable to hold. Add some HP Tough Paper and the result is indestructable and waterproof.
About $20 at the usual office supply places.
About $20 at the usual office supply places.
"To sum up my compassion level, I think we should feed the unwanted animals to the homeless. Or visa versa. Too much attention and money is spent on both."
(A Beautiful Mind)
(A Beautiful Mind)
Re: The best pen
Sharpie ultra fine retractable. Never fails.
Those aren't buttermilk biscuits I'm lying on Savannah
Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
- BBadger
- Posts: 5959
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:37 am
- Burning Since: 2010
- Location: (near) Portland, OR, USA
Re: The best pen
The best general (non-boutique) pen you can find is probably the Uniball Jetstream.
- Dries instantly (no smears)
- Very sharp
- Smooth writing
- Retractable.
Now whether this translates to on-playa goodness, I don't know. I bring a Jetstream, but usually stick with Sharpies or such if I need to write something down, usually on an object.
- Dries instantly (no smears)
- Very sharp
- Smooth writing
- Retractable.
Now whether this translates to on-playa goodness, I don't know. I bring a Jetstream, but usually stick with Sharpies or such if I need to write something down, usually on an object.
"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens
Hate reading my replies? Click here to add me to your plonk (foe) list.
Hate reading my replies? Click here to add me to your plonk (foe) list.
- TT120
- Posts: 1777
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:43 pm
- Burning Since: 2012
- Camp Name: Orphans TOO!
- Location: Sacramento, CA.
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
This^^^GreyCoyote wrote:The Fisher Space Pen. Hands down my favorite. It will write anywhere, including underwater and upside down. Dust bothers it not. And its comfortable to hold. Add some HP Tough Paper and the result is indestructable and waterproof.
About $20 at the usual office supply places.
Grey knows what he's talking about. He's upside down under water a LOT.
Life's a bitch, then you go to Burning Man - Unjonharley
We welcome the stranger, but that doesn't mean we have to like them, nor they us, and that's alright. - AntiM
W6BJD
We welcome the stranger, but that doesn't mean we have to like them, nor they us, and that's alright. - AntiM
W6BJD
- some seeing eye
- Posts: 3729
- Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:06 pm
- Burning Since: 1999
- Camp Name: Woo
- Location: The Oregon
Re: The best pen
Dust to dust, so fight dust with graphite.
Consider a mechanical pencil. Retractible architect pencils take different diameter and hard-soft lead. Art stores have them. Soft lead. They are not designed to take mechanical abuse like sitting wrong in a pocket.
Consider a mechanical pencil. Retractible architect pencils take different diameter and hard-soft lead. Art stores have them. Soft lead. They are not designed to take mechanical abuse like sitting wrong in a pocket.
increasing the signal to noise ratio with compassion
- Admiral Fukkit
- Posts: 279
- Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:44 am
- Burning Since: 2000
- Camp Name: Camp I'm going to Hawaii instead
Re: The best pen
Yo yo south side checkin in, word up for the spray can, its all u need! Me and my homies be diggin on the Krylon, it got the bomb coverage. It easy to steal you a case off the truck while they be loading it in the back of the Home Depot 'n shit.
- GreyCoyote
- Posts: 2161
- Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:24 am
- Burning Since: 2000
Re: The best pen
Well... there is Flipside. (Pick any year. Hehe)TT120 wrote:This^^^GreyCoyote wrote:The Fisher Space Pen. Hands down my favorite. It will write anywhere, including underwater and upside down. Dust bothers it not. And its comfortable to hold. Add some HP Tough Paper and the result is indestructable and waterproof.
About $20 at the usual office supply places.
Grey knows what he's talking about. He's upside down under water a LOT.
"To sum up my compassion level, I think we should feed the unwanted animals to the homeless. Or visa versa. Too much attention and money is spent on both."
(A Beautiful Mind)
(A Beautiful Mind)
- trilobyte
- Site Admin
- Posts: 16910
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 10:54 pm
- Burning Since: 2004
- Camp Name: Brainy Bar
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
Sharpies and blood!
- Luigi
- Posts: 115
- Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:53 am
- Burning Since: 2014
- Camp Name: VW Bus Camp
- Location: Reno NV
Re: The best pen
Second on the Fisher Space Pen. Have been carrying one for years and they work great.
"Water is the driving force of all nature. " Leonardo da Vinci
- tahiti_treat
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:47 pm
- Burning Since: 2011
- Camp Name: NoTown
Re: The best pen
Thanks folks! Sounds like the Space Pen is the way to go. 

