(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
I love bags and I love notebooks, so there are few things better than a bag for my notebook--or a good notebook case. And this is a very good one. Bellroy is known for their excellent bags and accessories. The only one of their products I've tried before is the lunch bag, which is the best lunch bag I've ever owned, so I was very excited to meet the Tokyo Folio.
The premise of this case is that it's designed to carry both your analog and digital tools in one handy package. Specifically, it's designed to hold an iPad Mini in the sleeve behind a slim notebook, and the pockets on the left are perfect for carrying cables, Air Pods, etc., and the pen sleeve is designed to fit an Apple Pencil. I don't have any of that stuff. So here's what I put in all those pockets.
The notebook: The case comes with a slim A5 notebook with a cardstock cover. It's decent, with good paper and nice binding. But you know I love a chonky notebook, and unfortunately this case only holds slim ones. I could fit a softcover Leuchtturm notebook--but that eats up too much of the space needed for the other pockets. So slim notebooks it is. While it won't work for bigger writing projects, it's still very useful for meeting notes or a commonplace book, which is closer to its intended design.
Retro 51 - nope!
Pilot Precise - yep!
The pen: The pen loop, which is a long, narrow leather channel in the inside of the spine, is designed to hold an Apple Pencil, so it doesn't hold most pens. It's very slim. It does hold very narrow pens, like a Bic or a Pilot Precise. But it's not going to hold many of the pens that I prefer to use. That was a bit of a bummer.
The tech: This promises to hold an iPad Mini, so long as the tablet is not in a protective case. Happily, it holds my Kindle Paperwhite just fine, even with its case and pop socket on. The tablet sleeve is gusseted, so it isn't squeezing the device.
The accessories: The wee side pockets are also gusseted, so you can fit some handy tools there. Ear buds, pocket notebooks, a small pen case (yaknow, cause your pen won't fit in the pen sleeve) all fit nicely here. And the zipper pocket on the back is perfect for a phone.
Overall, it holds a great kit. It might not be everything I'd want for my own perfect gear configuration, but it's very well designed for what it's supposed to do. As a small, portable office kit, it's perfect. Take your notes, send some emails, keep your phone and music handy--fabulous. Personally, I'd trade the tablet pocket for a larger notebook capacity and expand that pen loop. Or maybe I just need to finally cave and get an iPad, just so I can carry it around in this snazzy case.
The case itself is very snazzy. The raven-colored nylon is elegant and practical. It looks office-y, but it's also waterproof. The zipper pulls are soft leather, and the wee silver owl logo delights me. This is totally the case Athena would carry to her meetings.
All that good quality does come with a price tag on it. The 8” Folio costs $119, while its 12.9" sibling costs $175. It's a bit on the steep side. I do have some folio cases that hold more but cost less. You can certainly feel the quality in this case, though, and I don't think the price is too out of line. It's nice enough that it's tempting me to try some of Bellroy's other bags, which is a dangerous path to tread, for my wallet. Of course Bellroy also makes wallets, so ...
Ultimately, this is a very good case and very well designed for what it is supposed to do. My only gripes with it are that it does not do what I wanted it to do, which is not what it was designed to do. I'm still going to use it, though, because I just like it. And it has a little owl on it.
(This product was purchased at regular retail price from Bellroy.)
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