Vapers on the Playa?

[Kodo]

Are any ECF people going to Burning Man this year? How do you deal with the dust and your ecigs? How do you refill carts/cartos/whatever? Is it even remotely possible to drip?

Hope to see some of y'all out there, braving the elements!

[Sandrita]

Kodo!

Sounds awesome! As somebody from Spain I visit the beech very often during summer so I know what it is like to vape at the beech. What I would recommend is buying a protective carry case and using pre filled carts as this is less messy for the dust/sand! Another tip maybe to use an old cigar case to drop your cig into and drill a hole in top and put some string through to put around your neck This also works great for rock concerts

Hope you enjoy "braving the elements"

[Foxfur]

This year when I was at the Suck 'n' ..... Saloon (somewhere near 4:30 & C) I saw a couple sitting outside vaping. The guy had dill pickle and was giving out PBR's to anyone who took five draws. I ended up drinking 6 from him. EveryPBR made the DP taste even better. Maybe I shouldn't use the abbreviation DP when talking about the SnF Saloon

[JeepBear]

I'm wondering about playa conditions versus PVs myself. Any other Burners on here have any experience with vaping on the playa?

[Mosin]

I'm wondering about playa conditions versus PVs myself. Any other Burners on here have any experience with vaping on the playa?

Greetings fellow vaping Burners! In ~2009 I started a thread on ePlaya regarding vaping at BM (interested in how the LEOs might react, as well as maintenance issues) and all I received were accusations I was an ecig vendor/shill (!) even though I didn't mention any brands or try to "convert" anyone. (You can check it out with a basic search... my username is the same over there). So I had to be radically self reliant and be my own guinea pig...fitting! Here is what I have to share after vaping my buns off at BM 2010 and 2011.

Regarding maintenance, unless you drop your PV in the dust or there is a severe, prolonged dust storm the likes of which we haven't seen since 2007 and 2008, you will find that your maintenance routine is the same. Hence, bring along whatever tools/substances you use to clean your rig (i.e. rubbing alc, cotton swab, whatever) and expect to clean them at least as often as you do at home. I say as least as often because I assume you will be vaping harder, so YMMV. You can instead just bring along more clean supplies and put whatever gets funky in a ziplock and clean it when you get home. As an rv "camper" I opt for the former, but for tent campers the latter will be easier and far less messy. Should a major dust storm kick up and your PV/atties/cartos get playafied, you can use a can of compressed air to blow out your pv switch if necessary, and water and/or vinegar to get the dust off and neutralize everything else, then clean as usual.

For charging, IMHO the best friend a tent-camping vaper at the Burn can have is an automobile jumpstarter (~$80 on Amazon or Sportsmans Guide) with 12v lighter sockets, which could charge your ecigs for a month on the playa without recharge if need be. (note: the 110 inverters on these will suck the power dry in an hour... use the 12v only). Just pick up one or two 12v lighter-USB adapters and you're set.

Regarding LEOs and the potential for them to confuse your PV for something that will get you tackled at Opulent Temple, searched, and majorely buzzkilled (my big worry the first year I vaped on the playa) NO WORRIES! They all know ecigs from funny cigs (which can not be said for hand rolled cigs I might add) and don't give vapers a second look. I was skanking at some huge sound camp last year and saw two LEOs cruising through the crowd, looking intently for someone to bust for something. I was exhaling a big hit when the female LEO looked right in my eyes and then shifted to my pv. She then gave me what I can only describe as a "Lucky you...you're good to go" look and accompanying head nod... and then continued on the hunt.

As far as I can remember, this is about all you need to know about ecigs and the playa beyond what you already know about your rig, cleaning techniques, and usage/habits. I do recommend taking several extras of everything, because one year I lost TWO 808s in the rv and didn't find them until after we got home, and last year an eGo-T slipped under a rug in our shade structure and I didn't find it until the last day. I must say, it vaped perfectly after sitting out there almost all week. With that said, last year's weather was extremely mild.

I'm happy to answer any Q's so fire away if u have any. Unfortunately we are skipping this year for the first time since 2007 due to the ticket fiasco and associated depletion of our crew/ranks, but we are gung-ho for 2013. May you all have a stellar burn!!

PS I'm the dude rocking the schoolgirl skirt and 5v stompbox below.

[gerry81611]

Hi guys,

Ive been gaping on the playa for a couple of years now, and this is my advice.

Skip all mechanical mods, the dust gets inside the switch. I usually vape a precise plus, but on the playa I go with ego batteries and good old 510 mega batteries. I use ce-2's so I don't have to refill often. For charging I use a motorcycle battery power pack, but I'm sure that the car jump starter things work fine. I use a car power to dual USB converter and just leave a battery on. The big 1000 mah ego batteries last a whole day and the ego style ce-2 cartos last that long too, so I just fill up once a day, or twice if I want to see the sunrise.

I was using the old giantomizers which work well except the tips fall off easily so I used gaffers tape to keep them on. I bet the new ce4s would be awesome!

I dropped a 510 charging case and cartos off a giant tower once while trying to swap out batteries, so I just recommend one unit that you don't have to mess with.

As with all things playa, expect Murphy's law and bring backups! For me this means bringing an old screwdriver that I had sitting around, extra cartos, and some 510 batteries, which come in handy if you are sitting around camp waiting for the big one to recharge.

Just like with a shade structure, test your gear before you head up. Make sure you know what to expect from your batteries and how to adjust the wicking in the cartos if necessary. Run thru a couple of fillings and charges, put it horizontally in your pockets and go dance for a few hours, make sure nothing falls off when you sit on it.

I'm skipping this year for the first time in 7 years, so burn well, and blow a puff for me when the man burns!



Kreator

[gerry81611]

Also had no problems with leos. Some approached me one year, I held it out for them to inspect and explained what it was. I said check this out and blew vapor in one face innocently. He said that's assault! I turned to the other one and asked if he wanted to see. He said yes, so I blew it in his face and he looked surprised and said he'd have to check it out. Then they left and some burners came up to me with big smiles and I realized that It looked like I was blowing smoke in the Leo's faces to be a ..... Hehehe

Keep in mind that there are now ego type devices that transport illegal substances, so that might throw a wrinkle into everything.


Burn well!

[JeepBear]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Always good to hear about other's playa experience.

Like any good Burner I've completely over prepared anyway and have enough battery power to go on 3 different tracks for the entire week without recharging: eGos, 18650s in the new Silver Bullet (yay for birthdays!) and 18350s for my Gripper & V8. Hopefully the Telescope will get here from China before I go as well. I've got silicone rubber sleeves to cover the switch assemblies and was considering coffee filters over the air inlets as well.

I'm going with mostly tank setups. I'm pushing almost 10mls a day right now, and although I'm sure it'll be less out there, I want to have my entire week's supply sitting in the cooler until they're needed. Luckily I discovered last week that the viscosity of my mostly VG juices changes drastically over 90 degrees, so I've been testing new cartos this week.

So c'mon, guys! It's still two weeks out and I'm seeing plenty of face and below tickets available... )'()'(

[gerry81611]

Heh, after 7 years straight I need a break August is once again a time of big transitions for me, and I will be welcoming Gerry 2013 in as well as thanking Gerry 2012 for a great year, just as usual except in air conditioning

Have a great burn <3