Best vaporizer for an extended outdoor journey?

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llamaman001

Well-Known Member
Im purchasing a vapman soon so I cant really comment on it but the one thing I do like about it is that you light it THEN hit it. Unless the people you are hiking with understand what you are doing, you are likely to get called out for other drug use. I only say this because when I test a portable vape, I bring it to a party and hit it without telling anyone what it is and see peoples reactions. When I busted out the lotus with a torch lighter and began to inhale WHILE lighting it and spinning in circles, about 5 people asked if I was smoking meth....not good for the reputation at all. But the Lotus does give MONSTER one hitter quitter style hits.
 
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hiker

New Member
Wow, thanks for all the responses in such a short amount of time.
"he bailed" -- lol I barely posted this 12 hours ago.

All right, lots of things to respond to, let me see here.

As for Bic vs. refillable butane...
I assume butane is roughly the same density as water. So 200ml of butane is nearly half a pound! It might sound silly but that's too much weight. Every ounce in your pack counts when you are hiking 20-30 miles per day. We are the kind of people who cut the handles off our toothbrushes in order to save weight -- I'm not carrying a waterbottle sized can of butane :lol:

What's less important is being able to carry 5 months worth of lighters/fuel at one time. What's more important is having a light pack weight at all times. I will be resupplying in towns at least once per week on average, so to me it makes much more sense to use 1 Bic lighter and carry another one as backup, and simply replace them as they run out.

I am not such a heavy MJ user that I will go through a ton of lighters. I'm more like 1-2 medium-small bowls per day. 1 Bic lighter can last me months. They are cheap and easy to replace and much less hassle than worrying about how I'm going to refill my torch lighter. I do recognize that I'll use more fuel per session when vaporizing vs. combusting, but I still can't imagine buying more than 2-3 lighters per month.
Yes, it is wasteful to buy and throw away plastic lighters. But I think I am offsetting it pretty well by not driving or participating in a consumerist lifestyle for 5 months.
Weed is a big part of thru-hiker culture on the West Coast and I shouldn't have any trouble restocking on that. So I won't need to carry 5 months worth of bud from the beginning.

So as background info, I currently don't use a vaporizer very often in my normal life. I use a bong or a pipe. I am not opposed to using a pipe on the trail, as I have done this many times backpacking and it works out great. For me, switching to using a vape is a health decision (and I like the flavor too). Since this is my motivation, I would prefer to use a vape where the butane exhaust will not be inhaled. I like the Lotus for this reason (but it seems to require the torch lighter...)

Vapor Genie -- wow, I am overwhelmed with their selection. It looks to me like all of their vapes will lead to inhalation of butane fumes... is that true? I think it would be cool if there was a vape where you just heat up the bottom/outside of the bowl, the heat gets conducted inside, and the inhalation path doesn't mix with the butane fumes.

Same thing with the Vapman, butane fumes...

Hammer -- refillable built-in lighter not my ideal solution as it would be hard to fix or replace if it broke.

Vaponic -- looks pretty cool, thanks! With the protective case it would probably be durable enough, would just have to be careful not to drop it and stuff.

Yes it is possible to carry a solar charger and use battery-powered vapes that way. The problem is that I don't want to carry a solar charger.

Hiking the PCT actually, not the AT. It is going to be a fucking rad adventure. :)

As a side note, I noticed most of you assumed I am a male. I'm curious why? 1/3 of through hikers are women and actually the fastest unsupported thru-hike of the 2660-mile PCT was done by a woman last year, in 60 days. These days if you want to be a badass hiker you have to grow a pair... of breasts!

I am in fact a dude but I thought this assumption was interesting.

Thanks for all the replies!
Good luck
Hiker
 

vorrange

Vapor.wise
Ok, so torch lighter is out of the question. One thing though, the Vapman does not let you inhale butane and the Vaponic needs a torch lighter as well.

Go for the Genie then. Get the one with the metal stem as they are easier to clean in the long run or get the wood but bear in mind that in a year you'll need a new stem.

I don't think there are other bic lighter vapes that are worth it except for the Lithe that you can find in a EU store still.


About being a dude... well, the majority of stoners are man and this forum is an example of it. I think i know most female users in FC by nickname since they are so few. Or they don't bother to reveal their gender when we say "he" or "dude" or "man". :D
 

Fenton Mewley

A man in search of cloudier pastures
OP, the Vaponic can also use bic lighters. Just use the blue flame to heat, not the yellow. Certainly helps with the weight minimization. Bics would just add more soot on the glass, but that really doesn't matter since you could wipe it off.
 

vorrange

Vapor.wise
Fenton, i never used my Vaponic with a bic lighter. Do you know what is the heat up time using one?
 
vorrange,

Fenton Mewley

A man in search of cloudier pastures
Fenton, i never used my Vaponic with a bic lighter. Do you know what is the heat up time using one?

