Pipe Smoking Image--Old vs. Young, Eccentric, Nostalgic or Strange????

[bowler1]

So just out of curiosity I wanted to see what folks thought about this. I am 41 and have been smoking a pipe for almost 20 years; although not very seriously until the last year or so. Also have smoked cigars for about the same time.
I enjoy pipe smoking very much and will continue to do so as long as I do, but I have always felt like I was "young" to be smoking a pipe....although I guess I am not so young as I used to be.
Now that I frequent these and other forums I see that there are other younger folks smoking a pipe. Maybe this is an increasing trend.
My wife thinks that I am weird since I am so obsessed with pipe smoking. My old girlfriends always said I was "like an old man" because I liked to smoke a pipe. And frankly I have always felt a little strange telling folks that I am a pipe smoker.
I have never felt that way about cigar smoking which seems to be... " cool" perhaps.
Just curious to hear input from others about this subject. Is this an "old man's" hobby? Is it eccentric or strange? Is it "cool"?
I will continue to enjoy it regardless since I like it, but just curious what people's consensus is on this.
thanks!

Matt

 

[kendodan]

For a young guy like me (24) it's certainly not a normal hobby but in America it is definitely getting more popular with younger people. Not sure why. Maybe because of the hipster fashion or maybe people are just tired of the current generations fads and trends so they are just going against the grain. You can see this with people growing more beards as well. 10 years ago a full grown beard was pretty uncommon but now more and more young people are growing them out. I haven't really answered your question sorry about that. But I don't really see it as eccentric, strange or cool. It's a hobby like any other. Some people may start smoking a pipe because it's cool but I think those people quit pretty early on. You only continue it because you enjoy it and then it takes on a whole new meaning.

 

[ravkesef]

I started when I was 18, and have been smoking a pipe for 54 years--you do the math. I took up pipe smoking when I started college precisely because it was the epitome of cool. I never felt that I was too young, not when I was in my twenties, forties, and now my seventies. At every stage I and my pipes radiated cool. You can too.,

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

I'm 28 and got into pipe smoking last year. My long time girlfriend does not care for the pipe smoking and calls me an "old man" because of it. I don't really get odd looks and most others I encounter while smoking seem to at least like the smell of my pipe and are inquisitive about it. It can seem a bit eccentric given the stigma of pipe smoking to be an old man or eccentric persons realm. That being said, I don't care. There is more to smoking a pipe than cigarettes. I love "old things" and pipes fit that bill with such a wide range in shapes and finish. I love the complexities of pipe tobacco. I like cigars as well, but smoking just one can be the price equivalent to an entire tin of pipe tobacco.
I don't plan on putting down the pipe as the "phase" passes on for me (my girlfriend's words). I haven't had a cigarette for a week as of tomorrow and that was part of the whole reason I got started with pipes in the first place: enjoy a quality smoke without the smell or chemical overload of cigarettes.

 

[murf]

I've been called an "old man" since I like to drink bourbon, neat and straight. Although now I occasionally put a splash or few drops of water in it. Started drinking bourbon long before I took up the pipe. Maybe I'm just an "old soul" as some people have said.
I like my pipes and tobacco. I don't care if people label me because of it.

 

[theboz]

For me it is just about what I enjoy. I was never one to follow trends, but I think that is part of it for some, and for others it could be the price of cigarettes etc.

 

[settersbrace]

I was 40 when I started messing with pipes and had only been smoking cigars for a couple years previous and then only rarely. I went through the whole "old man" thing with the wife and friends, etc. and I always laughed it off and told them that I'd gladly explain what the attraction to pipes was if I thought they were intelligent enough to understand! ;-). Now that I'm like just a little over a week away from turning 54, I really don't give a rats ass what anybody thinks about my pipe smoking.
It's really great that there are younger people taking up the hobby and I'd bet some money that I couldn't afford to lose that for those younger folks that are smoking pipes will enjoy the hobby a lot longer than their peers will enjoy all the piercing and tattoos they all seem to get. I'm not against whatever choices they make in the name of body art but doubt they will get the long lasting enjoyment we get from pipes and tobaccos.
I've recently started to come out of the closet so to speak by taking my pipes with me to various places that people I know have never seen me smoke a pipe. Many of them didn't have a clue that I smoked at all. The interesting part is that I get a good deal of engaging conversation and inquiry from many people wanting to know more about it, many of them cigar smokers that are weary of the continuous price hikes hitting their wallets.

 

[bulletsnbriars]

I started smoking a pipe at 18- almost six months ago. I smoked a few cigars before then with friends, just country boys around a bonfire. I do it simpy because I love it. I confess the resurgance of LOTR culture, and the new hobbit movies, had an influence on it, but my dad and brother also smoked a pipe. I'm happy it's becoming a "fad", not because I like going with the crowd but because it means a few young people like me, when the trend subsides, will find a new love.
It is definitely "cool". People my age think it's awesome when I light up a pipe, and I just got a 19 year old buddy into it. This may be a passing trend, but right now, my generation is catching onto it. Why? The same reason we took up swing dancing (also popular right now if you didn't know), fedora hats, and Rockabily. That's because sometimes the old things deserve a revisit. A lot of it is fickle "hipsters", but they ironically started something genuine. I just hope this continues to grow and doesn't fizzle out.

