Man, you nailed it with the “soggy paper or dead batteries” dilemma. I’ve tried those erasable notebooks—Rocketbook and a knockoff—and honestly, they’re decent for jotting quick notes, but the pages get grimy fast if your hands aren’t clean. Still, better than chasing runaway post-its through a muddy crawlspace. I keep going back to laminated cheat sheets, even if they’re a pain to update. Seems like every “waterproof” tech solution has its own headache. If someone ever invents a truly jobsite-proof tablet, I’ll be first in line... until then, it’s a mix of old-school and whatever survives the day.
Yeah, laminated sheets are my go-to too, even though updating them is a pain. I tried the Rocketbook thing for a while—cool idea, but after a week on site it looked like I’d been using it to clean pipe threads. Tablets sound great until you drop one in a puddle or the screen goes nuts from dust. Honestly, half the time I just scribble stuff on a 2x4 with a carpenter’s pencil and hope I remember to take a picture before it gets covered in mud. Tech’s nice when it works, but nothing beats something you can wipe off and keep using.
Honestly, I get the appeal of laminated sheets and scribbling on whatever’s handy, but I’ve had better luck with a cheap rugged phone in a thick case. It’s not perfect—screens still get grimy—but at least I can snap pics, pull up diagrams, and text the crew without hunting for a pencil. Plus, if it gets trashed, it’s not the end of the world. Paper’s great until it rains sideways or someone uses your “notes” to shim a wobbly toilet.
I hear you on the phone vs. paper debate. There’s something to be said for having everything digital, especially when you mention,
That’s happened to me—lost a whole afternoon’s worth of measurements to a leaky window. I do still keep a small notepad for backup, but honestly, using a rugged phone cuts down on wasted paper and keeps things organized. Not perfect, but definitely more sustainable in the long run.“Paper’s great until it rains sideways or someone uses your ‘notes’ to shim a wobbly toilet.”
I get the appeal of going all-digital, but I’ve had my phone freeze up or die right when I needed a diagram or part number. Once, I was halfway under the sink, hands covered in grime, and my phone decided to update itself—couldn’t access anything for 20 minutes. Now I snap a photo of the setup and jot down key numbers on a scrap of painter’s tape stuck to my toolbox. Not high-tech, but it’s saved me more than once. Digital’s great until it isn’t...
