A Purple Trail planner had been on my wish list for more than a year. I was finally going to place an order come Black Friday when, coincidentally, Purple Trail contacted me a few weeks before wondering if I’d like to do a review. Um… yes!

Disclaimer: Purple Trail sent me a copy of this planner (and the rest of the goodies) for free in exchange for this review. I was going to purchase the planner anyway. As always, all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

Purple Trail Planner Quick facts

• Size: 6 x 8″ (which is what I chose) or 8.5 x 11″
• Coil or sewn binding
• Hardcover (personalisation optional)
• This belongs to page in case your planner is lost
• Dates at a glance
• Neutral or colorful inside pages (you pick)
• 2 page weekly spread (starts on Monday)
• 2 Page monthly calendar (starts on Sunday)
• Tabs
• There are tons of different layouts, add ons and customisation options – I’ve included more details about them at the bottom of this post.

Price: Depends on the page size, what options you choose, if you include add ons, duration of the planner etc.

Let’s take a closer look!

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The Cover

There are numerous cover options to choose from and you can also change the colors of their designs if you want to. I chose the constellation cover (something I hadn’t seen before!) with rose gold detail. You also have the option of personalising the cover with your name (or any other text).

And if you don’t like any of their options you can upload your own cover pattern, photos etc.

You can also choose between a few different cover materials – I opted for a glossy cardstock cover with frosted cover to protect it (the Synthetic’ option on the Purple Trail website).

Approx 1.25″ thick. While it is very thick I did order the maximum 4 add on sections. I don’t take my planner with me in my handbag. I leave it on my desk at home and take a photo, so how fat the planner is isn’t an  issue for me.

This belongs to page

Monthly Spread

Each month has a:

• Lined notes page
• Double sided divider page (different colors for each month)
• Monthly planning page
• Followed by a 2 page monthly calendar

The divider page has dot grid so if you were short on space you could write straight on it, make a habit tracker, savings tracker, mood tracker etc.

The monthly calendar starts on a Sunday which is not consistent with the weekly spread that starts on Monday.

The planner doesn’t split boxes into 2, instead it adds a 6th row. While I’m glad the boxes aren’t split it’s not really necessary when there’s only ever going to be 1 or 2 dates in the 6th row. It would make more sense to restart the numbering on the top row. E.g. June has 6 empty boxes on the top and bottom rows.

USA holidays are printed on the monthly calendar.

Weekly Planner

There are tons of weekly layouts to choose from. After much deliberation, I went with horizontal. There’s also vertical, vertical hourly, content planners, teacher, wedding etc. (I’ve listed out all the options at the end of this post).

The weekly spread starts on Monday on (not consistent with the monthly calendar)

Saturday and Sunday have a bit less planning space than weekdays but there is a ‘this week’ and ‘notes’ section if you need a bit more room.

The different colors for each month are continued throughout the weekly spreads for that month. The color printing is really bright <3

One thing that’s different about this planner, is that weeks are not split between months. Instead there are blank spaces you can do whatever you like with!

Orange, pink, purple, green, blue, mint, aqua, red etc.!

Dates at a glance

Love these rainbow colors!

As the planner was made in the USA is has a USA holidays list.

You get to choose what month (and year) you want the planner to start. I chose June 2019 start date so received 2019 and 2020 dates lists.

Tabs

The tabs are huge and made of durable laminated cardstock. The month is printed on the front and back of the tabs so you can find them easier. The colors of the month on the tabs match the monthly calendar, divider page etc. <3 all the color coordination

If you don’t like color, they also have a neutral color option.

Pocket Folder

The double sided pocket folder is an optional add on….

Planner Stickers

…As are the planner stickers.

3 sheets of bright, colorful stickers that are a mix of functional and decorative!

Pen Testing

Overall, the paper held up ok. It feels thick so I was expecting good results however there was light ghosting from most of the pens.

Add on Pages

I added the maximum number of add ons (4). From the many add on options, I chose:

• To do list
• Checklist
• Travel
• Dot grid

Love the dot grid and will be using it for some bullet journal spreads – the paper is bright white not yucky yellow like most dot grid notebooks!

