Sorry for brief hiatus folks, been studying and that! (With ‘and that’ meaning ‘getting my tan on in gorgeous British Summer that will last three days.) Thanks for the patience :)! 

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Most women lie about themselves. Their size. Their age. Hell, even their gender sometimes! The Paper Republic Grand Voyageur XL is such a woman.

She tells me she’s made of buttery smooth leather. She is.

She tells me she can fit two inside…notebooks that is. And she can.

She tells me she’s A5 size. She’s NOT.

She’s a half size smaller than that. That’s like saying you are a double D bra size and actually you are a C.

And that friends, is where we are kicking off our review of the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur XL today. Don’t panic. I actually really like it :).

The Dating Profile: Vital Statistics

• €60
• Vegetable tanned leather cover in colours ranging from navy blue to cognac, with options for choosing your own band colour too – classy bird
• 15x21cm in size (not quite A5)
• Various refill options from plain, lines, grid, and weekly planner, all with 80gsm paper
• Also available with an iPad sleeve as an extra
• Grand Voyageur passport size, and traveler’s notebook sizes also an option

The Clothes: Packaging

This stationery beauty comes in a minimalist box that wouldn’t look amiss holding an Apple product. Clean lines, sans serif font of the notebook name and vibrant orange outer sleeve that pulls out to reveal your new Paper Republic lady pimp. Simple and to the point. Exactly how I like my dates. Great first impression.

The Body: Leather Cover

I opted for the buttery smooth navy blue with a turquoise ribbon and plain insert. The leather is DIVINE – super soft and flexible, cheeky Paper Republic debossed logo on the back and it smells incredible. I’ve used mine for a little under a month now and it’s picked up character well, whilst still looking super shiny! The turquoise elastics allow for two proprietary inserts, and are securely fastened in to avoid awkward droppages of your secret diary inserts. I’m a big fan…

…BUT, like Apple, this only takes proprietary notebooks as it is NOT – I repeat NOT – A5. This is a bit of a bummer for me, as I would love to use my new Taroko Designs Tomoe River notebook in there, or even a Rhodia softcover. That said, I get the business sense behind it, and luckily the PR notebooks are pretty fly for a white guy anyway.

The Insides (eurghh!): Notebook

I was pleasantly surprised by the notebook supplied. It’s nothing fancy: a blue cover, 80gsm paper that feels like Tomoe River to write on, and two staple binding. But it handles fountain pens very well. Little bleedthrough or feathering, some ghosting (to be expected with thin paper) but overall, a very nice writing experience. I could almost forgive PR for being naughty and not making it A5. Almost…

Go out with her again?: Verdict

I’d definitely go out with this baby again. The PR Grand Voyageur XL looks fierce, writes well and is great value for a great product. My only complaint is that she wasn’t honest about her dress size…but then again, who is?!

What do you think about the PR Grand Voyageur XL? Would the size put you off?

Keep those nibs mucky!

Disclaimer: This product was provided by PR for review, free of charge (cheers, Teresa!). All opinions are my own.