Louise Carmen Roadbook: Inserts, Leather & Sizing
The Louise Carmen Roadbook M is a refillable leather notebook cover from Paris that holds three separately refillable notebooks on elastic straps, expandable to six, and closes with an elastic band. Louise Carmen's French product page says it is made in France (“confectionné en France”) from full-grain leather vegetable-tanned in Italy.
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Louise Carmen Roadbook M (leather cover with 3 refillable notebooks)
- Brand
- Louise Carmen
- Brand origin
- France
- Made in
- France*
- Material
- Full-grain vegetable-tanned leather from Italy, elastic band
- Price range
- $$$$over $75 for the cover or binder with its starter insert
Notes on these facts
- Made in France: Louise Carmen's French product page says the Roadbook is 'confectionné en France' from full-grain leather vegetable-tanned in Italy, and calls it 'maroquinerie d'exception fabriquée en France'. Bonjour Paris places the leather workshop between Châteauroux and Chambord. Earlier brand pages said the elastic straps were made in Japan, but the current pages no longer say so. Bonjour Paris reports that the lined paper notebooks are made at a family-run workshop in Shanghai; we found no statement of where the other refills are made. Source. Price: example listing.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
- The Roadbook M holds 3 separately refillable notebooks and can be expanded to 6, per the product listing.
- Louise Carmen's model guide says the Roadbook comes in 18 leather colors; its French shop listed 15 on October 20, 2026, at €139 (about US$156).
- Bonjour Paris reports that since 2017 the brand has worked with a leather workshop between Châteauroux and Chambord, France.
- The brand's French and English product pages call the leather full-grain and vegetable-tanned in Italy; Bonjour Paris says it is tanned in Tuscany over 30 days to two months.
- Louise Carmen lists the Roadbook M at 21.5 × 13.5 cm; its Size M refills are 21 × 13 cm with 64 pages.
What is the Louise Carmen Roadbook?
The Roadbook M is a leather notebook cover that holds three separately refillable notebooks, expandable to six, and closes with an elastic band. It is one of the main models from Louise Carmen, a Paris notebook brand.
The product listing calls it “the leather notebook for those who write a lot”, and suggests giving each notebook a theme. Louise Carmen’s model guide describes the Roadbook as holding three medium-sized notebooks and lists its refills as size M.
Roadbook M specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Notebooks | 3 separately refillable, expandable to 6 |
| Cover size | 21.5 × 13.5 cm (8.5 × 5.3 in) |
| Maker’s price | €139 (about US$156), before customization |
| Refill size | Size M, 21 × 13 cm (8.3 × 5.1 in), 64 pages |
| Closure | Elastic band |
| Leather | Full-grain, vegetable-tanned in Italy (Louise Carmen) |
| Colors | 18 per the brand’s model guide; 15 in the French shop on October 20, 2026 |
| Item code (black) | RBTVNOISM |
| Cover made in | France (Louise Carmen); workshop between Châteauroux and Chambord (Bonjour Paris) |
| Extras | Portfolio, charms and embossing sold separately |
Everything in this table comes from Louise Carmen’s own pages and product listings. We haven’t measured one, so the figure is a schematic, not a scale drawing.
What size is the Roadbook?
Louise Carmen lists the Roadbook M at 21.5 × 13.5 cm (8.5 × 5.3 in), and its Size M refills at 21 × 13 cm (8.3 × 5.1 in). That page is as tall as A5 but 18 mm narrower than a Leuchtturm1917 A5.
One owner, writing on Substack, says her Roadbook holds three A5 notebooks and a portfolio. An A5 page is 148 mm wide, wider than the 13.5 cm cover, so we read “A5” there as approximate.
What refills and extras can you add?
You choose the notebooks inside, and can add a leather portfolio, charms or embossing. Curly Tales describes swapping refills and sliding in different notebooks to build your own kit inside one cover.
Louise Carmen’s portfolio page says its medium (T.M) portfolio is used in the Roadbook and in the brand’s project notebook. Bonjour Paris reports that lined paper was the last refill the founder created, because she preferred dotted and black pages.
What inserts are available for the Louise Carmen Roadbook?
Louise Carmen sells 64-page Size M refills, 21 × 13 cm, in lined, dotted, white, ivory and to-do layouts, plus an all-black notebook and leather portfolios. The brand says the Roadbook takes up to six of its refills; we found no item codes.
| Insert | What it is | Maker or third-party |
|---|---|---|
| Size M refill, lined, white or ivory | 64 pages, 21 × 13 cm, sold singly | Louise Carmen |
| Size M refill, dotted | 64 pages; numbered pages and a date space | Louise Carmen |
| Size M refill, to-do | 64-page to-do layout | Louise Carmen |
| All Black Notebook | 110 g black paper; the brand suggests white ink or Posca pens | Louise Carmen |
| Portfolio M | Leather portfolio sized for the Roadbook | Louise Carmen |
Size M refills also fit the brand’s Organizer and Honoré covers. An earlier version of Louise Carmen’s English Roadbook page called the cover compatible with Moleskine notebooks; the current page no longer says so.
You can order refills on louisecarmen.com or at the brand’s workshop shop at 6 passage du Grand Cerf in Paris, per Louise Carmen.
