Gfeller Casemakers is now offering a leather Moleskine cover that I think is just perfect. This is the result of my original request for a custom cover and a delightful process of testing several prototypes and brainstorming with Steve what design would best allow use of the elastic cover strap, access to the back pocket, and preservation of an even writing surface.
Steve is offering the cover in several different leathers and colors (black and brown), but personally I would only purchase it in Gfeller’s signature English Kip. This leather is a pale tan when new, but over time, it will darken down to a rich dark mahogany. And because it has no dyed surface, the Kip cover will wear better than, say, a black dyed cover. Scratches and bumps will only add to the character of the cover, giving it a wonderful feel like a fine old saddle — or of course one of Gfeller’s field cases after years of use in the field.
The cover is made with the attention to detail that has made Gfeller a legend among geologists and field scientists for their extraordinary leather field cases. It his hand-cut and sewn with waxed Egyptian cotton thread, which is tap-set so that it will never, ever break. Steve is also stamping a serial number in each cover beneath the Gfeller cartouche, a reminder that one is not merely buying a journal cover but also an heirloom in the making.
