Girologio Pen Cases- I like these, a lot.

To understand these Girologio cases, it helps to know Mario.

Mario Campa is a regular find at pen shows nationwide, owner of Toys From the Attic and a partner in the company that brings us Girologio pen cases, which Mario designs himself.

I first met Mario when I started going to pen shows in 2011 or 2012. We got along instantly, partly because Mario is one of the easiest-going guys ever, and partly because he’s New York-ese and Italian. Now I don’t happen to be either of those things, but many of my friends growing up were. It isn’t hard for me to connect with east-coast people.

Anyway, I’ve been buying pen storage stuff from Mario for years. I’ve got pen cases he’s designed in 2, 12, 24 and 48 pen capacities that have served me for years.

Girologio is a newer brand, and the products are definitely descended from those older cases I got from Mario five years ago (or so.) I’ve got to say the new Girologio-branded cases are even better than the ones that have worked for me for so long. The leather seems sturdier and more attractive, the interior linings look better, and the overall feel seems higher-end.

My favorite in the new lineup, by far, is the Bomber Brown leather case. I first saw the Bomber cases at the 2018 San Francisco pen show and knew there was one in my future. Fast forward to Ohio in November, and I was ready to pull the trigger on a 24-pen case. Unfortunately Mario didn’t have any 24s (I can imagine they are difficult to keep in stock!) so I bought a 12-pen case on the spot and arranged to have a 24 shipped to me once it was back in stock.

The leather is thick. The branding is subtle and classy. Aside from the gorgeous leather color and texture, my favorite feature of these cases is the colorful plaid interior– it’s a subtle and attractive touch that really takes this case to the next level.

There are 2 main differences between the 12 and 24-pen cases. Fully open the 12 pen case has a flap between sides to keep your pens from banging into each other. The 24 opens similarly, but the flap is attached on the far side of the case, not in the middle. I like this arrangement a lot. The other difference is the zipper extension flap on the 24. It allows the case to lay flat when you open it, and it’s a really nice touch. When you open the 12 pen case the dangly zipper bit gets wedged into the, erm, crotch of the case. It’s like when your jeans get all the way unzipped and you’re trying to get out of the bathroom and you’re thinking “Well, I guess I live here now, because my zipper’s AWOL and I can’t walk through the Public Library like this.”

That is why I like the flap on the 24-pen case. It also fastens to the outer spine of the case with a snap so it doesn’t get caught in the thing when you’re, you know, doing stuff. That is a nice touch, especially if you like snaps and snapping.

So let’s talk about the guts of the cases, the pen-holding parts. The guts are the brains of the case, as any biologist will tell you.

The Girologio cases grasp your pens with elastic bands. The bands are about an inch wide, and there are two bands for each pen. If you were to convert your Girologio Pen Case to a lipstick or chapstick case, you could hold twice as much stuff. The dimensions of the elastic are appropriate for holding chapstick. Your canister of Blistex or Burt’s Bees or whatever is not going to fit in there though, which is reason enough to switch to regular-ass chapstick. If it’s good enough for Charlie Hofmann it’s good enough for anybody.

Ahem. In conclusion, I like these cases. I like the 24 better than the 12, but both of em ride in my daily carry bag regularly. You can find these at Mario’s table at a pen show, find more info at girologio.com, or buy em online from your favorite pen stuff purveyor.

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

I Like:

• High quality materials and construction
• Holds Pens and shields them from most weather and minor to medium trauma

I Don’t Like:

• People waiting until the car in front of them at the light gets all the way through the intersection to start their left turn. We’ve all got places to go, let’s keep it moving.