What leather is it made from?
Louise Carmen’s product pages describe full-grain leather, vegetable-tanned in Italy, that develops a patina with use. Bonjour Paris adds that it is tanned in Tuscany in barrels of vegetable tanning solution over 30 days to two months.
The brand says its vegetable-tanned leather ages and evolves with use. We haven’t handled one, so we can’t describe how it ages.
How much does a Louise Carmen Roadbook cost?
The Roadbook falls in our $$$$ band (over $75 for a cover with its starter insert). Curly Tales puts Louise Carmen prices from about €139 (about US$156) to over €209 (about US$234) depending on size and finish; the article shows no publication date in the sources we found, so treat the range as a snapshot. One owner’s customised Roadbook, with a portfolio and extras, cost well over our $75 line.
How does it compare with other systems?
The Roadbook is the luxury option: a European handmade cover like the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur, but holding more notebooks and costing more. The TRAVELER’S notebook uses the same elastic idea at a lower price, with published refill sizes.
Our notebook systems comparison sets all five systems side by side.
Where is the Louise Carmen Roadbook made?
Louise Carmen’s French product page says the Roadbook is “confectionné en France”, in “maroquinerie d’exception fabriquée en France”. Bonjour Paris places the leather workshop between Châteauroux and Chambord, a partnership since 2017. The leather itself is tanned in Italy.
Bonjour Paris reports that the lined paper notebooks are made at a family-run workshop in Shanghai. We found no statement of where the dotted and plain refills are made. Bonjour Paris also says Nathalie Valmary founded the brand in December 2016, and it now has two workshops in Paris.
Frequently asked questions
How many notebooks does the Louise Carmen Roadbook hold?
The Roadbook M holds three separately refillable notebooks and can be expanded to six, according to the product listing. One owner also fits a small leather portfolio inside.
What size are Louise Carmen Roadbook refills?
Louise Carmen sells them as Size M: 21 × 13 cm (8.3 × 5.1 in), with 64 pages each. That is as tall as A5 but 18 mm narrower, so a standard A5 notebook is not a match.
Is Louise Carmen made in France?
The covers are: Louise Carmen's French product page says 'confectionné en France', and Bonjour Paris places the workshop between Châteauroux and Chambord. The leather is tanned in Italy, and Bonjour Paris reports that the lined notebooks are made in Shanghai.
What leather does Louise Carmen use?
Louise Carmen's product pages describe full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather from Italy that develops a patina with use. Bonjour Paris adds that it is tanned in Tuscany in barrels of vegetable tanning solution, taking 30 days to two months.
Why is Louise Carmen so expensive?
Each notebook is a handmade leather cover with several refills, often customised with charms, colors or embossing. A Curly Tales article (undated in the sources we found) puts prices from about €139 (about US$156) to over €209 (about US$234) depending on size and finish, and a fully customised Roadbook with extras sits well into our $$$$ band.
When was Louise Carmen founded?
Bonjour Paris reports that Nathalie Valmary created Louise Carmen in Paris in December 2016 after a year travelling in Asia. Bonjour Paris says the brand has worked with its French leather workshop since 2017.
Can you use TRAVELER'S notebook refills in a Louise Carmen Roadbook?
Louise Carmen doesn't list them as compatible, and we haven't tested it. A TRAVELER'S Regular refill is 210 × 110 mm, the same height as the brand's 21 × 13 cm Size M refill but 20 mm narrower, so it would sit loosely under a strap.
Sources
- Louise Carmen (French): Roadbook M (trois carnets rechargeables, jusqu'à six; confectionné en France; cuir pleine fleur tanné végétalement en Italie; 21,5 × 13,5 cm; €139)
- Louise Carmen (French): Recharges Taille M (64 pages, 21 × 13 cm; lined, ivory, dotted, white, All Black, To Do)
- Louise Carmen: L'univers (founders' story; current page no longer gives workshop or component origins)
- Louise Carmen: Our models in a few words (Roadbook: 3 medium notebooks, elastic band, 18 colors)
- Louise Carmen: Roadbook M (3 refillable notebooks, expandable to 6; leather tanned in Italy)
- Louise Carmen: Portfolio L (portfolio sizes used in the Roadbook)
- Bonjour Paris: Louise Carmen Notebooks, Behind the Brand (founding, Paris workshops, Shanghai workshop for lined notebooks)
- Curly Tales: At this Paris boutique you can create a Louise Carmen journal (price range)
- Gap Year at 30: an owner's Louise Carmen Roadbook (holds three A5 notebooks and a portfolio)
- The Globe and Mail: Is a pricey leather notebook the new style status symbol?
- Louise Carmen: Size M Refills (64 pages, 21 × 13 cm; lined, ivory, dotted, white, all black, to-do; fits Roadbook, Organizer, Honoré)
- Louise Carmen: Roadbook M, English page (21.5 × 13.5 cm; up to 6 refills; made in France, leather from Italy)
- Louise Carmen: All Black Notebook (110 g black paper)
- Louise Carmen: Portfolios
- Louise Carmen: Refills (sizes S, M and L; workshop shop at 6 passage du Grand Cerf)