Chic Sparrow Traveler's Notebook Covers (5 Different Sizes!)
A Complete Review of My Leather Journal Covers in B5, A5, TN, B6, and Weeks Sizes
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Chic Sparrow is a leather goods company that began as a small Etsy shop creating handcrafted journal covers—and has since grown into a beloved brand known for its beautiful lines of notebook covers and journaling accessories. While there are many notebook cover options on the market across a wide range of price points, Chic Sparrow sits comfortably on the higher end—and for good reason. Their covers are made from genuine, high-quality leather that only becomes more beautiful with time and use. I really love using these because they make journaling feel like a special ritual.
With Chic Sparrow, you can find a cover you love in the exact size and style that fits your journaling needs. Traditional traveler’s notebook covers feature elastic strings that allow you to insert multiple notebooks or planners at once and swap them out as needed—keeping your cover consistent while refreshing what’s inside. You can also choose from other options such as folios that hold the covers of your notebook in pockets. Personally, I’ve collected several of their covers over the years in B5, A5, Traveler’s Notebook, B6, and Weeks sizes, and each one feels like a piece of craftsmanship that grows more personal with every use. This post is a review of the covers themselves, but also a walkthrough of my notebook ecosystem of how I use different notebooks in different sizes to complement my own journaling routine.
My Notebook Ecosystem
I wanted to take a moment to describe my notebook ecosystem a bit in order to explain why I have five notebooks—and why the sizes of those notebooks matter. I like using Chic Sparrow covers on each one because they give a sense of cohesiveness to the group, while still distinguishing each notebook as unique and important.
Notebook Ecosystem: how multiple notebooks function as a unified system, each serving a purpose that complements the others to support your goals and daily rhythms.
Each notebook in my system serves a specific function and helps me stay balanced across learning, wellness, creativity, planning, and reflection. Together, they form a rhythm that supports both structure and creativity in my daily life.
1. B5 Learning Notebook
This is my space for growth and exploration. The B5 size offers generous room for note-taking, mind mapping, and recording ideas from professional development sessions, books, or courses. I treat it as an ongoing learning archive—a place where new ideas meet reflection. Because of its size, it’s perfect for detailed notes, diagrams, and brainstorming pages.
2. A5 Health Journal
My A5 serves as my personal wellness tracker and self-care companion. Inside, I record habits, workouts, meal notes, mood reflections, and monthly health goals. This notebook bridges planning and mindfulness. It helps me stay accountable while also offering space to notice patterns in how I’m feeling, eating, and moving through the seasons.
3. B6 Art Journal & Poetry Notebook
The B6 is my creative outlet. It’s smaller, portable, and feels less intimidating. It is ideal for quick sketches, mixed-media spreads, and bursts of poetry or creative writing. I use this notebook when I want to reconnect with joy through art and words. It’s messy, colorful, and deeply personal—a reminder that creativity doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.
4. Traveler’s Notebook: Project Planning & Inserts
My Traveler’s Notebook functions as my flexible project hub. With multiple inserts, I can dedicate separate spaces to ongoing projects like blog planning, course development, or journaling ideas without everything blending together. Think of this notebook as the way that I digest all of the other notebooks together. I love how easily inserts can be swapped out once a project is complete, keeping the system organized and adaptable.
5. Weeks Size (N2 Common Planner): Planning & Reflection
This notebook is my anchor—the one I use every day. The Weeks size strikes a balance between structure and space, making it perfect for daily planning, gratitude, and end-of-day reflections. I use the weekly spreads to outline tasks and appointments, and the notes pages to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and how I can realign my days with my values.
Together, these five notebooks create a system that supports every part of my life—learning, health, creativity, productivity, and mindfulness. Each one serves a distinct purpose, but they all share one goal: to help me live intentionally and joyfully through the pages I fill.
Size Overviews
Weeks Size (N2 Common Planner) Folio with Cascade Pockets
The Weeks size—also known as the N2 Common Planner size—is slim and compact, designed to fit planners like the Hobonichi Weeks or the Sterling Ink N2 Common Planner. Measuring around 3.75" x 7.4", it’s the perfect everyday carry size for on-the-go planning and reflection. I use mine as my daily planner and reflection journal, keeping track of appointments, gratitude notes, and small daily wins. It’s small enough to slip into a purse or bag, yet offers just enough space for intentional planning and journaling moments throughout the day. I really was worried about this size being too small, but I am finding that this notebook now comes with me everywhere because it is so small. For the remainder sizes, I have compared all of them to this Weeks size notebook cover for reference.
B5 Chic Sparrow Composition Notebook Cover
The Chic Sparrow Number 9 is designed to fit B5 or composition-sized notebooks, making it one of the largest and most spacious options in their lineup. Measuring roughly 10.75" x 16.5" when open, this size offers ample room for big thinkers—perfect for long-form notes, mind maps, lesson planning, or creative brainstorming. Because of its generous dimensions, the Number 9 can feel like a true desk companion rather than something you’d carry everywhere. It’s ideal if you love spreading out ideas or using large notebooks for in-depth reflection and study.
