Can You Pack Too Loose?

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

A lot of the tips for new pipe smokes usually include something about proper pipe packing. One of the easiest mistakes a new piper can make is packing their pipe tightly, most of us have done it before (and I sometimes still do...).
This got me thinking, is it possible to pack your pipe too loose (other than no tobacco - duh)? This is more of a hypothetical question. What are your thoughts?

 

[mso489]

Sure, you can pack too loose. Either it burns too fast or it doesn't stay lit, and if it burns at all, the flavor is tepid.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Nope.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

In my experience you can pack too loose, but its easy to fix with your tamper or fingertip. Much easier to fix than packing too tight.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

In my opinion, yes and no. I tended to pack too loosely when I first started and couldn’t keep it lit. But I didn’t know how to tamp properly yet, either. There is, in my opinion, a sort of perfect density of pack. It doesn’t have to be done on the initial filling of the pipe though. Some folks achieve it by packing very loosely and tamping more often, and some pack it a little tighter and tamp less. I think cadence affects what that “magic” density should be, as well. Just my observations, but I haven’t seen everything. ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I just gravity fill and tap the heel of the pipe against my palm. Most of the time it will burn straight to the bottom with little tamping and no relights. Much like how someone would pack a pack of cigarettes.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I just gravity fill and tap the heel of the pipe against my palm. Most of the time it will burn straight to the bottom with little tamping and no relights. Much like how someone would pack a pack of cigarettes.

you must rub out your tobacco to a very fine cut.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Thanks for all the replies! I like to hear everyone's techniques as we all do it a little bit different depending on the cut, humidity, moisture of the tobacco, etc.

I personally did not think you could pack too loose, but as MSO points out it could lead to problems keeping your pipe lit. I had not thought of that!

 

[Chasing Embers]

you must rub out your tobacco to a very fine cut.

Not really, unless it's flake, broken flake, plug, or cake, I just pack it as is. I do let it dry out completely though.

 

[Gecko]

I would say yes you can. I like my tobacco with a bit of moisture and spring left in it and if I only gravity fill and tap I only get 5 minutes of smoking out of my smaller pipes.

I do a variation of the codger mash, very loose at the bottom and a bit firmer at the top. Which seems to work for me.

Edit: Spelling

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I suspect I may still be packing a bit tighter than I ought to,yet never I manage to smoke to that fine white ash

 

[lelik]

In my experience you can pack too loose, but its easy to fix with your tamper or fingertip. Much easier to fix than packing too tight.

You are 100% right ?

 

[cigrmaster]

I hate a loose pack, it burns hot and looses flavors. Before I light my pipe I check the draw..........always. I want there to be some resistance so the draw isn't too easy. If my bowl tightens up while smoking all I do is run a pipe cleaner into the bowl and it loosens it right up. There are times I fold and stuff a flake into my pipe and I have to jam it in to fit. I check the draw and there is none. I take a pipe cleaner, run it into the bowl, it creates and airway and I am off and running. Again it if tightens while smoking I do it again. I nice firm pack makes the pipe smoke slower and cooler which gives me more flavor.

 

[mortonbriar]

The dryer it is, the more likely it will stay lit when packed loose. I have a few emergency homegrown burley leaves on the dashboard of my truck and if I leave home with only the bowl I am smoking then I rely on breaking up a bit of this whole leaf to fill my pipe for the ride home. Leaf does not get much drier than baked in a windscreen for a few months! I "fill" up my bowl with this rather than "pack".

 

[jpmcwjr]

I suspect I may still be packing a bit tighter than I ought to,yet never I manage to smoke to that fine white ash

Try drying the tobacco more before loading. You'll get there.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Of course it's possible to load the tobacco too loose. But as noted, some tamping post light will fix it, unless it's too damp at which point it will clump.

 

[bullet08]

Yupe. You go to dump the ash and whole thing falls out. Happened to me once.

 

[Pipelady20]

In my experience you can pack too loose, but its easy to fix with your tamper or fingertip. Much easier to fix than packing too tight.

+1 This ?

 

[kola]

Ca you pack too loose? Yes.

But it all depends on the tobacco cut and moisture for me. I tend to pack loose to start and adjust by tamping as I go. But a shaggy rats nest cut you can pack pretty tight -compared to a lightly rubbed out flake which I go much lighter.

I almost always pack in three loads. IMO, the first initial pack sets the tone and is the most important one. I leave some space at the bottom, and go with light pressure (if ya choose to check the draw that'd be a good time to check it) Then the other two loads get a tad more pressure. But again the cut and moisture content are key.

I'm also a slow smoker and re-lights are the norm...so i don't worry about that stuff. I pack on the light side and tamp as needed. It's a "feel" thing really and trial and error gets ya schooled. A kind of a "spongy' feel is what I go after - but then again I don't dry my tobacco all that much as I don't prefer it crunchy.

If you're a fairly new pipe smoker, you may want to avoid that "Frank method." SMH.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I try to error on the side of packing loose. Often it is perfect but sometimes I have to adjust with a tamper. Rarely do I pack too tight these days.