- FlyingMonkey
- Posts: 1271
- Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:33 am
Re: The best pen
Admiral, have you been sniffing sharpies or has your account been hacked?Admiral Fukkit wrote:Yo yo south side checkin in, word up for the spray can, its all u need! Me and my homies be diggin on the Krylon, it got the bomb coverage. It easy to steal you a case off the truck while they be loading it in the back of the Home Depot 'n shit.
I vote ultra fine sharpies but what I really need is one that has spell check & can cut & paste.
-BTW Tahiti, I love your avatar. You look so fun & happy! I can't help but smile every time I see it

In your wildest dreams you can not imagine the marvelous SURPRISES that await YOU.
- tahiti_treat
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:47 pm
- Burning Since: 2011
- Camp Name: NoTown
Re: The best pen
Aww, thank you! That made ME smileFlyingMonkey wrote:-BTW Tahiti, I love your avatar. You look so fun & happy! I can't help but smile every time I see it

- Eric
- Moderator
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:45 pm
- Burning Since: 2003
- Camp Name: BRC Weekly
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
I'll take "Casually Racist Posts" for $1000 Alex...Admiral Fukkit wrote:Yo yo south side checkin in, word up for the spray can, its all u need! Me and my homies be diggin on the Krylon, it got the bomb coverage. It easy to steal you a case off the truck while they be loading it in the back of the Home Depot 'n shit.

