That Pipe’s Just Not Suitable, I'll Take XYZ…

[TinCup]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title - Bob (See Rule 9)

Just following another post and thought it might be worth a topic of its own so as not to take that thread off topic

It might just be me but do you make decisions on which pipe to use based on where you are going/what you will be doing and dare I say for aesthetic value?
And are some of your pipes more suited/unsuited than others to different environments & lastly which features do you consider?

I.e (for me)

• for smoking in the car I typically use a pocket briar pipe, its small and lightweight so its suited to driving in traffic, whereas a churchwarden or heavy pipe might not be
• If I was going to a bar-be-que with the guys then I’m not taking a delicate pipe (amber stem meer!) I want something a bit more robust like one of my ebony’s that can take a bit of a beating if it needs to
• I pop down to an outdoor bar so I like to take a straight free standing pipe that I can put on the table rather than something I’d need a hook for if I needed both hands free
• Going round the golf course I don’t take my Aldo pipe because it has a high gloss finish and I know it would get scratched in the golf cart so I’ll choose rusticated

What got me onto this topic was I already actively think about these kind of things all the time when I go somewhere so for me certain pipes are better suited to certain environments and after seeing a particular pipe it got me thinking about the colour of pipes and whether that feature might also have a bearing on where I’d smoke it, given that most of the above examples might be described as practical whereas colour might not fall into that category

Thoughts? What do you do?

 

[tokerpipes]

You I to have thought of this but came to my own opinion that a pipe should be like a man on his woman’s side. No woman would have a man that couldn’t compliment her character. So why would have a pipe to compromise our character. In consideration of color I think it would be a little metro say if you got a belt and shoes that matched your pipe. But I definitely see where you are coming from with the different pipes for different venues. I wouldn’t take a MM to a wedding all dressed in a tux. Maybe a shotgun wedding though.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I wouldn’t take a MM to a wedding all dressed in a tux.

Been there, done that.

For me, a pipe isn't an accessory, it's just a tool. Whichever tobacco and pipe I choose for a given day is what goes out and about with me.

 

[BROBS]

I certainly choose the pipe based on day, weather, activity, level of formality, etc.

If it’s really windy I won’t take a pipe outside that’s not sandblasted or rusticated, because it’s much more likely the rim might get darkened.

though sometimes I do just go with whatever pipe I want.

 

[TinCup]

Maybe I’m even a little vain in that for certain occasion/functions I would choose a pipe that better suits what I’m wearing… actually that’s wrong, I’d reject a particular pipe that doesn’t suit what I’m wearing

 

[Chasing Embers]

Maybe I’m even a little vain in that for certain occasion/functions I would choose a pipe that better suits what I’m wearing… actually that’s wrong, I’d reject a particular pipe that doesn’t suit what I’m wearing

I don't see a thing wrong with that line of thinking. That's part of what makes smoking a pipe enjoyable for you. Run with it!?

 

[vates]

I once was in a 5-day hike through forests and mountains, smoking a single churchwarden vigorously. Had no other (working) pipe at that time. And it was just fine

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

For me, unless I am going to a formal event of some sort where I have need to “dress up”, in which case I would take a very clean, nicely “shiny bowled” pipe that matches the color scheme (usually black or brown).... other than those rare occasions (like a wedding or some such thing)..... the pipe I pick in a given day stays with me.

 

[Elric]

Since my pipes are dedicated to genres of tobacco, I choose one based on what I'm planning on smoking. I have nice ones and beaters for each tobacco type. Also, some are just too large to smoke on the go, as it were. For example, I have a Ben Wade freehand/pickaxe that has a chamber probably twice as big as any other pipe I own. That's easily a 90 minute+ commitment, and it weighs a fair amount even before loading it up. For the car, it's either a MM or a small ThePipe bulldog.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Almost all my pipes are clenchers which solves a lot of the decision issues. If I'm leaving home, I most often leave my absolutely favorite pipes at home to avoid damage, loss or theft. That's a couple of second decision.

 

[warren]

Does anyone here choose a suit to suit one's pipe?

For some the pipe is an affectation.

 

[mso489]

A pipe is so rarely a social activity that I barely think about the visual or social impression. In the old days when smoking was totally social -- in the smoking car on the train, in the smoking area of hotels and restaurants -- the social affect was a logical consideration. Since my wife is my only audience, and only in passing, and she bought me many of my pipes as gifts, she's the arbiter as much as anyone other than me. I'm pretty one-track, so I don't smoke driving, and walking, I really don't care who sees me or what they think, except that they don't harass me about the pipe or anything else. So the visual impression I make is largely imaginary, thinking how the Opera pipe would look actually going to the opera, or how it would be fun to smoke a cob at a wedding reception in a suit and tie, etc.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Car: Usually a bent.
Golf: Try to avoid the more delicate ones.
Formal event: A black blast, if I remember to make a choice.
Home: Anything, but the good clinchers get bypassed as they're better for walking.

 

[Bengel]

All good ideas/reasoning, but for me it is more the tobacco leads the decision, or not

 

[Bengel]

Does anyone here choose a suit to suit one's pipe?

For some the pipe is an affectation.

 

[subsalac]

Purely in order of what has the most rest, which is usually a minimum of 2 days, sometimes 3 or 4 if I'm consuming less.

 

[davek]

Been there, done that.

For me, a pipe isn't an accessory, it's just a tool. Whichever tobacco and pipe I choose for a given day is what goes out and about with me.

I smoke cobs, not here to beat that horse, but as to the appearance or 'accessorizing" aspect...
I can't really smoke in public much at all anyway. 99% of my bowls are normally smoked on the back porch, and when I smoke "out and about" I usually have to slink off somewhere anyway.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I enjoy cobs too and quite often they are my companion for the day.

 

[sablebrush52]

The only time I think about what pipes I'm taking to an event is when I'm going to the WCPS or on a trip and won't have access to my pile. Otherwise the pipe I pick is what works well for the tobacco I want to smoke. As for how a pipe works as a fashion accessory, I really don't care.

 

[mso489]

Only a few social occasions have coincided with a pipe. For a party with a bonfire out back in the winter, I took along a La Rocca poker. For a wedding, I stepped outside and had a cob in a cream colored linen suit, somewhat Mark Twain. Not much planning attended either choice. It was grab and run.