Sorry, I do not own a Vaponic. I heard that fact from Linda's youtube channel (weedandbombs), and IIRC, I think the creator of Vaponic also said this in his demo video.

I believe the heat time with a torch is about 30 seconds. I would imagine that you should at least double the heating time, but again, I really have no clue since I do not own one.

Could you try it out for us? I'm sure the Vaponic thread would love this information too.
 
Fenton Mewley,

paytonpenn

Level 30 Nature/Healer
Hammer -- refillable built-in lighter not my ideal solution as it would be hard to fix or replace if it broke.
I don't think those reasons are valid, I have a Hammer and laugh it breaking or needing to be fixed, don't under estimate how quick those 5 seconds of refilling butane are going to be.
In all honesty you should have said reliable over refillable. Even though it is both.

I love my Genie but I don't like trying to fight the wind so I can hit it. The Hammer shields the torch and defeats this problem, even with a torch my genie wasn't fun with wind. You can also heat and inhale with the Hammer separately, along with getting a silicone stem if you're afraid of glass breaking.

EDIT:
Also my Hammer has the MOST RELIABLE torch lighter I have used.
Need mini butane canisters? http://www.amazon.com/Butane-Refill-Lighter-Torch-Flame/dp/B005JFJUPW
 
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natural farmer

Well-Known Member
This thread has a very similar subject with the one I created some days ago and it has been discussed again in the past. With a small twist though... Weight! I wouldn't think that a small butane can (100ml) and a couple of lighters could be such a drag... :)
Why not going with that VG bat then? It's metal (durable), light, uses soft flame lighters (although bare in mind that flint is toxic, better go with piezoelectric lighters!), is cheap, why not? As for butane fumes, they are supposed to be just CO2 and water, they always irritated my throat when using soft flame lighters with my VG and I thought I could taste them (MFLB which I was using at the same time had a purer taste!), BUT loads of people don't seem to have a problem with them around here. So, fumes could be a hit and miss thing.
You should also account for wind imo. Indeed the Lotus, the VG's can suffer from wind, even a light one sometimes. It could require some great patience to take a decent hit in the middle of the path when in need.
With the Vapman and Vaponic I guess you could hold them between your legs or in your jacket or something, heat them and then raise them to your mouth and hit them. The Vaponic imo (I don't own one) needs very delicate handling and you can get burned easily. Also takes a lot of time to heat. The Vapman now, while I don't have one or tried, seems to be a better option. But you would still need a couple of reliable torches and a mini (100ml) butane can that you can restock at a city. They really wouldn't be that of a big weight would they?? And for a couple of bowls a day that can could last you the whole journey!
Another alternative that I have been discussing in my off-grid thread is the Sublimator UFO but it would only be suitable around the camp fire at the end of the day. It runs on coils! :) And you would need some kind of pipe to place it on and draw. Haven't found a good solution for it yet... :(
If you feel the wind won't be a problem I would go with the Lotus, a couple of reliable lighters and a mini butane can. The Lotus can also be used as a spoon pipe if in need (just remove the vapor cap) and hitting it feels like using a spoon pipe as well even with the vapor cap on cause the heating up is very short (10 secs for a good hit). If you don't mind butane fumes (but you seem to do) go for a VG bat a couple of piezo's and a mini butane can. If wind could be a problem go for a Vapman and torches and can instead...
You will also need to clean your vape on the road. Lotus and Vapman should be the easiest to clean. You should only need a tiny container with ISO for the whole trip or pure alcohol and some q-tips. The Lotus pipe would also need a skewer and a small moistened with ISO paper piece of paper on one end to keep it in pristine condition.

Oh, forgot about the Hammer. If wind can be a problem and why wouldn't it, the Hammer is possibly the best overall solution. If it breaks I am sure a new one could wait for you at the next town. CS seems very good indeed with this one! It's also the easiest to use while on the move. Just get a couple of UD stems for it as the glass ones are prone to break on such a trip.... And no need for extra lighters. Just a tiny butane can.

We are waiting for reports of course, during your trip !! :D
 

hiker

New Member
Thanks again for all the replies.
You all bring up some very good points. I took some time to think about them.

Wind is really a pretty big factor now that I think about it. If using a soft lighter w/ a vape means keeping it lit in the wind for more than a few seconds at a time.... basically fuck that.
The Hammer is looking more like an interesting solution.
So is smoking, honestly.
Questions about the hammer: 30 seconds of burning butane -- how much fuel does that use? If anyone can answer the following questions with numbers I will be very happy:
-How many seconds of ignition do you get per refill? (ie. how many 30-second heatups)
-What is the volume of the fuel compartment? (how many times can I refill w/ 100ml of butane?)
I'm just trying to compute how much butane I would have to buy every week if I want to use it 2-3 times per day.

Thanks,
Hiker
 
hiker,
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