And, just like that, the summer season is upon us. My recommendation for enjoying the upcoming dog days is to switch up your smoking game by investigating some bygone or new-to-you smoking methods. Over the next few weeks, we are going to take a look at a few products and preps that will elevate your enjoyment of cannabis in the beautiful days to come.
Number one piece of advice: If you do not have one, get yourself a bong. If your bong from your college days is packed away somewhere in the basement or attic, get yourself to the basement or attic, and bring that bong into your living/smoking space. Also, if your bong is just a teeny, tiny little thing, it is time to upgrade. My size requirement has a standard attached: The effective bong should not be easily portable. Unless shenanigans are involved, you are not taking a bong to the movies or a concert or on public transit. About a foot tall is the range. If you want to travel with a smoking apparatus, the bong is probably not the one. If you decide you want to make a camping trip a little extra by taking your foot-tall glass, understand that it is going to require some extensive packing to make sure it is safe. This will likely involve a cardboard tube and a bunch of bubble wrap or newspaper.
I completely and fully counsel anybody looking to acquire a water pipe to go with glass. It is the standard for a reason. Not only is glass the medium that lets the creative artistry of cannabis delivery systems shine their brightest, it is also just cleaner (by every standard)… and classier. Way classier. It can be a little more expensive, but that is usually at the high end of the price range, where things can get into collector’s numbers with regard to some of the . If you are willing to drop $100, you will do just fine for yourself. If you want to save a few ducats, there are some pretty cool ceramic ones that will fit the bill. You may even end up preferring one of the flashy designs available in this heat-hardened clay.
Pro tip: When choosing a slide, you want one with an opening approximately the size of a quarter. A little bit smaller is okay, but you do not want to be fussing with what is basically your bowl, which will also be made of glass, if it is only the size of a dime. It is going to clog up every third hit and you will, soon enough, break it, and you will be sad because…
Second Pro Tip: nobody buys two slides, but you will, because you, mi amigo, are smart.
There are two occasions that your brand new, shiny 12-inch glass tool (hehehe) will be worth its weight in gold. The first is on those cool, rainy days that float through a couple of times a season and make you wonder if the calendar has jumped to mid-October. Grab a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, throw on “Inception” or your favorite cartoon flick, pack a few bingers, and enjoy your day inside. The other is at your barbecues. Keep it indoors – there is no good reason to have anything more breakable than a beer bottle out in the yard – and invite your guests to give it a go-round. It might be exactly like watching , but people will cough and they will get off.
So, that, DGO, is my advice to get the summer season rolling. In the upcoming weeks we will talk about the engineering involved in gravity bongs, how to roll just about anything, some nifty, portable smoking methods, and a bunch of other ways to elevate your smoking experience.
Christopher Gallagher lives with his wife and their four dogs and two horses. Life is pretty darn good. Contact him at [email protected].
