Lihit Lab Trail Pen Case Review: A Practical Pen Tray Case That Opens Flat

Introduction

If you like your writing tools laid out and ready at a glance, tray-style pen cases have a lot going for them. The Lihit Lab Trail Pen Case, released in September 2025 at around 1,760 yen, is one of the more practical examples we have come across: a padded polyester case that opens flat, displays your pens in a tidy tray, and still swallows a surprising amount of gear.

Lihit Lab is a brand many stationery fans already know well, especially for its popular notebook covers, so expectations were reasonably high going in. After putting the case through its paces, here is how it actually holds up.

Design and Build Quality

The Trail Pen Case is a tray-type design made of polyester with soft padding inside. Squeezing the fabric, you can feel a light cushioning layer, which should help protect pens and small tools from knocks and bumps from the outside.

Color options include black, gray, navy, green, and beige. Black has a sharp, understated look, but the beige version shown here has a softer feel that suits almost any setting. A small product tag sits on the front, while the back is completely plain.

Two clever construction details stand out. First, the case is slim when empty, so it slips into a bag without adding bulk. Second, the side gussets let the case expand as you fill it, so the zipper still closes even when the case is packed full. The single resin zipper runs smoothly, and the long metal pull is easy to grip. Because there is only one pull tab, there is no annoying clinking sound when you shake the case.

Inside the Case: Pockets and Pen Tray

Open the case and the layout is simple but well thought out. On the left side there is a wide pocket with gussets, though it does not open very wide. Lihit Lab says it can hold items up to about 2cm thick, so it is best suited to flat gear: correction tape, small memo pads, erasers, or an ink cartridge case.

In front of that sits an even slimmer mesh pocket. Because it barely opens, it is really only for flat items such as sticky notes, clips, or stamps. The mesh means you can see the contents from the outside at a glance.

The main event is the pen tray itself, rated for six pens. When opened flat, the case holds its open position on its own, and every pen sits in plain view, which makes finding and grabbing the right tool effortless. The tray has raised walls, so pens will not roll out even when the case lies open on a desk. The pocket side also stands stably when opened, making small items easy to see and reach. This open-flat visibility is the defining feature of the whole design.

How Much Fits Inside

Capacity testing turned up some pleasant surprises. Filling the tray with Zebra Sarasa Clip pens, ten fit inside and the case still closed, though clearly at its limit. The leftover space above and below the tray can hold an eraser or two as well.

The wide pocket takes a 15cm ruler with room to spare, along with small correction tape, erasers, and an ink case. The shallow mesh pocket handles sticky notes, clips, stamps, and even a small A7-size memo pad.

With the tray loaded with pens, the case closed successfully, even if it was stuffed full. In everyday use, keeping the pen count closer to six seems like the sweet spot.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The tray design does have one trade-off worth knowing about. Because the tray is open, pens are not individually fixed in place, so they can touch each other inside. If you are worried about scratches on metal barrels or finished pens, this case may not be the right choice unless you use pen sleeves, and you would want to pick your accessories accordingly.

That is really the only caveat. Otherwise the design is straightforward and forgiving.

Buying Advice

The strengths here are easy to summarize: a simple design that fits any scene, plenty of capacity in a compact body, a friendly price of around 1,760 yen, a stable open-flat position, and the sheer convenience of seeing all your pens at once. It is genuinely hard to find a better grab-and-go experience in a pen case at this level.

At the same time, its slim profile when empty means it travels well inside a commuter bag, a school backpack, or a work tote without bulging. If you value quick access and simple organization over individual pen protection, this is an easy recommendation.

Conclusion

The Lihit Lab Trail Pen Case is simple, compact, roomy, and good value, all at the same time. As a tray-type pen case, it delivers a genuinely useful everyday experience: pens laid out in view, small gear in sensible pockets, and enough padding to protect it all. If you have been considering it, it is well worth checking out.