It’s nearly the start of the summer:  daylight stretches into the late hours, the afternoon breeze brings crisp air. These are the evenings to prop up a good writing chair on the balcony. If you are into business, new clients will want summer promotions, or use the renewed season to think about new branding opportunities which means more hours on-the-move, more meetings in scrunched little cafes or conference rooms. Does this spark an idea?

Well a summer pen can be a personal tradition which has a simple set of requirements. Any pen hoping to be a summer pen needs to travel well, has a little flair, can write admirably for long meetings and won’t suddenly beg for ink in the middle of a thought. Summer pens fulfill a specific purpose. They are meant to facilitate adventure, and to be themselves a tad adventurous since summer is also travelling time.

Consider what you will be doing this summer. Will you be traveling for work? Will you be spending more time out-of-doors, or be in a new environment with limited access to supplies we take for granted? Are you craving to write a summer novel, or finish a memoir? Any of these occasions would be a great reason to get a summer pen. You will be amazed at how a specific writing tool can help unlock tricky projects.

Sober pens are usual and boring bunch with formal lines, traditional silhouettes, heavy black-and-golds trims. Most of these beauties, sadly, are ink-guzzlers.  It has to be a robust pen that could stand up to the heat and the dry conditions.

1)  The Fisher Bullet ball pen, available at pen stores and online shopping websites like Flipkart, is a good price for those who will be outdoors or traveling under some pretty restrictive conditions. Do note that if you’re going to be indoors (and not in zero-G), you could pick a pen at random from a pen catalogue and choose a better writer than Fisher. Though not so easily available in lime color but if you get extremely lucky and manage to grab one somehow, your task for the summer to touch up a manuscript will be done by this cheery colorful pen.

2)  The Namiki Prera has a fairly standard pen silhouette, with an easy-to-hold barrel. It is easy to hold for long periods of time. It is available in a range of colors and nib sizes.  Namiki uses Japanese nib sizes. Thus its fine nib is thinner than many European extra-fine nibs. If you write small then these thin nibs are godsent for you! This pen is excellent for deskwork on a warm and lazy summer day. Don’t expect to traipse through the countryside with the Prera unless you have a lot of cartridges on hand. But at a desk, this pen is a wonder.

3)  This summer, if you plan to purchase a pen that takes into account all of the sketching, drawing, or layout.. Go for reliable ballpoints. If you love pens and they are no less than a treasure or an investment for you then you might not mind spending a fortune on the Caran d’Ache ballpoint series. Caran d’Ache is one of the few pen brands thats perfect for a style statement. Styled like a pencil, this pen would be equally at home or on the drafting or sketching table. Who doesn’t love bright colors for the summer—especially when they signify cool and relaxed times—so for the bright summer, you may fancy this pen in orange.

Needless to say, you could just get a tablet for yourself but hey old school is old school. This might not have been a list of pens that are the best for you and your writing needs since everyone has individual requirements. So choose a pen that suits you the best!