Do You Introduce Yourself to Other Pipe Smokers?

[Kiteflyer]

Title edited for caps. Dunno what IRL means. Please expand!


I got a whiff of vanilla cavendish at a yard sale yesterday. I turned around and sure enough there was a fellow pipe smoker. I introduced myself, asked what he was smoking and had a nice little conversation. Have you guys had any interactions with other pipe smokers in the wild?

 

[didimauw]

I've been real close, but they are an ellusive breed!

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

It is rare to see another pipe smoker in the wild aside from group gatherings. Isolation seems to be the natural or preferred habitat.

Depending on the circumstances, I may introduce myself and ask their preferences. But understand a deep discourse is not likely. After all, if I'm out and about, I things to do, hands to kiss, and babies to shake (or something like that).

 

[cosmicfolklore]

In Alabama, there must be more of us, because I can run into other pipesmokers at least twice a week, but sometimes more often. And, it depends… on whether I have a reason to introduce myself. Do they have a nice pipe? Am I curious about what they’re smoking? Do they seem interesting enough to get to know? Or, are we talking a dork with a corncob and baseball cap on backwards?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

The last time I recall seeing an actual person "in the wild" smoking a pipe anywhere near me was in Scotland a few years ago, but the circumstance was similar - I wan't smoking pipes at the time, and was tempted to approach him to ask about his dog (just substitute dog for pipe) and talk "dog" a bit, but he seemed to want to be left alone and kind of preferring that myself a little, I chose to leave him alone, lol. Who knows, I may have missed out on a fulfilling conversation. I love his pic - the symmetry of the dog and owner interested me. On the other hand, in the second photo below, this guy appeared to be someone who welcomed people approaching him (and he did, haha) and my wife and I had a fun chat with him and met a large, but cute pup! So pipe or pup, it depends!

 

[LotusEater]

I’ve never seen another pipe smoker in the wild. But I get stopped by non pipe smokers often. They usually say something like “nice pipe” or “that smells great”.

I do see other people browsing the pipe tobacco at my local cigar shop once in a while but it just seems weird to try to strike up a conversation with them. Most of them are looking at their phones with a tin in their hands - I imagine they are looking at tobacco reviews or something like that.

 

[bullet08]

No. Yes, I'm antisocial, but I haven't seen a pipe smoker other than myself.

 

[Chaukisch]

Sometimes I see an older gentleman riding his bike with a black pipe in his mouth but I'm not the kind of guy to stop and bother someone just like that. Everybody else smokes either cigarettes or sucks on those vaporizers, sometimes I see the odd cigarillo or, even rarer, cigar.

 

[MacMarty89]

The only people I have spotted smoking a pipe in my town or in the city, are older gentlemen. I never approach them. When I smoke a pipe in the wild, I do usually get some measure of approval from other pedestrians, but that’s about it. No-one ever struck a conversation with me on that subject beyond friends, acquaintances or colleagues.

 

[archerdarkpint]

Sometimes...depends on the moment and sense of approachability.

 

[Kobold]

The last time I saw someone smoking a pipe in the wild was this summer on vacation. He didn’t seem very approachable so I let him be. Or maybe I’m just shy…

 

[cigrmaster]

When I moved into my last home in 2012 a guy 5 houses down from me smoked a pipe. I went and struck up a conversation. He smoked Captain Black Gold as his only tobacco and owned one or 2 pipes only. When I told him about my variety of pipes and tobacco he looked at me like I was an idiot.

I brought him 4 samples of some good tobacco in baggies and said I hope you enjoy these as they are some of my favorites. He looked at me with scorn, said thanks and walked away. I am positive he threw out the samples. From that time on I made sure my dog shit on a piece of property right next to his house. It is considered common area for the development but he thought he owned it. One time he bitched at my 17 year old son for walking the dog on his alleged property. I went to the guy and told him don't ever talk to my son again and that grass is not your fucking property. I told him I will report him to the property manager if he ever did it again. I talked to the property manager and asked what the this guys deal is and he told me he was the biggest asshole in the entire development. We had around a thousand homes so that is saying something. The guy would report people if you put your trash out an hour early on trash night. He would bitch about parked cars in the street that were there over night from visitors and was clearly in the rules. The dickhead finally moved out a few years later. I think he got tired of my dog hanging out next to his place sniffing around for ever looking for the perfect place to shit I did have bags and always picked up the shit. Sure some got left over but management couldn't have cared less, we were not expected to wash it away.

That is the only other pipe smoker I met while smoking my pipe and it was a bummer.

