That time my field notebook got soaked at the Biskupin excavation back in 2019

I was out near the lakeside trench in Biskupin, Poland, when a sudden storm hit. My leather-bound notebook (which I'd had since 2015) got completely waterlogged - all my stratigraphy notes from three weeks of work were ruined. I spent the next four days trying to reconstruct the layers from memory and photos on my phone. Has anyone else had a similar disaster with site recordkeeping that just totally went sideways?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole35629d ago

Man, that's rough! A leather notebook soaking through is the worst, you think it'll protect your notes but it just turns into a sponge. I've seen guys try to waterproof their field books with duct tape or those plastic binder covers, but nothing really holds up against a proper drenching. At least you had your phone photos to fall back on, some folks don't even have that backup and they're totally lost.

rubys8017d ago

Kinda surprised nobody's mentioned how different paper types handle moisture either. Those thin Moleskine pages turn into instant mush but I've had decent luck with heavier paper like what you'd find in a Rite in the Rain - night and day difference when your bag gets caught in a downpour.

mitchell.lee29d ago

Huh, makes me wonder @cole356 - did you ever try that wax treatment on leather notebooks? I've heard some folks swear by rubbing beeswax into the cover before taking it out in wet weather. Not full waterproof but it beads off better than untreated leather. Always curious if that's more of a myth or if it actually buys you some time before the pages turn to mush.