Stranded? Here's 5 Stationery Items to Bring

When I was younger I used to have this conversation with my cousins and brother about what we'd bring to an island with us if we could only bring x amount of things. Sometimes they'd be ludicrous, like a blow-up house or a water distiller that could turn ocean water into drinking water (which wasn't a bad idea, actually). But when we specified which things could/couldn't be brought, it would get interesting.

This time, instead of survival material, I'll be forming a list of 5 things I would bring with me if I were going to be stranded on an island. I guess the studygrammer/workaholic in me hopes that I'll still be productive while I'm stranded on an island. Let's get into it.

By the way, none of this is sponsored. Amazon links are provided if you click on the photos

1. Papermate Inkjoy Black Gel Pens (0.5mm)

My dearest followers know that I'm a sucker for Papermate and their black gel pens. This is the number one thing that I would bring with me, whether it was a stationery or survival item.

I wish I was exaggerating but these are seriously my favorite pens ever. They dry fairly quickly and they have a metal tip that makes for a smooth write. I have a thing against needle tip just because it feels like something the ink rolls. I've been using these pens with Five Star Notebooks and they pair together so well and I have a whole new pack of 12 that I haven't even opened because I'm determined to use every last drop of ink from my last one so nothing goes to waste.

2. Uni Alpha-Gel Shaker Mechanical Pencil (0.5mm)

Full transparency, I only recently got this pencil off of Amazon but I already love it. If you're a follower of the studygram community, you've probably heard of this pencil; it has a wide cylindrical vibe with a thicker gel grip towards the bottom 1/3 of the pencil. While I'm a fan of the narrow pens and pencils because they're lighter and a little more precise, I love the rounder grips where it feels like I'm actually holding onto the writing utensil that I'm using. Also, it comes with the shaking feature where you shake the pencil and the lead comes out instead of having to travel all the way to the top of the pencil just to get more lead. First world problem, I know, but it's a huge help sometimes. There's the option to just click it like a normal mechanical pencil, though, so you have options.

3. Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser

Over the years, I've tried many erasers to see which ones work and which ones don't. Bottom of the list are those small pencil-top erasers that are harder than the graphite in the pencil and they just scrape the paper without lifting any of the markings off my paper. Middle would be those generic pink erasers that are fairly soft and produce a lot of eraser shaving with a little bit of graphite residue. My favorite so far has been the Pentel Hi-Polymer one because it's sturdy, erases really well, and doesn't crumble when you hold it because it has a little sleeve around it. Even without the sleeve, it's not the type of eraser that would just rub off against your fingers due to friction. And they last forever. I've been using this one for two years now.

4. Zebra Mildliner Highlighters

Keep in mind that I don't mean I'm bringing all 50 of my Mildliner highlighters with me to my metaphorical island. My favorite sets are either the Friendly color set or the Noble color set. They're much more muted than the Fluorescent color set and some of the most comforting colors come out of that set. But whichever one you fancy, these Mildliner highlighters will be with you for-almost-ever. I got my first set during my freshman year (I'm a senior now) and I haven't even begun to look at my refills. Mildliners have a beautiful pigmentation and they're not overly bright, so they're perfect for anyone wanting some *aesthetic* notes. Also, they're pretty much the staple for the studygram community.

5. Whiteout Tape

I can't lie, I used to be terrified of using any form of whiteout, liquid or otherwise. The thought of a bright white rectangle on my off-white sheet of paper illuminating my mistakes was just too much for me. There were too many times when I literally rewrote an entire lab page just because of a tiny error that I made with pen. BUT I've changed now. Whiteout tape is so much nicer than liquid whiteout because it doesn't take any time to dry and sometimes it actually does match the color of the paper. I didn't specify a brand for this one because I've used tapes from Daiso to 99c Store to Target. Basically, any brand works so for this one it's all about preference. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. It'll save you a lot of time.

Now, I doubt you'll ever be in the situation where a stranding makes you think: Damn. I really wish I had my whiteout tape with me. But, there's another more practical situation where you might what to think about what you really need. Let's say you're going on a road trip or somewhere where you might have to bring your work but not your entire stash of 100-pack markers. You only have a small pencil pouch that you can bring with you, so bring the essentials. Hopefully, this list can help you do that.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions! My email is listed in the Contacts tab of the website, or you can DM my Instagram by clicking here.