 

[Kobold]

When I moved into my last home in 2012 a guy 5 houses down from me smoked a pipe. I went and struck up a conversation. He smoked Captain Black Gold as his only tobacco and owned one or 2 pipes only. When I told him about my variety of pipes and tobacco he looked at me like I was an idiot.

I brought him 4 samples of some good tobacco in baggies and said I hope you enjoy these as they are some of my favorites. He looked at me with scorn, said thanks and walked away. I am positive he threw out the samples. From that time on I made sure my dog shit on a piece of property right next to his house. It is considered common area for the development but he thought he owned it. One time he bitched at my 17 year old son for walking the dog on his alleged property. I went to the guy and told him don't ever talk to my son again and that grass is not your fucking property. I told him I will report him to the property manager if he ever did it again. I talked to the property manager and asked what the this guys deal is and he told me he was the biggest asshole in the entire development. We had around a thousand homes so that is saying something. The guy would report people if you put your trash out an hour early on trash night. He would bitch about parked cars in the street that were there over night from visitors and was clearly in the rules. The dickhead finally moved out a few years later. I think he got tired of my dog hanging out next to his place sniffing around for ever looking for the perfect place to shit I did have bags and always picked up the shit. Sure some got left over but management couldn't have cared less, we were not expected to wash it away.

That is the only other pipe smoker I met while smoking my pipe and it was a bummer.

Damn, this guy sucked! Good thing he moved away.

 

[Steddy]

I’ve seen two people smoking a pipe while out and about. I thought about approaching them but I could tell I was going to be awkward about it so I just looked at them awkwardly instead.

 

[cigrmaster]

Damn, this guy sucked! Good thing he moved away.

If he had been younger than me I would have let him have it with both barrels But since he was over 70 I shut my mouth and showed respect as I was taught to do.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

I've only seen a few people smoking pipes in the wild, but I pretty much always say something. From the reactions I've recv'd I can tell that some people just smoke a pipe because they enjoy it and don't really see it as "a thing," but others consider pipe-smoking a type of brotherhood. I'm definitely one of the latter.

I've also seen a couple pipe-smokers while driving, and if I happen to be smoking my pipe I will hold it up as a type of salute. I've met with friendly responses in these instances. Pipe-smokers, in general, seem to be very cool people.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Many aren't fortunate enough to live in a tobacco friendly community so why bother them when they are enjoying their rare moment to smoke. There's five pipe smokers where I work and when the pipes are lit, there's no talking, we're just enjoying our nicotine.

 

[onestrangeone]

I’ve never seen a free range piper, so I’m not sure if I would or not. I do occasionally get comments and questions from people when I’m out and about.

 

[condorlover1]

Strange. I sort of agree with Embers. If I am enjoying my pipe I don't want to be disturbed.

 

[Searock Fan]

When I moved into my last home in 2012 a guy 5 houses down from me smoked a pipe. I went and struck up a conversation. He smoked Captain Black Gold as his only tobacco and owned one or 2 pipes only. When I told him about my variety of pipes and tobacco he looked at me like I was an idiot.

I brought him 4 samples of some good tobacco in baggies and said I hope you enjoy these as they are some of my favorites. He looked at me with scorn, said thanks and walked away. I am positive he threw out the samples. From that time on I made sure my dog shit on a piece of property right next to his house. It is considered common area for the development but he thought he owned it. One time he bitched at my 17 year old son for walking the dog on his alleged property. I went to the guy and told him don't ever talk to my son again and that grass is not your fucking property. I told him I will report him to the property manager if he ever did it again. I talked to the property manager and asked what the this guys deal is and he told me he was the biggest asshole in the entire development. We had around a thousand homes so that is saying something. The guy would report people if you put your trash out an hour early on trash night. He would bitch about parked cars in the street that were there over night from visitors and was clearly in the rules. The dickhead finally moved out a few years later. I think he got tired of my dog hanging out next to his place sniffing around for ever looking for the perfect place to shit I did have bags and always picked up the shit. Sure some got left over but management couldn't have cared less, we were not expected to wash it away.

That is the only other pipe smoker I met while smoking my pipe and it was a bummer.

There's a line in "The Milagro Beanfield War" where a local tells the social worker "... if we don't know it already chances are we're not interested in learning it..." In my experience that's the way most people are about most things. Present company excepted.

I seem to only smoke at home now days, so they don't see me. And, I'm not much of a run-a- round type, so I don't see them either. Last time I ran into one was a few years ago. I had business with him and went to his office. To my surprise on his desk was a rack with about a dozen pipes. I told him I was a pipe guy too and tried to talk pipes with him. He could not have cared less. Too bad for him, he missed the chance to learn from the greatest pipe "know it all" of all time.