Heat and Humidity Affecting Outdoor Smoking?

[AreBee]

Title edited for capitalization and brevity.

We are experiencing a stretch of 90°-100° with 80%+ humidity. I smoked a couple of cigars while doing outdoor things, kayaking, hiking, and by the end of the smoke they were a soggy, tunneling mess.

Because it's basically unbearable to sit outside I haven't smoked a pipe in a week or so. How does pipe tobacco fare in such conditions?

 

[RookieGuy80]

I'm in the very same weather pattern. And I too am an outdoors smoker. My tobacco is just fine as I keep it inside. Same with my pipes. I just wait until sunset to smoke.

 

[pappymac]

We are experiencing a stretch of 90°-100° with 80%+ humidity. I smoked a couple of cigars while doing outdoor things, kayaking, hiking, and by the end of the smoke they were a soggy, tunneling mess.

Because it's basically unbearable to sit outside I haven't smoked a pipe in a week or so. How does pipe tobacco fare in such conditions?

I live in South Louisiana. The weather conditions you are experiencing is day-to-day life down here from May through mid-October.

I cope with it by smoking my pipe either before 10:00 am or after 4:00 or 5:00 pm. I also sit under a nice shade tree and hope we have a breeze blowing.

Since I keep my pipe tobacco inside the house, I haven't noticed the conditions affecting the pipe tobacco. I don't let my pipe sit long enough after packing before lighting it. I also haven't noticed an increase in moisture or dottle in the bottom of the bowl.

 

[fireground_piper]

Most of the time I smoke indoors, but I usually find myself smoking outside during the warmer periods tending to plants. I can’t say I notice too much of a change but I’m a little bit of a wet smoker so the humidity probably doesn’t do anything more than my mouth is already doing.

Start off with your tobacco dry. That should help.

 

[Peter Turbo]

We are experiencing a stretch of 90°-100° with 80%+ humidity. I smoked a couple of cigars while doing outdoor things, kayaking, hiking, and by the end of the smoke they were a soggy, tunneling mess.

Because it's basically unbearable to sit outside I haven't smoked a pipe in a week or so. How does pipe tobacco fare in such conditions?

Yeah it was like low to mid 90s with high humidity here in Southwest, CT last week but I didn't have any issues with tunneling/soggy Cigars while I was outside smoking. Granted I wasn't hiking or kayaking, I like to just relax when I enjoy tobacco and not do physical activity, other then fly fishing with a cob in my mouth out of my uncles fishing lodge on the Farmington River (I barely count fly fishing as "physical activity")

The only issue I have with pipe tobacco in high humidity is that there's some blends I like to dry out and it just doesn't happen in the summer time here. So I smoke whatever's the most dry out of my jars until the fall/winter. Other then that I've been smoking as I have been through this spring/summer with no issues.

 

[craig61a]

I’ve never had an issue with cigars and high humidity…

Pipe tobacco is kind of a different story.

I’ll dry my tobacco til it’s crispy, then stuff it in a bowl. Microwave helps on really humid days. Otherwise the moisture imparted by the humid air quickly tends to make the tobacco in the chamber into a humid, smoldering mess.

 

[AreBee]

Yeah it was like low to mid 90s with high humidity here in Southwest, CT last week but I didn't have any issues with tunneling/soggy Cigars while I was outside smoking. Granted I wasn't hiking or kayaking, I like to just relax when I enjoy tobacco and not do physical activity, other then fly fishing with a cob in my mouth out of my uncles fishing lodge on the Farmington River (I barely count fly fishing as "physical activity")

The only issue I have with pipe tobacco in high humidity is that there's some blends I like to dry out and it just doesn't happen in the summer time here. So I smoke whatever's the most dry out of my jars until the fall/winter. Other then that I've been smoking as I have been through this spring/summer with no issues.

Yeah, I think that was part of it, while hiking and or kayaking, the cigar is rarely out of my mouth.

I'm just up the road from you in west/central CT. My kayak trip was 10 miles down the Farmington River from Farmington to Simsbury.

 

[Peter Turbo]

Yeah, I think that was part of it, while hiking and or kayaking, the cigar is rarely out of my mouth.

I'm just up the road from you in west/central CT. My kayak trip was 10 miles down the Farmington River from Farmington to Simsbury.

