Pack It To The Brim, Or Not?

[jpmcwjr]

pack loosely at the base - get a bit tighter as I go up - tightest at the brim, and the brim for me typically resides nicely inside the bowl

Yes. And if you load all at once, then tamp down, you'll end up at the same place with less fuss and time.

 

[lawdogspipes]

I pack just below the rim.

 

[cigrmaster]

I pack almost to the top and then check the draw. If there is the amount of resistance I am looking for, I leave it the way it is. If the draw is to loose I will packit a little tighter. If it is too tight, I take a pipe cleaner and put it all the way into the chamber, and then move it around a little and it usually loosens it up perfectly. I like a tighter pack than a looser one.

 

[mingc]

About 2mm under.

 

[Grangerous]

I laughed at “keeping the tobacco flat”. You could call me a fanatic but I scrape the sides as I tamp and having an even burning, perfectly level ash is must! You should see me with cigars!

 

[Lawyer66]

I shoot for a little below or right at the rim. However, I can't say I haven't ram-packed my bowls a few times.

 

[JohnnyAZ]

Just below the rim, the tobacco will invariably expand upon lighting, just tamp that ash...

 

[wayoutwest]

below the rim to limit rim darkening which I am terrible about. It's on almost all of my pipes...

 

[jpmcwjr]

below the rim to limit rim darkening which I am terrible about. It's on almost all of my pipes...

It's less about the height of the load, more about applying the flame to the tobacco. Hold heat source further away, and draw the tip of the flame near the tobacco, not on.

 

[wayoutwest]

It's less about the height of the load, more about applying the flame to the tobacco. Hold heat source further away, and draw the tip of the flame near the tobacco, not on.

Great tip, thank you! Should have started posting here years ago.

 

[Prunetucky84]

I always pack the bowl of every pipe about a 1/4” down below the rim, so I don’t have any tobacco char the rim when it does it’s little fire dance. Lol

 

[Jshogan2]

I fill my bowls however much I want, at least half way but no more than ~90% totally full. Any less than half and it can be difficult to keep lit. Any more than 90% and rim darkening is going to be harder to manage in the long-term from my experience. Do what you like! Just my two cents.

 

[ADKPiper]

Pack loosely to the brim.
Toast.
Tamp.
Relight.
Relax.

 

[PipeDad33]

With the little experience I have I've been packing right at or just below the rim. Just below seems to working out better for me.

 

[gamzultovah]

It depends. Are we cube cutting, folding and stuffing, rubbing out flake or packing fine ribbon? Each one has its own peculiarities. But on the whole...below the rim I’d say.

 

[gamzultovah]

I tend to waste tobacco. Been noodling smoking half filled bowls to reduce waste.

Now that you mentioned it, I actually like the taste and burn of a half filled bowl better than a full bowl.

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Depends what I'm smoking. Depends on the pipe. Depends on the cut. Really depends on how much time I have. I've been smoking a lot of ready rubbed lately and is seems to burn forever, so I pack it pretty loosely. I generally pack a bowl more loosely because I find it helps reduce relights.

THIS! Last night I smoked a bowl of Old Dark Fired ready rubbed, and I cleaned it out this morning (mea culpa!), and there was like 1/4 of the bowl unsmoked! So yeah, we should take all those variables into consideration.

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I often don't pack all the way to the top, for time purposes. Family/work requirements rarely give me an hour+ to sit and enjoy. So I'm usually 1/2 to 3/4 full. I don't really mind having things rise up above the bowl on first lighting though if I am able to pack it full.

Most of the Summer I was waking up really early (sunrise or a bit before) so that I'd have some time to smoke a bowl or two uninterrupted. Once the family is up, I swear there's not a single bowl that isn't interrupted by someone needing something. Sheesh!

 

[Sgetz]

I dry my tobacco out before I smoke. If I over estimate how much I need it goes above the rim. If I underestimate it goes below!

 

[ophiuchus]

Whether carefully, methodically loading the chamber off the drying board or doing the codger scoop from a pouch, one of few things I do consistently is fill to about half a centimeter below the rim.