The checklist pages look like homework , grading or attendance records for teachers, but I’ve found these pages are ideal for blog post planning (workflow). You could also use them for routine habits like cleaning etc.

The travel add on section could have more detailed pages e.g. a 2 page packing list or notes pages interspersed between the trip planning pages.

There are 2 pages for each trip – a packing check list and an itinerary page. There are more trip pages than I’m likely to use in an entire year (12 total)

To do list pages – always handy!

There are tons of add ons and customisation options – I’ve included more details about them at the bottom of this post.

Pros of the Purple Trail Planner

• Vibrant colors
• Bright white paper that’s smooth to write on
• Multiple page sizes to choose from
• Free cover personalisation
• Multiple cover designs to choose from (and you can customise the colors etc.)
• Option to upload your own custom cover if you prefer
• Weeks are not split between months i.e. all of September is behind the September tab
• Large sturdy tabs that have the month printed on the front and back
• Different colors for each month (or you can choose neutral if you prefer)
• The monthly calendar does not split boxes into 2 (instead adds a 6th row)
• You choose what month / year the planner starts
• Plenty of add ons to choose from
• Planner was manufactured and arrived quickly (from USA to Australia)

Cons of the Purple Trail Planner

• Shipping is expensive (especially if you live outside the USA)
• Monthly calendar has 6 rows per month (i.e. boxes are small to write in)
• Monthly calendar and weekly spread start days are different
• If you chose a lot of add on’s the planner becomes pricey
• If you choose the maximum number of add on (like I did) the planner will be chunky and heavy
• Some pen ghosting on the back of the page
• The travel add on section could have more detailed pages e.g. a 2 page packing list or notes pages interspersed between the trip planning pages

Customistion Options

• Cover can be laminated, synthetic (which is what I chose) or hardcover
• Upload your own cover design or customise one of the many designs on their website
• You choose start month and year
• 12 or 18 month duration
• Colorful or neutral grey inside page options
• Size options: 6 x 8″ (which is what I chose) or 8.5 x 11″
• Numerous add on’s available including
  • Dot grid
  • Travel
  • To do lists
  • Checklists
  • Password list
  • Bill tracker
  • Note paper
  • Address Book
  • Appointment Tracker
  • Baby tracker & keepsake
  • Fitness Tracker
  • Nutrition Tracker
  • Teacher add ons e.g. student checklist

Plenty of planner layout options to choose from

• Horizontal (what I chose)
• Mom planner (if you order this I recommend the larger page size)
• Vertical hourly
• Vertical half hourly
• Vertical 15 minutes
• Quad (4 days per page)
• Day to a page
• Vertical 3 section – Morning / Afternoon / Evening OR for an extra fee you can choose your own section titles
• Wedding Planner
• Student Planner
• Teacher Planner
• Meal Planner
• Content planner (for bloggers and influencers)

For an extra fee you can customise some of the above layouts e.g. pay extra to choose the start time, the labels for the vertical 3 section etc.

Add ons available

• Pocket folder
• Planner stickers
• Pens
• Notepads

The company also does self inking stamps, cards and invitations, guest books, recipe books etc.!

Just as a sidenote, everything arrived in tons of bubble wrap i.e. nothing was damaged in transit

Love these Pentel pens which are hard to find but you can get from Purple Trail!

Would I use the Purple Trail Planner?

Yes! After reviewing so many planners I’ve become quite nit picky. With so many options to choose from, you can build your dream planner from scratch – it’s hard to find fault!

If you’d like your own custom & personalised Purple Trail Planner click here (my affiliate link!)

Disclaimer: Purple Trail sent me a copy of this planner (and the rest of the goodies) for free in exchange for this review. I was going to purchase the planner anyway. As always, all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

Planning tips

• How to resize a printable to fit A5 or US half letter (5.5 x 8.5) page size 
• 10 Reasons why I plan using printables (and why you should too!)
• 50 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Planner

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