Pipe Smoking Cost

With the cost of tobacco continually going up and the amount of places that we can legally smoke being reduced continually its just a matter of time that smoking will be totally prohibitive.In the USA your tobacco is still very cheap compared to Australia where I am from. A 50 gram tin or pouch of tobacco retailing at 100 dollars which is why I don't waist a thing, I smoke it even if I don't like it and there's an automatic price rise every September or November.

What do you mean by "generation"? The people of smoking age today, 21 and up?

oh, ok. On FB, a lot of the guys are late 20s and older. I'd say mid 30s and up would be typical on social media. When I went to the Richmond show this year, there were a TON of people in their 30s. I mean there were people of all ages, but it was a pretty even range between young and old. A lot of the newer pipe makers are 30s & 40s. So, there may be hope yet!

Cost is not the issue. It's just a lack of interest in pipes for the "younger generation".

Lots of 21-30 year-old people regularly spend on beer what it would cost to buy plenty of tobacco...and the tobacco will last a lot longer than that beer will.
Young consumers also regularly spend in one weekend (for food, drink, etc) an amount equal to what it would cost to buy 2-3 decent pipes.
And, lastly, you could put together a pretty decent tobacco cellar for what some of those 21-30 year old guys/gals spend on video games and video game consoles.

Pipes and tobacco are not too expensive for them. They just choose to put their money elsewhere.
Many of us were like that, I'm sure.
The majority of 50-60 year old pipers today probably didn't seriously start smoking a tobacco pipe before 30...with some exceptions, of course.

I used my old "whiskey budget" to get my pipe and tobacco collection started, and still saved money. Thank you sobriety, you've been good to me.

One final post on this topic..I live in a small town..About 40,000 people live here..There are 7 or 8 vape shops in town.The nearest smoke shop is 10 miles away and they deal mostly in cigars.

My STG bulk at my shop has been the same price for a few years. Many of the Capt Black mixtures have a bulk equivalents that might save you some money. Keep in mind Lane is in the process of moving production to Denmark so things will probably be changing very soon.

I think it's a matter of interest, not money. There's some traction for pipes around here in the more "artsy" circles, but that's more likely occasional posturing rather than regular smoking or collecting. It's a quaint way to attract attention and some people like that.

Other than that it boils down to personal curiosity and, perhaps, interest in tradition. I did gift some pipes around and I've plenty of friends who will smoke a pipe with me as a matter of "manly" ritual, a way to relax couple of times a year. Only a few do so on their own. The common link seems to be a family member who smoked pipes, or this vibe of "reconnecting with the old ways" of sorts. Most people smoke socially and it's much easier, practical, and familiar to vape or hit a hookah bar if your intent is to produce a large amount of smoke and get a bit of tropical melon linger on your tongue.

For me, I appreciate quality and a sense of luxury in most things I own and pipes are no different. I can't say I care about the cost and mostly got into pipes because I like them as a showcase of fine craftmanship. The fact I can also get pleasure from smoking them is a bonus to me, as is the journey of developing your tastes and (for the lack of a better word) smoking skill as you go along. I don't smoke just to smoke, if that makes sense; I don't see myself as a pure collector either.

For most, pipe smoking is charming enough in a way that they'll enjoy learning about it from me and browsing through my collection, but also alien enough to not be something they'd look to add to their lives.

Yes the cost of tobacco is a factor in all this, but pipes are costly too. I live on a budget but smoke my pipes anyway. For me its too late to quit as I am now completely addicted to nicotine, & I luv my pipes & tobaccos. I am 64 years old & have been smoking pipes for 4 years.

I started smoking pipes after age 50. Smoked cigarettes for at least 35 years and quit by vaping. I still vape, mostly at work or in the house. I've turned our mostly unused sunroom into my smoking room. Put in a tv and a rocking chair. hehe. I started thinking about smoking a pipe after I had been thinking of my Grandfather and the smell of his pipe. I started mostly because of nostalgia but have grown to really enjoy it.

There are younger pipe smokers out there we just don't see that many on forums. The summer meetings of the New Orleans Pipe Club for the past couple of years had three or four pipe smokers under the age of 30 at each meeting. Several of them were students at LSU and in their early twenties. Problem is, they moved out of the area after graduation or to take better jobs. Some though stopped attending because most of our members are in the 40 - 68 age range and conservative. The young guys were mostly liberal. We just wouldn't let political discussions last long.

As for the cost, I'm not that bothered by it at this stage of my life. I'm 67 and get both my retirement check and social security and the wife does the same. This doesn't mean I throw money away, I tend to be frugal when it comes to buying personal pleasure items like pipes and tobacco. I'm more likely to buy used pipes from antique shops and malls than new pipes. I like to clean and restore the pipes. The only reason I just acquired two new artisan pipes from Ron Powell is because I sold a couple of estate pipes I owned.

If I would have bought all of my pipes new and at retail prices, my collection would be somewhere up there with yours. In the past 10 years, I've acquired close to $3,000 worth of new, unsmoked pipes. The rest are estate pipes I found at bargain basement prices and restored. If I had bought those new, it would have probably cost me another four or five thousand.