It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
- Admiral Fukkit
- Posts: 279
- Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:44 am
- Burning Since: 2000
- Camp Name: Camp I'm going to Hawaii instead
Re: The best pen
Thats funny I can't find any mention of racial anything anywhere in it.
Must be at your end.
Must be at your end.
- Eric
- Moderator
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:45 pm
- Burning Since: 2003
- Camp Name: BRC Weekly
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
'Admiral Fukkit wrote:Thats funny I can't find any mention of racial anything anywhere in it.
Must be at your end.
And that's what would make it "Casual Racism": I know how you speak normally - why the need for a specific dialect in a post about stealing & spray painting? Why the mention of the "south side"? Think about it. You wrote as a specific character, and it isn't a generic one.
It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
- Admiral Fukkit
- Posts: 279
- Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:44 am
- Burning Since: 2000
- Camp Name: Camp I'm going to Hawaii instead
Re: The best pen
It was common urban dialect, satirical and funny... until you went hyper-sensitive politically correct whitey cracker about it.
- Eric
- Moderator
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:45 pm
- Burning Since: 2003
- Camp Name: BRC Weekly
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
It's a common urban dialect - amongst African-American's. Which you used to talk about stealing. That isn't "hyper-sensitive", that's awareness that what you might find "funny" is an absolute insult to anyone of color. The days of nice white folks just letting casual racism roll on through under the guise of a "joke" are long past. And this "politically correct whitey cracker" has no problems calling other whites out on it, since they don't seem to listen to people of color.Admiral Fukkit wrote:It was common urban dialect, satirical and funny... until you went hyper-sensitive politically correct whitey cracker about it.
It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
- gaminwench
- Posts: 3018
- Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:57 am
- Burning Since: 1999
- Camp Name: DOTA, EoD, OBOP, Destiny Lounge
- Location: Blue Ridge-la
Re: The best pen
I just stocked up on sharpies (the neon kind, we're a UV3D camp!).
Tried and true.
I also have traveling sharpies, to leave behind ...
Tried and true.
I also have traveling sharpies, to leave behind ...
"the prophecies of doom were better last year" trilo
- FlyingMonkey
- Posts: 1271
- Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:33 am
Re: The best pen
I'm not a racist, not a homophobe, and I think Women should be treated equal to men in all respects (I also think we we are pretty myopic thinking there are only 2 sexes). Having said that I rarely find anything "correct" about political correctness.Eric wrote:It's a common urban dialect - amongst African-American's. Which you used to talk about stealing. That isn't "hyper-sensitive", that's awareness that what you might find "funny" is an absolute insult to anyone of color. The days of nice white folks just letting casual racism roll on through under the guise of a "joke" are long past. And this "politically correct whitey cracker" has no problems calling other whites out on it, since they don't seem to listen to people of color.Admiral Fukkit wrote:It was common urban dialect, satirical and funny... until you went hyper-sensitive politically correct whitey cracker about it.
But on this Eric, I agree with you 100%. Sorry Admiral, just not funny. But I still value your opinion.
Back to the OP.........Do sharpies dry out really fast on Playa & has anyone tried grease pencils for writing on wood & other surfaces that don't require a fine tip?
In your wildest dreams you can not imagine the marvelous SURPRISES that await YOU.
- trilobyte
- Site Admin
- Posts: 16910
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 10:54 pm
- Burning Since: 2004
- Camp Name: Brainy Bar
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
Well said, FM, I agree.
Sharpies dry out fast if you leave them in the sun, or with the caps off. If you can avoid those two things, they work well for most surfaces - I use them for most needs. I bring a small pile of black, red, and silver sharpies (aside from looking cool, they mark well on dark surfaces).
Gaminwech, I like the idea of neon sharpies for stuff, we do a fair amount of UV in our public space.
Sharpies dry out fast if you leave them in the sun, or with the caps off. If you can avoid those two things, they work well for most surfaces - I use them for most needs. I bring a small pile of black, red, and silver sharpies (aside from looking cool, they mark well on dark surfaces).
Gaminwech, I like the idea of neon sharpies for stuff, we do a fair amount of UV in our public space.
- Eric
- Moderator
- Posts: 9360
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:45 pm
- Burning Since: 2003
- Camp Name: BRC Weekly
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
I've had problems out there with the metallic sharpies, unless I'm writing on paper. Never had a problem with any of the regular ones.
It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
Eric ShutterSlut
Former Ass't Editor & columnist, BRC Weekly
- Sham
- Moderator
- Posts: 8647
- Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:10 am
- Location: The hidden mythical place.....
Re: The best pen
Maybe 6 years ago, I brought a large bag of black Sharpies to distribute around the Temple for people to write notes on the structure. I walked around slowly and placed them every 6 feet or so. As I worked my way around and continued to put more out, I noticed that virtually every one of them was taken and walked off with. I don't do that anymore. 

Re: The best pen
trilo, the important word here is retractible. Don't buy the ones with removable caps.Sharpie ultra fine retractable.
Those aren't buttermilk biscuits I'm lying on Savannah
Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
- trilobyte
- Site Admin
- Posts: 16910
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 10:54 pm
- Burning Since: 2004
- Camp Name: Brainy Bar
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
Ratty - fuck that noise, I can't stand the retractable sharpies. They're a nuisance, and either just have less ink than the regular ones or dry out in the desert faster than a good sharpie with a cap. I'm perfectly happy to use the ones with caps (which are also usually cheaper), I don't think I've ever had a problem with either lost cap or one left sitting without a cap on it.
Eric - I got a fancy package of different colored metallics once and they didn't work that well. I get the silver sharpies in a package of all silver, and I think I get them in hardware stores (though I may have done my last order online).
Eric - I got a fancy package of different colored metallics once and they didn't work that well. I get the silver sharpies in a package of all silver, and I think I get them in hardware stores (though I may have done my last order online).
Re: The best pen
Hmmmmm. Interesting. Thanks for setting me straight. I never recognized their faults. (I secretly still think they are from heaven.) Anybody want one just stop by Tiger Man Camp early in the week. 5:15 and E I'll have an extra dozen. My camp backs up to Trilobyte's so you can visit us both at once.
Those aren't buttermilk biscuits I'm lying on Savannah
Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer
- trilobyte
- Site Admin
- Posts: 16910
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 10:54 pm
- Burning Since: 2004
- Camp Name: Brainy Bar
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact:
Re: The best pen
Though please ask before walking through people's camps. It's very jarring for campmates to discover strangers wandering through their camp's private space 
