(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
I’ve been a fan of Rickshaw Bagworks ever since I discovered them back in 2017. It was even more awesome that they are local (San Francisco) and make everything to order in their SF factory. I have been meaning to write an article about the many Rickshaw products that I use (and I still need to do that) but sometimes an opportunity presents itself that can’t wait, so here we are!
Mark Dwight of Rickshaw hosted the SF Pen Posse for a meetup last Saturday and it gave me another chance to look at their Fillmore Pen Case, which they debuted at the SF Pen Show back in August. I haven’t been able to decide between the two configurations of the Fillmore, so I asked Mark if I could borrow them both for a comparison article, which would also help me pick the right one for me!
Unlike their other pen cases which roll up or are top zip, the Fillmore Pen Case opens up like a book, with a left and right side. My favorite part of Rickshaw pen products is their oh-so-soft Royal Plush lining and the Fillmore is no exception!
The Rickshaw Fillmore in the Stationery Icons pattern.
Closed and empty Fillmores, side by side. I asked for both to have the same pattern so it wouldn’t affect my opinion.
Both configurations of the Fillmore open/close via zipper and have 3-pen slots on the left side. Let’s talk about the 3-pen version first. In addition to the pen slots on the left, the 3-pen version also has two pockets on the right side - one which you can store a pocket notebook and two shorter and slimmer slots for storing credit cards, ephemera, etc.
Montblanc 146, Franklin-Christoph Model 50, Pelikan M800 on the left, and a utility knife, Swiss Army Cadet pocket knife, and a pocket notebook. Note that the two shorter pockets do not have the Royal Plush lining, but both sides of the larger pocket as well as the 3-pen slots are plush-lined.
From the Rickshaw website, the Fillmore’s overall dimensions are 7.5” x 4.75” x 1.0” and fits pens up to 6” tall and 19mm diameter. I managed to fit a Franklin-Christoph Model 50, which is a smidge longer than 6.5” and was technically able to zip it up, albeit very carefully, so you don’t run the zipper on the cap.
I’m not much of an “EDC” kinda person, but thought I’d try shoving a couple of knives into the Fillmore to see how they’d fit. I didn’t love my utility knife in the case because I kept worrying that the tilted-up clip would hit my pen, but it pretty much stayed in the seam on the other side. I also flipped the utility knife so the clip would face “outward” (away from center) and it was also fine.
Partially zipped view where you can see the utility knife centered between the right two pens.
Here’s what it looks like once it’s all zipped up. You can kinda see the bump in the top middle where the F-C Model 50 is hitting the top.
I managed to stuff my Traveler’s Company Passport notebook/cover into the right pocket, and still cram the utility and Swiss Army knives into their slots.
It does zip up but it’s a tight fit.
I was able to fit the Passport TN with the train charm on the cover (which added to its thickness). The Fillmore was more than capable of handling all the stuff, but I was more worried about the pressure of all that stuff against my pens.
I wish I had a picture of this but someone at pen posse uses the right pockets in their 3-pen Fillmore to fit their Canon Ivy photo printer and extra Zink packs, making it a photo/journaling kit. I thought this was a great use case (pun intended). I can also imagine using those pockets for cartridges/converters in baggies.
The 3+3 Fillmore case features 3 pen slots on both sides of the case. In addition, it also has a slightly shorter, full-width pocket on the right side. Mark recommends storing a 2-Pen Coozy (sold separately) or pocket notebook so your pens aren’t touching when the case is closed.
Montblanc 146, Franklin-Christoph Model 50, Pelikan M800 on the left side, Pilot Custom 823, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, Nahvalur Voyage on the right side.
You can see that the pens would be touching each other if you didn’t put anything between them.
I added a Visconti Homo Sapiens and a TWSBI Eco in the 2-pen Coozy sleeve.
Yay, no more touching!
You can also use a pocket notebook, which will also prevent the pens from touching.
Here are a few shots of the Fillmore with the Sinclair R so you can see how they compare:
Fillmore and Sinclair R (on the left in the Starry Night pattern) - the Fillmore is ever so slightly larger than the Sinclair R.
*Looking down at the Sinclair R (top) and the Fillmore - both happen to be 3-pen models. *
If you open the top of the Fillmore, it’s almost like a Sinclair R, where you insert/retrieve items from the top. You can get both in a 3-pen or 6-pen configuration. The Fillmore has the added ability of being able to be fully opened and laid down, but of course, it would take up more desk space when doing so. It really comes down to which one works better for you, or in my case, probably both. 🙂
Opened-up Fillmore with the Sinclair R.
I liked the dual zippers of the Sinclair R and thought it would be cool to have that on the Fillmore, until I thought about how I would most likely end up unzipping the wrong end and have pens falling out (even though it isn’t difficult to figure out which side is up). The Sinclair R wouldn’t have that issue because the zipper is always on top.
The Fillmore 3-pen Pen Case is $69, while the 3+3 is $74 (free shipping kicks in at $99). As I mentioned before, they make everything to order in their San Francisco factory, which means that products aren’t made until you order them. Turnaround time to shipping is usually within a few business days.
In the end, I’m not sure why I’ve been agonizing so much. Since I don’t really use pocket notebooks much, and I don’t really carry anything else with my pens, it became a no-brainer that the 6-pen Fillmore would be the better option for me. Since I already put more Coozy sleeves in my Coozy case and Sinclair R, I would do this with the 3+3, even if they didn’t suggest the 2-pen Coozy. Now that I’ve decided on the 3+3, the hard part will be picking what pattern I want!
(Disclaimer: Thank you to Mark Dwight of Rickshaw Bagworks for loaning me the 2 Fillmores and the 2-pen Coozy sleeve for this review. The Sinclair R is my own.)