 

[condorlover1]

I will be 50 odd in Jan and I have been smoking a pipe since I was 17. I have buried a few of my close friends who were cigarette smokers. I smoke to excess but I enjoy every second with my pipes.

 

[sailorjeremy]

I don't really think it's an "old man's" hobby, but I do think it's a sign of maturity and attention to detail. To newcomers, it's often seen as cool because our generation is just obsessed with new and foreign things.Same thing with cigars to some extent. Cigars are often a celebratory/special occasion type of thing most times. You don't really come by people who smoke cigars as often as one would smoke pipe.

 

[dryseason91]

I'm 23, and my friends do treat the pipe as a curiosity; I get hit with both the 'hipster' and 'old man' labels, which seems a bit oxymoronic, but there you go. Some definitely treat it as an affectation. I only smoke at home, because bringing a pipe out around campus would attract far too much amused/bemused attention.

 

[topd]

I also started smoking a pipe when I was 18. I'm 60 now and never cared what others thought of it...

 

[hawke]

I started 3 months ago and Im 57. Hey it took me a while to be "cool"! Hahaha
I did have a Trans Am when I was 21 and I was "cool".

Then I started drinking moonshine and thought I was "cool".

Now I have a 2012 Camaro Convertible and a pipe and I know Im "cool"!!! So there.
PS: The camaro is a 6 cylinder, I rent my home, and dont have a trust fund. LOL

 

[frankenstein]

Started smoking 2009 after a couple of years where the fascination of pipe smoking grew. First I told myself that, "when I'm retired I'll start smoking pipes". But that didn't last very long. 33 years old now and I've probably got myself addicted to the stuff, but I don't care. It goes well with my persona, to smoke a pipe, I think because I have a strong nostalgic sense, like old things that isn't integrated with the fast paced IT-world, real mens clothing as wool cardigans, bowties, blazer/sportcoats, high quality goodyear welted shoes and I am a real conservative type with some pretty (in these days) controversial opinions. The pipe somehow blend with my personality. Never cared for cigars, they seem so vulgar and taste like dog faeces.

 

[andystewart]

Excuse the question from a middle-aged Englishman - what's 'hipster fashion'?!
Andy

 

[bulletsnbriars]

Andy, I don't know how well represented it is in England, but the current trend amoungst high school tk college age students right now is hipsterdom. It's sort of a wimpy countercultural thing; they intentionally resist things because they are popular, with no consideration as to whether it's good or not. As a concequence, they immerse themselves in obscure and old fashioned interests to be "unique". There is noting genuine about it, just another fad taken up by kids who want to be cool. College aged hipsters started smoking a pipe because of it's rarity, to look different, not because they love our fine art. It has lead to an increase ib my generations pipe smoking.

 

[transmutated]

I'm 32. People that don't know me well have thought it a bit odd and said that it's an old man thing. People that know me well know that I am a slave to all things decadent and pleasurable and that smoking pipes and cigars was inevitable. Anyone that has dared question me or laugh at me have been met with a rigorous lecture about why it is a far finer pleasure than smoking cigarettes (normally combined with a lecture on drinking fine beers rather than commercial lagers). I make them regret ever questioning my pipe smoking. I am fairly tiresome admittedly.
I'm sure a lot of people think I'm a hipster since the only other people I ever see smoking pipes in London are hipsters with twisty moustaches (I do dress spectacularly well and can understand why this might confuse people). But when people have asked me about this, I always tell them that I am doing my bit in taking it back for the common man...which is certainly the case. I am not wealthy, I am not hip. I like reading, listening/playing music, smoking, eating, drinking and arguing with anyone that questions my tastes.

 

[fadingdaylight]

From the funny looks I get most days, I doubt it is considered "cool". I too have heard a million "old man" cracks. And since I wear a lot of flannels, I get told I dress like one too. I'm 31. I don't really give a damn what people think, or what is cool. I never really have. Sure that led to a shortage of friends in my younger years, but I didn't really care about that either.
I think cost over cigarettes and cigars does play a role in the growing popularity of pipes. I also think that there are a lot of people who take it up out of nostalgia, and end up falling in love. I was a bit of both. In the end, I am glad this site exists, or I doubt I would ever get to engage in conversations like this one.

 

[frankenstein]

transmuted: I get confused being a "hipster" by other people as well just because I wear 3-piece suits, sport a manly beard and smoke a pipe. Which could not be farther from the truth. To them I reply, "Gegen hipsters!".

 

[cuchulain]

I've been told that if I were 100 lbs lighter I'd be mistaken for a hipster. As is I just get called an old man.