I recently reluctantly started using a cap on windy days which we get a lot of. I was amazed at how well the pipes smoked and how much I stopped fiddling. Take the cap off once in a while to tamp, relight and enjoy. What a difference.I would love not to, but I'm sitting outside on my deck and it's always breezy. If I don't dump mid bowl, then I'm asking for an ash shower. I could use a wind cap, but then I can't tamp, relighting isn't as easy or pleasurable, etc., but I'd love to hear the seasoned smokers weigh in on this.