Disclaimer: I received the Leather Zippered Hobonichi Weeks Cover for free from Galen Leather in exchange for an honest write-up. This webpage and this website do NOT contain any affiliate links or advertising. That means if you click on a link, I’m not making any money from it. 😊
I’ve been raving about my Hobonichi Techo Weeks for over a year now. For me, it’s part planner, part journal, part creative outlet. So, when Yusuf at The Galen Leather Co. reached out to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their products, of course I selected the leather zippered cover made specifically for the Hobonichi Weeks! (Apparently, Galen Leather gets excited about the Hobonichi line of products too!)
I say “of course” but there were so many wonderful products to choose from! I’m still drooling over that Writer’s Medic Bag. Oh, and the Washi Tape Dispenser…someone stop me.
As someone who loves pens, notebooks, and all things stationery, how did I not even know this amazing company existed? Their aesthetic is right up my alley!
If you weren’t aware of them either, worry no more. I am here to enlighten you. If you did know about them, shame on you for not sharing this information with me! 😋
About the Galen Leather Co.
The story behind Galen Leather is inspiring. Based in Turkey, Galen was founded by Zeynep who turned to leather craft after being diagnosed with a rare head and neck cancer. Her brother Yusuf joined her shortly after, and the company kept evolving, changing as challenges presented themselves, allowing this family-run business to keep growing.
You can read more about the company on their website.
Sadly, Zeynep passed away in 2019, but her legacy lives on. The writing community meant a lot to her, and it shows in Galen’s products. Whether it’s a pen case or notebook case, or even something for your cellphone or laptop, great care and thought was put into the design and execution. Everything is handmade in Turkey using traditional leather-making techniques, including vegetable tanning. You can even have things personalized!
The Leather Zippered Hobonichi Weeks Cover
Whenever we go out to a cafe to have a business meeting or go on vacation, I like to bring my Hobonichi planner. It’s where my thoughts go and I find it very comforting to have on hand. However, throwing it into my purse or suitcase or backpack does cause some wear and tear as you’d expect. While I realize some of the most loved things in your life are the things that show the most wear and tear, it would still be nice to slow that degradation! I also need to protect my Kakashi sticker!
The leather zippered cover I got from Galen is more than just a cover. It’s kind of a “bug out bag”. I can throw my driver’s license, credit cards, library card, metro card, and pen in there with my planner. Good to go!
I tucked my watercolor in here just to show there’s another space behind the planner. However, if you zip this up, there’s another pocket on the back where this paper would also fit nicely!
You can see that there’s room for a lot of cards in here! I honestly don’t even have that many to fill this up. Haha!
In the back, you can slip in a passport or other slim notebook. I might actually use it for watercolor paper. That way, when I’m out and about, I can do a rough sketch on the paper and paint it later. This just keeps getting better and better!
Also, if I’m not sporting any pockets, I can fit my phone into the back pocket! Full disclosure, I have an iPhone 12 Pro, so I did have to take it out of its protective sleeve before it would fit. Maybe as the leather loosens, it might fit with the sleeve. We’ll see. It’s not a dealbreaker.
My brick of a phone fits in the back pocket! My blurry little octopus friend is impressed!
If you enjoy watching people unbox things, I made a video for you! Otherwise, keep scrolling!
Craftsmanship
Now that you know what it’s for, let’s talk about the craftsmanship. My pictures don’t do it justice. The leather is so soft and smooth. You can tell that it’s just going to get better and better the more you use it. It will go from having this new shine to a more supple look.
This comes in a variety of colors, to include black, brown, and purple. Purple! You might have to check the site often because when I last looked they were sold out. Then, there are the “Crazy Horse” colors options. What’s crazy horse, you ask? I’d like to say it’s exactly what it sounds like because that mental image is magnificent. However, it’s the type of leather. Crazy horse is full grain leather which has a longevity of 20+ years. Because of its durability, it’s used to make horse saddles!
You can read more about the leather on the Galen blog.
The crazy horse leather comes in forest green (my second favorite), navy blue (mine), and smoky (sold out as of this writing). I picked blue because it’s my favorite color…and it’s the color of choice in Tiede. Haha!
The cover is hand stitched, and they use a durable YKK zipper. This isn’t some cheaply made thing where you’ll have to one day worry if all your stuff is going to fall out.
My one concern is that I use the little ribbons/strings in my Hobonichi to quickly get to my notes or the current week of planning. The first few times I zipped up the cover, my strings got caught in the zipper. Thankfully, it was easy to back the zipper along the track and free the ribbon. The ends got frayed a little, but they weren’t damaged. I’ve had to adjust by making sure the strings are tucked in before zipping.
Above photos by Ruby Hunt Photography
Overall, I love this product. I feel like it was made just for me. There’s something really special about handmade products that makes you feel connected to the artisan or craftsman. With so many mass produced products out there, that’s a rare feeling anymore.
I’m definitely eyeing the other stuff Galen Leather makes!
Where to Purchase
You can purchase straight from the Galen Leather website. They ship from Turkey worldwide, and I was surprised at how quickly it arrived. My inner procrastinator said, “plan to do your review in March because it will probably be a while before it arrives.” Wow, was I wrong. In fact, my inner procrastinator is the reason this review is a week later than it should have been. I’ve already been toting this cover around for a bit.
Here’s the link to the product I reviewed: Hobonichi Weeks Cover in Crazy Horse Navy Blue.
You can probably also find their products where other fine writing tools are sold. For example, I usually buy my pens from The Goulet Pen Co. and they carry Galen Leather products.
A Final Word
I was a little uneasy about posting this review at first because of the over 20 thousand lives lost to the earthquakes that devastated central Turkey and northwest Syria. I felt like here I was with this beautiful product from Turkey, taking pictures of it with my stuff so I could get the right aesthetic. That’s what this all is in the grand scheme of things, right? Stuff. Meanwhile, people were dead or dying. They’ve lost their family, friends, and homes.
I proceeded with this post only after finding out that the folks at Galen Leather are safe and that they’re continuing to conduct business.
If you’re interested, Galen Leather has a list of safe and confirmed organizations where you can make a donation. I donated via the Catholic Relief Services.