That sounds like a really fun day of Kayaking I gotta do that one day.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I can tolerate the heat and humidity while smoking, though it does make it less enjoyable, but the real annoyance of the hot and humid summers here in Minnesota is having to be more picky about what I smoke since drying tobacco is nearly impossible. During the spring, autumn, and winter I can rub out a fairly wet flake and let it sit out to dry for 10 or 15 minutes and it'll be good to go, but during the summer I can leave it sit out for hours and it hardly dries at all. That means I basically have to select blends that are at the right moisture level for smoking straight out of the jar, and pass over anything that needs drying time until the autumn rolls around.

 

[briarblues]

We are experiencing a stretch of 90°-100° with 80%+ humidity. I smoked a couple of cigars while doing outdoor things, kayaking, hiking, and by the end of the smoke they were a soggy, tunneling mess.

Because it's basically unbearable to sit outside I haven't smoked a pipe in a week or so. How does pipe tobacco fare in such conditions?

I can't say for others, but for me, pipes are just not as enjoyable in extreme heat. When we visit Mexico I may enjoy a pipe in the early am or in the evening. During the day, it's cigars. The worst for me was Cancun though. Hot and humid. Cabos San Lucas, being more moderate was temperate enough that a pipe during the day was ok.

 

[bullet08]

Tobacco's fine.

 

[Manawydan]

In the desert, our highs are now routinely 110F. I like to smoke a pipe after lunch, but in this heat I have been limiting to 1/2 bowls. My evening outdoor smokes have also been moving later into the 9pmish range to compensate for the heat. I don't mind smoking when it's hot, I just mind being out for long periods when it's hot.

 

[Sig]

I went a couple weeks without smoking a pipe.
The last few days have only been in the high 70s with mid 60% humidity, so I have smoked one pipe a day.
It seems to be cooling off a bit, we will see.
Im outside all day tending to our farm and livestock.
The LAST thing I want is to sit still and puff a pipe when its over 90 degrees.

 

[Cracklin' Tobaccy]

I don't notice any problems happening from heat or humidity. I tend to smoke PA or bright Virginia when smoking outside in heat. Heavy nic blends will do me in on a hot day.

 

[FLDRD]

It requires continual adaptation in the Arkansas River Valley and I'm outside for the activity 90%+ of the time when it's not winter. Even then, I'm outside 50% or more. Regular practice helps, but while I envy those who enjoy their pipe indoors without battling the various elements, I understand their challenge of trying to figure it out for the small % they're outdoors.

In other words - it gets easier with practice.

 

[captpat]

I smoke outside, but when it's really hot and humid I don't smoke. My personal temperature gauge reads too hot if I'm sweating while seated. Sometimes even a fan isn't enough to make it enjoyable. Tobacco and pipes are always stored inside, in AC.

 

[Chasing Embers]

We are experiencing a stretch of 90°-100° with 80%+ humidity.

 

[didimauw]

I can't smoke in too high humidity. I need my tobacco with 0% moisture, or else it's bland and hot.

 

[mpjetset]

You can do it - get wet. Take a shower, or quick dip in the pool/ocean/lake/river and then a shower, every few hours depending on how oppressive it gets.

Stay wet - those in the know wear fishing shirt material here in SE Florida, even to the office (with a tie when necessary), so even if I can't get in water I can find a sink to splash myself pretty well knowing that I'll dry in no time. Soak the sides of your head and neck. Short hair is a plus.

Retain your cool - I switch to cobs and dry VAs, drink a lot of water/tea/cofffee/beer, and take advantage of any breeze. Hot tea and coffee don't seem to make me feel hotter. Shade only, of course, but a big straw hat works too. I'll even smoke a cob in the pool with a termos full of cold beer for a half-hour (in cob-time), now that the kids aren't likely to join me anymore.

Slow down - don't fight it. Finally, I was a desert and surf rat in Southern California befor moving to the SE US with the Marines, and thought I was going to die at first. I found that the slow-talking old-school southerners had a way of talking and moving with less effort which didn't generate as much heat.

Those are my strategies, and I've smoked outside almost every day over the last three weeks. "After kids" (almost) it might be the best smoking of my life. Good smoking!

 

[Briarpuffin]

Same conditions for me.
i have been getting up at 5 or 6am and having a Olivia master blend 3 robusto cigar with coffee.