Comments for VIDEO: Write In The Shower With Rite-In-The-Rain Notebooks

VIDEO: Write In The Shower With Rite-In-The-Rain Notebooks

2007-03-29T20:10:17Z

Wish you could write in the shower? If you're a freak like us and dabble in Getting Things Done (a flexible productivity system relying on copious notetaking), then you might enjoy the waterproof Rite-In-The-Rain notebook as much as we do.

Using a pencil or a waterproof pen, you can actually write on it underwater. The pages are coated so they never get soggy. The book does get "damp" but it dries off after a while. Your writing stays legible. The book doesn't dissolve.

You can even order a custom notebook with different kinds of lined paper and your own cover. Prices vary depending on the model, but you can get basic spiral for $4.20.

Some of our best ideas happen in the shower. Now we never have to lose them. — BEN POPKEN

Rite-In-The-Rain [Official Site]

Comment from reflous on 2007-03-30

2007-03-30T17:25:32Z

Advertising corporate products seems to undermine your message. How much is Rite-In-The-Rain paying you? If they start shafting customers, are you going to report on them?

Comment from frankadelic on 2007-03-30

2007-03-30T14:16:06Z

As a field archaeologist I've used these notebooks for years. They're also impervious to urine, by the way!

Comment from ZonzoMaster on 2007-03-30

2007-03-30T09:50:12Z

@homerjay:

The last seconds of the video could be considered a WTF moment.

Comment from shiznannigan on 2007-03-30

2007-03-30T09:36:13Z

These certainly come in handy, and as blindinTexas 1st Cav or 4 ID, btw?) said, they are a military staple item. Great for taking notes in field environments.

Comment from Apeweek on 2007-03-30

2007-03-30T08:10:15Z

I write in the shower on my PDA. Yes, seriously. I seal it in a ziplock-type baggie, the write through the baggie onto the PDA screen.

Comment from zolielo on 2007-03-29

2007-03-30T00:57:31Z

I have a lifehacker tip that can relate to this many times, though not always.

Often bank checks are water resistant to the point where they can be readily written on in the rain and even underwater.

So if you have moved or for some other reason have a stack of old check and a need to write in the shower - give it them a go to see if they are the type that can withstand.

Comment from brilliantmistake on 2007-03-29

2007-03-30T00:33:39Z

Ben's not talking about the Yupo paper. Rite in the Rain has been around for close to a century. I've used it for almost 20 years for field work.

If you really want to geek out (and I know you do), upgrade to a PDA in a waterproof case. I've upgraded to a PDA for data entry in the field, and I use aquapac cases- you can still use the PDA while soaking wet.

http://www.aquapac.net/usstore/erol.html

Comment from tracyjordanvsodb on 2007-03-29

2007-03-30T00:05:58Z

These things sound good in theory, but in the field I prefer a grease pen and laminated sheets for quick note taking. blindInTexas if you ever have to copy down any thing sensitive (e.g. radio freqs or unit locations) these write in the rain pages are a pain to burn.

Comment from blindInTexas on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T23:47:13Z

I've been using those notebooks for the the last 4.5 years it's listed up there as "must haves" when going to the field. Right next to field jacket liner, poncho Liner, neck gaiter, and large amounts of tabacco and beef jerky.

Comment from ironchef on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T22:42:06Z

the paper is made by Yupo. It's a synthetic sheet. Extremely expensive. It's great for menus or paper that needs to be in harsh environments.

One of the interesting properties of Yupo synthetic paper...you can't tear it. The paper will stretch like plastic.

Comment from Moonshine Mike on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T22:29:36Z

@Anne: You're implying Ben or other men here clean showers. That's a tall leap for some of us.

My problem would be reading it backwards on the opaque door.

Comment from benjaminUK on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T22:03:51Z

I spend about 45 minutes, three days a week, in the sauna and steam room at the gym. I already take laminated foreign vocab lists etc in with me, to be doing something constructive, and a waterproof notepad would certainly also be a bonus.

Comment from Anne on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T21:54:52Z

Hilarious video, but it does sound like a pitch.

Instead of a special notebook, I keep a grease pencil nearby (some call them china markers) and use it to write on the walls of my shower. Relatively easy cleanup afterwards, and they also serve as reminders--especially helpful if it's a to-do list that might get lost otherwise. The only downside is that I have to copy it down afterwards if I don't want to lose it on my next clean-up of my shower.

Comment from jtdcg on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T21:21:24Z

I have been using a rite in rain notebook for all my info for sometime. (use this one from REI with spiral and plastic cover) http://www.rei.com/product/608507 I've found it to be more durable, can take abuse and I can take my notebook everywhere (hiking, biking to work, skiing, etc)....laugh if you must but it has tons of practical use.
As a side I use pencil most (do get some smudging over time) and also use this pen tucked in the binding (tight fit)
http://www.spacepen.com/Public/Products/AdventurePen/index...

Comment from savedsoul on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T21:02:18Z

For crying out loud ... it's not even April 1st yet!

Whats next? Installing a garbage disposal and making your meals under the faucet? Oh wait, thats a dumb idea too as Cosmo Kramer potraited about a decade ago. Some things are just better done when your feet aren't on bare porcelain.

Comment from Moonshine Mike on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T20:58:03Z

I think my "So it's called 'writing in the shower' now? comment" was lost. And it had such great intentions.

There is stil a lot of use for writing outside in bad weather.

Comment from bhp on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T20:57:02Z

Interesting idea. Another option might be to use scuba slates. Basically it's a piece of hard plastic that scuba divers use to write notes and messages to each other underwater. They come in many sizes and usually have a piece of tubing that the pencil is attached to and you can erase with a normal eraser. There is also usually a strap of some sort, so you could attach it to the shower head. They're fairly cheap, starting at around $5.00 US.

Comment from not_seth_brundle on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T20:53:46Z

Getting Things Done, you mean?

Comment from tadiera on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T20:47:53Z

We need more videos, Ben. :D

Comment from danoak on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T20:43:10Z

I used these on lab assignments in the field when studying forestry. They saved my butt so many times that I got everyone around me using them.

Thanks for the video.

Comment from tcabeen on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T20:36:27Z

I can't see the video, but I can definitely think of another useful situation for such things:
Biologists working in cloud forests, swamps, and other ridiculously damp environments.

Comment from faust1200 on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T19:48:32Z

Ben, you make a great pitch-man. I like the mouth click at the end for added emphasis. Perhaps years from now you will make the Great Moments in Commercial History segment.

Comment from Hoss on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T19:36:04Z

The product actually looks pretty useful for writing while soaking in the tub, hot tub or in the pool, etc. The pricing is reasonable too

Comment from Katharine on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T19:34:52Z

Or you could use them in the pouring rain while working in the field (which is sooo fun let me tell you). Also they preserve better in the long term. Nice video.

Comment from marciepooh on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T19:34:31Z

Geologist, biologist, sureyors, engineers, and just about any one else who works outdoors has know about rite-in-the-rain for years. They sell the waterproof pens, too. Regular ballpoint work pretty well, as long as you aren't actually under water (and maybe not so good in the shower). I always just write in the condensation on the walls if I have to see something, of course I almost alway forget what I was thinking about as soon as I wrap up in a towel.

Comment from homerjay on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T19:22:12Z

This business is making you very weird, Ben. Very weird indeed.

oh, and next time let Meghann do the shower scenes, ok? :)

Comment from Sam Glover on 2007-03-29

2007-03-29T19:16:16Z

I have no use for such a notebook, but I nearly fell off my chair watching that video.