The colder temps come fairly early here in Montana and since I've only been smoking a pipe for a couple of months I have a couple of questions about the topic.

1)Do you notice much of a difference in pipe performance in cold vs. warm weather? (lets call cold under 40F and warm over 50F)
2)Same ? for tobacco performance? (the way it burns or flavor profiles)
3)Is there anything to be careful of, as far as pipe damage, when smoking in really cold temps? (Lets say single digits and below 0)

Thanks a ton for any and all input as I'm really curious because I haven't smoked in temps above about 40F.

Indeed I do notice a difference. My observations:

* Bowl moisture/condensation levels are much higher in the cold when smoking, leading to a wetter smoke (gurgling) if tobacco isn't dry enough.

* Colder weather seems to make pipes get a little more moisture saturated and need more drying time between smokes. I notice this because pipes stored bowl-town will often show a moisture ring in the bottom of the bowl near the draught hole--which is more prevalent in the cold.

* Flavors are a little more intense in cold than hot weather, likely due to the increased moisture (theory).

* Butane lighters underperform when cold, which can be a pain (if you use them).

* Warmer weather seems to heat up bowl surfaces more when smoking--slowing down on puffing (frequency/intensity) helps.

* Longer stemmed pipe seem to work better in warmer weather than in cold. This may have something to do with speed of smoking, condensation in the stem and now the person smokes.

Kyle's got more science then me, but it is different. We get wet winters here in Pittsburgh, but tobacco smokes harder here when it's cold.

I just smoke inside when it gets cold. Its too hard to keep the pipe in your mouth when your teeth are chattering!

well, I think the major difference I notice is in the first 1/3 of the bowl. After that the bowl has warmed sufficiently (evenly and just warm to the touch) to ward off most of the ill effects (condensation, gurgle, etc.). The cold just makes keeping a pipe properly lit more of a challenge. It does magnify some flavors (this is pleasant) but introduces some challenges that make smoking inside very attractive. We get quite a bit of rain in the fall/spring when temps are in the mid to high 30's, so smoking outside can be pretty unpleasant (unless you have a covered porch, which is on the to-do list ).

I think my biggest pet peeve about smoking in the cold is drawing cool smoke into my mouth. Not just "un-warm" (whatever that is), but COLD. Some of this is my own packing issues, but since it's below 20F outside, I'm not going to blame it entirely on my packing skills (or lack thereof). Part of having the pipe lit is to have my own personal campfire right in front of my face. Get's a little frustrating when it's not doing it's part to keep my lips and part of one hand warm .

It would be interesting to see what everyone thinks about the flavor magnification thing, it wasn't something that I had thought of before, but it's true.

What cold weather? I just moved off the patio into the garage. A patio chair and table in the corner by my bikes. The garage is insulated and rarely drops below 45-50 degrees. We had our "white elephant" gift exchange last week and my co-worker drew a small, electric heater. I snared that and it takes the chill off in the AM. I'm out here now, wireless gives me an internet connection for surfing/music via the laptop. I'm set for winter!
I do smoke outsdoors now when traveling, but typically only pack my smaller bowl pipes as it is just not real enjoyable beyond 15-20 minutes. The bowls seem to burn faster, I guess that is the breeze. I don't really see a big change in the lighting/tobacco flavor but I've only been out in 40 degree weather or so. I'm not looking forward to January on the road.

Thanks a ton everyone for your input, it's much appreciated. It will be interesting to see how things change both in flavor and burn quality when I finally get to smoke in some warm weather.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a safe New Year.

Smokin' in the cold sucks!
We spent Christmas at my daughter's house in Dallas and I had to smoke outside.
I found myself overpuffing, almost tryin' to get it over with. It was in the 40s
and I had a space heater between my legs, but it was not an optimum experience.
I'm back in front of my computer, beside the window fan, enjoying bowl after bowl in comfort.

Who Dat! My daughter was home from New Orleans, we enjoyed watching the Saints romp last night. She brought her full Saints adornments and was rocking her new Drew Breese jersey, quite a night to break that in!

Hermit wrote:

Smokin' in the cold sucks! We spent Christmas at my daughter's house in Dallas and I had to smoke outside. I found myself overpuffing, almost tryin' to get it over with. It was in the 40s and I had a space heater between my legs, but it was not an optimum experience. I'm back in front of my computer, beside the window fan, enjoying bowl after bowl in comfort.

Do I spy a fine Kirk Bosi pipe in that picture?

You fellas have seen it before.

http://www.brothersofbriar.com/t15148-new-tinsky

Something about bad eyesight and old computer monitors... hey, I tried.

Don't smoke Meerschaum pipes outdoors in cold weather, as the temperature change can damage them.