A5 Chic Sparrow Traveler’s Notebook Cover
The A5 is one of Chic Sparrow’s most popular and versatile sizes, measuring approximately 5.8" x 8.3". It strikes the perfect balance between functionality and portability. The A5 cover fits many common notebooks and planners, such as the Hobonichi Cousin or Leuchtturm1917, and offers enough writing space for journaling, goal setting, and structured planning. I use this size for my health journal, which includes tracking habits, step goals, eating and snacking, wellness reflections, and self-care notes. I use my Archer & Olive planner to keep track of daily entries to make this purposeful and meaningful to update each day.
B6 Chic Sparrow Traveler’s Notebook Cover
The B6 size offers a smaller, more compact footprint—roughly 5" x 7"—and is a favorite among journalers who like to carry their notebooks on the go. It’s big enough for expressive writing or art journaling, yet still portable and easy to hold in your hands. The pages feel cozy and inviting, which makes it an ideal space for creativity. I also love that in a B6 size notebook you can fit a 4 x 6 picture on one page. This is one of the slight downfalls of my Weeks notebook because I can’t fit a whole photo for memory keeping. What I do instead is print a smaller photo, but this is one of the main advantages of the larger sizes. My B6 Art Journal and Poetry Notebook fits beautifully in this cover, and I love how the smaller format encourages spontaneity—it feels personal and freeing, like a pocket-sized creative retreat.
Traveler’s Notebook (Standard TN) Traveler’s Notebook Cover
The Traveler’s Notebook (or TN) is the most flexible of the Chic Sparrow sizes. Traditionally, TN covers feature multiple elastic strings that hold several inserts, so you can mix and match planners, project notebooks, or creative journals in one place. The standard TN size is approximately 4.33" x 8.25", which gives it a tall, slim profile—perfect for lists, outlines, or vertical planning. I use my Traveler’s Notebook for project planning, with separate inserts for different areas of work or creative focus. I love how easily I can switch inserts when projects end or begin, keeping my system both adaptable and organized. It is slightly wider than the Weeks size making it a bit heavier as it fills up.
Product Review Notes
Shipment/Receiving Item
Shipping is always timely with Chic Sparrow. Each journal cover arrives in its own cloth storage case/dust cover and some goodies like stickers are always in my package. The journals have subtle branding on the back-bottom corner that does not interfere with the aesthetic of the covers. I new branding mark can be found on the spine of the notebook featuring two feathers to match their updated logo. Stitching is always perfect on each notebook.
Product Notes
Style-There are a variety of styles you can get in each cover and leather collection. Most of my covers are considered “classic traveler notebook covers” where you can just have the cover and the closure. Only my Weeks folio has cascade pockets and holds the covers of a notebook without an elastic.
Texture-Each batch of the leather they receive is different and unique. All of my covers are in the Campfire (Formerly Creme Creme Brulee) collection. My A5 cover seems to have a bit more of a sheen or shine to it than the Traveler’s Size or B6. The Traveler’s Size and B6 also are the least broken in, so I am hoping the more I use each notebook the more oil from my hands transfers to the leather. My new Weeks cover has the most texture and the inside pockets have awesome marks and striations.
Closure-Each cover has an elastic closure that wraps around the notebook horizontally. I am an elastic closure fan because this type of closure grows with a notebook as it gets chunkier. These are easy to adjust as you just untie the knot on the inside. You can easily add journal charms or other accessories to the band and feed it through the holes in the back.
Strings-Most of the covers have 4 strings. I could fit 4 different inserts in each cover. I generally keep one thick notebook to each cover, but I have added in the past a notebook and one to two inserts. It starts to make the covers pretty heavy if you are adding more and more notebooks. My B5 has one string and my folio has no strings, just pockets.
Weight- A high-quality leather item adds weight to your notebook. Some people prefer not to have this added weight, while some do not mind. I do not think it adds enough to make having a cover a negative attribute. Also, I am mainly in my Weeks size notebook which is the smallest of the notebook sizes here, so I barely notice any additional weight.
Colors-Chic Sparrow offers tons of color options for notebook covers. I love the Campfire (Formerly Creme Creme Brulee) option, but you could opt for a bright green, blue, or even orange if you are looking for more creativity with your covers.
Durability-Water and oil are not your journal cover’s friends. I have spilled both on my covers, and each time it has added character to the cover. You may not be able to remove a water or oil stain completely from the leather. If you find yourself caught in the elements or if you often spill things, this aspect might bother you in relation to cost.
A Quick Note on Durability
Our 4-year-old (at the time 3) wanted to write like mom and found one of my notebooks by our bedside table. While I can’t blame her for wanting her to write like mom, I was pretty upset that my B6 notebook got covered in pen marks. I did everything that they tell you not to do: I rubbed it, I got it more wet, I even used soap. After panicking, I finally let it dry in the sun, and then I conditioned it again. It has some added character now, but it still looks amazing.
Before
After
So, Are They Worth the Cost?
Yes.
If journaling is a hobby for you and you really enjoy it, these covers are absolutely worth the cost. I have seen more and more companies start to make their own journal covers for notebooks because the demand is there. People love them because they add a fun element to the world of journaling. While many of the Chic Sparrow notebook bases start at 50+, the investment is in something that you can use repeatedly with every new notebook you purchase.
Images of My Chic Sparrow Covers in the Wild
