@papipeguy I hope so. I was sitting on my stoop yesterday, fired up a bowl of Cult Blood Moon (already smokes a little hot) and the Michigan wind ripped thru the street and my pipe had to be set down it got so hot. The weather smoked my bowl for me haha.
I've been curious about the wind caps myself. I usually just cup my hand over the top of the bowl but this isn't always very effective. Might have to order me a couple to try out. Do they fit well in various size bowl diametres?
Well...
Alabama mountains are more like really big hills, so it's not really that impressive, but it is beautiful. My land is basically flat, but slopes gently down in every direction.
Beautiful, peaceful place to live. Not so good for outdoor pipes or remote-controlled model airplanes, my other hobby.
Depending on the pipe you may have to adjust the little tabs to fit better. I live in a windy area so most of my pics have a cap. Be aware these are not a cure all. Sometimes you just can not smoke outside.
Unfortunately, I don't find myself outside all that much during the summer months here in FL which begin in April and end about mid October. It's just inhospitable.
I even stopped playing softball this year during the summer session. The climate played a big part in that decision, both socially and ecologically.
I bought one of the spring-loaded models from P&C. Boy, is it terrible. Hardly fits any of my pipes, can't light through it, seems to snuff the bowl too much, and when you need to remove it to tamp or relight it's uncomfortably hot on the fingers. Other than that, it works great. I'll just be sticking to the jkrug cupping method.
Have a couple styles. Reverted to handcupping. With a lighter close by and a tamper when I remember it and usually a pipe cleaner at the ready, annoying to fool with "one more thing."
Course the pressure differential between moving air outside your hand and the air you're trying to hold still, it's still gonna burn quicker. I don't like smoking in a breeze much -- just enough to do it anyway.
Living in London, it's windy and/or wet for at least 9 months of the year. This year it's definitely more! I always have a windcap on me just in case of weather, and also because they make excellent ashcaps for when I have to stop smoking before the end of a bowl. Sometimes I need to stick the pipe in a bag or in a niche on the dashboard - a windcap will stop spillage, providing the pipe is kept right way up.
I have loads of these little buggers - mainly because I'm always losing them. While agreeing with some of the issues described above, I like windcaps and find them very useful. As with many things pipe-related, the trick (and a lot of the fun) is persevering and adapting to get the most from the tool.
Andy