A Missing Generation of Pipe Smokers?

[withnail]

I was reading on the UK E.A. Carey site today that a survey of nearly 1000 pipe smokers had asked "How long have you been smoking a pipe?" The two highest answers were "30 years or more" (with 33%) and "1-9 years" (also with 33%). If those figures represent pipe smokers as a whole, it would seem that there is a "missing generation" who didn't take to pipe smoking. It is good to see that there is an upturn in the numbers taking up the pipe !
So - how long have you been smoking? And, would you agree that there was a "missing generation" who don't smoke a pipe?

 

[rd02sir]

By my math skills, I would assume that the other 33% would be the 10-29 years of smoking. That is just going by what info you gave us.

I started a few months ago.

 

[riptide]

I have been smoking pipes of and on since 1997 full time since 2009.

 

[withnail]

I guess the remaining 33% were split into the remaining groups. Assuming each division was the same as the first, it would follow that those smoking for between 10-19 years plus those smoking 20-29 years would equal 33%. So most people started either over 30 years ago or less than 10 years ago, hence the idea of a "missing generation" of pipe smokers.

 

[bigvan]

23 years

 

[gecko13]

31.5 years here.

 

[judcole]

40+ years, although there was a period of 8-10 years when I primarily smoked cigars before I returned to my pipes.

 

[puffy]

I don't pay much attention to polls.I've been puffing away for 40 years.As far as generations go.I smoke pipes.My father didn't.My grandfather did.So in that instance a generation was skipped.So i guess it can happen.

 

[pentangle]

Think it depends on regions or states.Here In my country it's very difficult meet a person smoking a pipe.Guess we have missed several generations.I started in late seventies then stopped for few years as phrenetic life ask for cigarettes,getting older and quiet man pipe smoke it's a delight and cigarettes only a dependency

Maurizio

 

[tobakenist]

40+yrs When I was younger through out my teens through to my late 30's I was an the odd one out amoungst my friends, now more of my long term friends have taken to the pipe, some through my influence but most as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, I have definitely seen an upturn in my generation.

 

[rigmedic1]

36 years for me. My oldest son didn't care for it, but he smokes cigarettes. Just as hat wearing dropped off awhile after Kennedy, I suspect the pipe took a back seat to cigars and cigarettes after that time.

 

[markw4mms]

34 years for me.

 

[smokey422]

42 years here. I started when I was 17 and most of my peers in high school were smoking cigarettes. Actually I was the only pipe smoker in my class.
Smokey

 

[drsam]

Better then 60 years.

 

[ohin3]

I've been regularly smoking a pipe since 1998.

 

[bambam]

A lil over a year now. ::

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

I've been smoking steady for 7 years, smoking total about 9 years.
Edited to add that while at one of our local tobacconists, we were talking about how he's seeing a surge in college aged pipe smokers. He's starting to carry more pipes and tobacco due to my suggestion and the increase in clientele. He has some great prices and our two new pipes came from him. They were cheaper than we found them online as well!
I do believe there was a skipped generation and it's now coming back. This is also evidenced in several articles that are floating around the interwebs.

 

[lestrout]

Several years ago, the Wall Street Journal wrote a nice article about pipe smoking. As you would expect, our hobby is a pale shadow of what it once was, particularly before cigarettes were invented. The good news is that they detected a 17% uptick, primarily among young college age kids. Asking around at B&Ms, I have been encouraged that they have indeed seen some signs of life in piping (pipestering?). The high and rising cost of cigarettes is also a driver for piping.
Thinking about the statistics, this surmised missing generation (or two) sounds like a good way of looking at it.
hp

les

 

[brewshooter]

10 months...10 looooong months!

 

[jpbass]

On and off since 1981, but I didn't do it for a couple long periods. I'd say first there was '81-'86, then didn't pick it up again until '96-'98, gave it up again until this past Spring. This time I've definitely tried more types of tobacco than the previous two times, where I mainly just smoked a few aromatics.