Expansi-Folio Leather Wide A5 Zip Folio - Undyed Leather

Been using my Expansi-Folio every day for the last month, both for work and personal use. I work mostly outdoors and it’s held up great. Holds exactly the thing that I want, in a neatly organized package. Haven’t had any durability issues in the field.

I use my expansi-folio every single day. And I'm not even sure why. It's made to keep your things together while you're out and about - or traveling. Right? Well, when I'm sitting at home, I have a spot on my couch where I sit and do my writing. I have a little table I slide up, a pen box right next to my seat on the table, and my journals all standing there. It's actually quite inconvenient to pick up my folio and unzip it, get everything out of it that I'm going to use, write, then put it all back in. So why don't I stand my journal next to the others? Put my pen and my clip in the box or a pen cup?

Because this thing is so lovely and beautiful, that's why. I've literally gone through this rigmarole several times a day for the last five weeks since I received this folio. It's crazy. But it all comes down to loving the leather. I love the feel of it in my hands. I love the sound and feel of the expensive zipper when I pull it around its track. I like the inconvenience, because it reminds me that what I'm doing is not just writing. It's a tactile endeavor. An emotional engagement.

Laugh all you want, but that's what writing is to me. Writing has been what's gotten me through the hardest times in my life. I am a writer. And when I write, I don't mind - and actually prefer to - go through these rituals that ground me. They remind me that what I'm doing may look like just scribbling in a journal. But I'm also pouring my heart out to the pages of a book. For posterity. For peace.

This leather folio is a statement to the care and order of things, at least in my mind. But you know what else? It travels. I took it on vacation with me last week and carried it to all the places we went. When the wife went in somewhere, I sat in coffee shops and quiet nooks and opened my folio to write. I can't imagine something more perfect. Well, unless it had a handle.

I braided some rawhide strips and looped them through the spine so I could carry it around a little easier. I think if Galen offered a leather snap ring or something that would serve the same purpose, I would jump right on it. Other than that, it's perfect. I love that this leather journal case has become part of my everyday life.

...that does not mean that there are not room for improvements. I love 95% of this folio, but for my personal preference, I would have liked to see the following changes:

1. pen loops that more stretchy and accomodate pens that go from very thin to thicker fountain pens. Maybe a different pen holder could be supplied and be purchased separately to fix this need. My mechanical pencil floats freely inside and is not something that can use the current pen-loops.

2. from an UX perspective, I found the zipper to be a little sharp to the touch on the inside, and feels a little scratchy. From an aestetic perspective, I would have liked it to blend in a little more. It now looks like a row of metal teeth around the whole folio

3. once again from an aestetic perspective, I would have liked way thicker black leather piping around the edges of the folio to make them the most protruding feature.

4. I am using it together with the Midori Codex and think that it would not hurt to make it sligtly thicker to make it bulge a bit less

This folio seems unique in the market and seems to be good value (so far).

Absolutely beautiful quality leather and craftsmanship. The Ocean Blue colour is to die for. The perfect planner/ journal companion. Quick delivery & great value for money.

The expansi folio has the perfect arrangement of pockets and loops. I use the 1 Day 1 Page Midori undated dotted notebook and fill all the loops with kaweco sports. I tuck a couple light Midori notebooks into the pockets and clip my chapstick and Loop earplugs on the clip (it took some diy mods to get them to hang in the right places). The large loop fits the Midori correction tape, but it's a bit loose so I tuck my Loop earplug tether in there to keep it snug. I love my folio and use it daily to keep from the infinite scroll. It's sturdy and securely holds everything in place. The zipper does rip off the little Midori number sticker flags you can install, so I use book darts instead.

This holds everything I actually need for my Bullet Journaling habit. I've been doing it for over a decade, as I was following Ryder's website when Lifehack first made it famous, as I'd been doing all kinds of systems in the early 2000's due to work needs, and I *like* notebooks and pens and have always used them to slow my thinking down with respect to technology so that I could get a good think on projects before doing the work.

I've been traveling a LOT lately, I haven't spent more than a week home three of the last six months, so having a whole package for just my journaling needs was a godsend. I used to pack the journal, my pens separately, and then a bunch of tools in another pouch, and now I can just put everything in one package, and since I've sometimes gone to monster-thick A5's I needed something that could be better than the old zip folio.

The big toothed zipper can sometimes be a little awkward to zip, but the big big teeth also mean that it's going to be a lot harder to destroy, long term. This thing is made to last. I really love having my initials on it, and I love that I can keep rubbing the conditioning wax into it as it picks up scratches, scuffs, and personality with miles and time.

This Expansion folio is brilliant! It can hold so much especially when on the go. Everything about this product feels amazing. Most of all nothing beats their customer service. They are a ray of sunshine company that goes above and beyond to make the customer happy. Will always be one of my favorite places to shop. Thank you.

Perfect for journaling, planning or keeping track! Each piece tells its own story. And that beautiful patina? Amazing!

My dear husband knows that I love all things Galen leather - I have at least 7 folios & notebook covers, leather totes and zippered pouches - and I especially put each new Hobonichi journal in my A5 zippered folio every January. I am an art journaler, so my Hobo is used for writing and painting, sketching and collage. It gets fat & chunky. Having pens, a ruler, stickers in the folio is such a plus, but by May or June, my Hobo is too fat, and I have to remove the pens and pen holder. Yet, he saw the new ocean blue color and surprised me with a new folio for my birthday in January regardless.. And then the next week, my girlfriend came over to visit WITH the NEW Expansi version. In ocean blue. OMGeee! To have another inch of space is EVERYTHING and more. I have a GOOD man, because he then ordered me the Expansi in ocean blue (which is also the name of my Bengal cat in Japanese, Umi Ao, LOL) Would I still want yet another inch of space. Yep! (Hint, hint) But I am so happy to have my precious journal housed in such a bespoke and lavish manner. Thank you for non-stop attention to quality and detail, Galen. I remain loyal and will continue to refer you to every person I can. As an artist, I applaud the craftsmanship you give to your clients. You’re my favorite.

This Expasni-Folio is absolutely amazing! It has a ton of room to store a thick A5 size journal, several pen slots that have elastic loops that you can store large diameter or standard size fountain pens. It has slots to store business cards and large slots for extra stationary. It’s built with a heavy duty zipper, beautifully finished leather and heavy duty stitching, truly built to last two life times. It fits easily into a backpack for everyday use. Super fast shipping from Turkey to the U.S.! Thanks Galen Leather Company for making a great product!