One for the military folk....

[usmarox]

Hi guys,

Those of you that spend any amount of time in the field, what's your experience of vaping? Pros seem to be that e-cigs are more compact and if (if!) you've got power, it's way easier to carry a PV + juice than a carton of analogues.

I ask because it's going to get put to the test this weekend....me, two Ego batteries and a bottle of TW Coffee (and probably my Nicocig as a backup....ego batteries are good, but not *that* good).

I'll take my charger with me - I'm in a signals det, and there's an even money chance we'll have a generator - but I'm not too optimistic (radio battery charging is 24V, PV battery charging 240V....needs of the service and all that jazz....)

A little concerned about it potentially getting wet, but I think that's managable. I think it'll cope better than 20 ciggies, anyway....

 

[jj2]

Can't help much but this will bump it up.

 

[chrisl317]

Never vaped in the field, I started after my hitches were up. The one thing I'd be real careful about , coming from an ex-grunt, is that big bright LED on the end. Whether or not light discipline will be enacted at night, if you're around any "Old Salts", you might want to put a piece of black tape on the end. You wouldn't believe how far you can see a lit cigarette at night.

Of course, if you have no LED, never mind!

 

[Trixie]

Probably not enough time to help for this trip, but in future perhaps you could make sure you had five or six Ego batteries, all charged up, which should take you through the entire weekend, with power to spare. I know it's not cheap, but overall the cost would be the same as if you bought one or two at a time, and then just reordered as the originals wore out. Better to have more fully charged batteries charged and ready, and not have to depend on generator power which may, or may not, be available.

 

[Israfil]

I would avoid the Ego in favor of the nico...as the light would probably be a bad thing and we want you back safe dagnabbit. (unless I'm wrong and the ego lacks a light...)

Good luck, and if you can water seal your nicostick with some electrical tape it'd probably be helpful.

 

[daisyd]

I was Navy myself, so I was never in the field. That said, I still know how to "cup" a smoke so the light doesn't show. I would think that part would be easier with an e-cig, since it's not hot on the end. You'll probably be fine to just double bag it in ziplocks. I don't know if they make a PCC for the Ego, but that would be worth looking into for the future. I've also seen rapid chargers with USB ports at Wally, and Staples. It's basically a big battery you can charge other things with. They're pretty compact. If your charger is the USB type, that would probably work.

 

[quasimod]

There was no such animal as an e-cig when I was in, but here are my thoughts:

LED's are easy to cover or disable permanently.

Don't forget to bring extra atomizers. If you rely on one, it will fail.

I've no idea where in the world you are, but there are portable power packs that recharge cell phones, and USB to mini-USB adapter plugs, that should recharge your batteries a couple of times. Both are available at most Walmarts.

The rest of this is too late to be much help this time, but maybe next time:

A Kensington 5V power supply and a pass-through will last most people all weekend, and I've heard some light vapers can go 5 days.

Seems to me like a big-battery mod in a flashlight holster (with a couple of spare 18650 batteries), would be easiest to deal with over a weekend. I might even consider bringing a double hand-full of cartomizers, but I think direct dripping would work better if you used a modified ePump. It's too big, but you could carry just the inner bottle. Without the (freaking huge) outer cover, the pump can be pressed accidentally, so don't carry it in your pants pocket full of high-nic juice if there isn't a shower in your near future.

 

[Israfil]

Hmm..just thought of a good way to disable the LED on the end of standard ecigs. What you said made me think quasi...and so here.

Take the endcap off, shove a piece of black electrical tape in there, put the endcap back on, no more light! ^_^ I suppose sometimes all it takes is someone to springboard from.

Great idea with the modified epump though....might work quite well.

 

[quasimod]

Hmm..just thought of a good way to disable the LED on the end of standard ecigs. What you said made me think quasi...and so here.

Take the endcap off, shove a piece of black electrical tape in there, put the endcap back on, no more light! ^_^ I suppose sometimes all it takes is someone to springboard from.

Great idea with the modified epump though....might work quite well.

That should work just fine! There is also a more permanent solution:

And I've been using that modified ePump for a couple of months, now (notice the gray paint is rubbed off the nozzle), and it works great! I somehow managed to leave it at a friends' house the other day, and was lost without it.

 

[BarkeepCat]

Have you thought about the vapor???
"Smoke" signals give away your position as well and your CO might have a problem with that.

 

[BarkeepCat]

When I was in the field I always dipped.
Or should I say, chewing tobacco. Skoal.
Or, you can snus.

 

[Lightgeoduck]

Have you thought about the vapor???
"Smoke" signals give away your position as well and your CO might have a problem with that.

well that would be the same thing if someone was smoking cigarettes.. EXCEPT with ecigs you can stealth vape... hold in the vapor and minimize/eliminate the amount it produces.... and unlike the cigarette ecigs will only produce "smoke" signals when you take a hit.. rather than a constant signal of a lit ciggie...

 

[BugsyM]

There's entirely too many posts about the led on ego's. There's an led on the ego, but it's actually on the button itself, so you're covering the light when you vape, there really isn't that big of an issue to go to two pages all discussing the light on it..
2 batts might last the entire weekend if your not chain vaping, which I assume you won't be.
Good luck and take care!

 

[Lightgeoduck]

There's entirely too many posts about the led on ego's. There's an led on the ego, but it's actually on the button itself, so you're covering the light when you vape, there really isn't that big of an issue to go to two pages all discussing the light on it..
2 batts might last the entire weekend if your not chain vaping, which I assume you won't be.
Good luck and take care!

umm this thread is more than about the EGO.. it's about experiences and "pros and cons" in general with e-cigs in the field... the op just happened to have an EGO but not everyone may have one when they go into the field....

but thanks for your input

 

[usmarox]

Thanks guys. Lots of good stuff here.

Looks like power's going to be the principal concern; not a lot I can do on that, but I'll have two charged ego batts and two supermini ones. I drip anyway, so running out of other consumables is unlikely.

It has to be said one of the appeals of vaping is the very much reduced light/smell/thermal signature compare to a cigarette. I've seen an analogue cherry through night optics and it's enough to make you quit TBH, if I'm in a situation where I have to stealth vape, I probably shouldn't be doing it at all.

 

[daisyd]

If power's the biggest concern, seriously, go to Walmart and get one of the Energizer rapid chargers. They are really small and well worth not having to try to get generator time IMHO.

 

[Dkrom68]

Ive used mine Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, and just about everywhere outside you can. Ive never had any real problems other than my own stupidity or carlessness. Ive dropped them on the ground, in the water, snow, puddles and they just seems to keep Vapin. I think you will be just fine and if you can get one a portable usb charger could help in the times when a generator isnt around. Or a car charger since im sure a vehicle with a power outlet should be available.

 

[usmarox]

I'm back. I survived, and so did my ecig

Points:

2 Ego batteries really will last a weekend. Score!
It's possible to drip in the dark.
OTOH, the inside of drip-tips is a magnet for dust....
Egos are remarkably robust. Unfortunately, the finish isn't.
In proper darkness, that LED chucks out a remarkable amount of light. However, proper technique'll mask it completely.
The switch to vaping is completely vindicated when haring around a FIBUA village, after your 20-y.o. platoon commander, with the platoon radio on your back. Particularly when he decides the best entry route is a second-storey window....