Who’s missing their smoke circle today? Are you sitting on your couch alone, watching old episodes of That ‘70s Show and thinking wistfully, “That used to be me!”? Even as many parts of the country are opening back up, a lot of us are still watching those infection rates climb and choosing to play it safe. But we're also feeling that void of camaraderie and longing for a time when we shared our rigs and actually passed after each puff, puff. Those days aren’t gone forever, but who knows when we’ll see their like again? The good news is that your smoke circle doesn’t have to be completely broken… it just needs to be a bit bigger: 6 feet between each spoke of the wheel, to be specific. If you’re feeling like enjoying a summer afternoon by getting the gang back together, all you need is a generously sized backyard, a bit of common sense, and some social distance-savvy smoking paraphernalia.
Is 6 Feet Enough?
Now, just to clarify, that 6-foot rule is the minimum distance you want between yourself and someone else. In most cases, we still don’t have a clue who has COVID-19 and who doesn’t. Your buddy may seem totally fine but be an asymptomatic carrier. Meanwhile your friend who’s hacking up a lung maybe just should have invested in a Terpometer to prevent him from taking those hot, hot hits. The bottom line is: unless someone’s specifically been tested, you don’t know.
In a smoke circle situation, the ante is considerably upped because you won’t be wearing protective face masks. So, we’d recommend being a bit more generous than the recommended 6 feet distance between each person, especially if anyone’s liable to start coughing… and let’s face it, some of your friends probably will. You’re not going to be sharing anything or passing anything, so this shouldn’t be a major issue. Just be prepared to use your outside voices.
Want a Happy Sesh? Then Pack a Happy Kit.
Every time you’re crossing the threshold of your home into the world around you, consider that you’re entering an inhospitable landscape; even if you’re just joining your buddies in your backyard. You don’t want to touch something anyone else has touched which means everyone needs to be packing their own gear, from lighters to pipes, papers to herb of choice. Preparation is key to making a social distanced smoke circle a success. One of the easiest ways to make sure you have everything you need in one convenient place is by investing in a specially designed sesh kit from Happy Kit.
The folks at Happy Kit have made a name for themselves by thinking of everything and making sure it’s included in their generous array of kits. For example, the standard OG Happy Kit packs a compact glass hand pipe, plastic herb grinder, resilient doob tube, handy metal poker, 1 ¼” rolling papers with filter tips and even a metal one hitter, all wrapped up neatly in a convenient smell proof case. And that’s just Happy Kit getting started.
If you want something a little more tailored to your specific style, they offer options such as the Happy Dab Kit which includes a nectar collector, concentrate jars, mini dab torch, and metal dab tool or the Very Happy Kit which throws together pretty much every accessory you’d ever need. You can’t get more prepared than that!
The RIO Gives You a Self-Contained Dab Rig for Your Self-Contained Sesh
Whereas the Happy Kit gives you a ton of the smoking paraphernalia you need in one compact, convenient place, the RIO Portable Dab Rig takes the same concept in a completely different direction, giving you everything you need in one compact, convenient device. That’s right, the RIO is a purely mechanical wax rig, meaning its butane dab torch is actually self-contained. You’ll need to grab a concentrate jar and a dab tool (and maybe a bit of extra butane depending on just how deep you’re going into the sesh), but the RIO offers everything else you need in one self-contained, self-sustaining portable rig. It will also take a bit more out of that bank account than the Happy Kit, but you’re paying for quality you can feel… and taste.
Huff and Puff with the Big Bad Wolf
Some believe that a sesh is only as good as its herb grinder. We’re in a situation where everyone in your circle is responsible for their own grinder as well as their own lighter, among other things. That’s great in the sense that no one’s going to wander off with your lighter. But that also means you can’t borrow someone else’s if you misplace yours. If this is a concern of yours, the 6-in-1 Combo Crusher or Bic 4-Piece Herb Grinder from Wolf Grinders can set you right.
The Combo Crusher is built around a 4-piece aircraft-grade aluminum grinder (in your choice of vibrant color), but also includes a removable hand pipe with glass smoking bowl piece, a holster for a mini Bic lighter, pick piece, kief catcher… even a bottle opener, all built into a self-contained design. The bottle opener’s a nice touch for when that sesh inevitably switches gears.
The Wolf Bic 4-Piece Herb Grinder is a somewhat simpler affair, but still useful in any social distance smoke circle. You still get the aluminum 4-piece grinder with built-in kief catcher and lighter holster but it doesn’t include the hand pipe, pick piece or bottle opener you get with the Combo Crusher. You have a better idea than anyone what possibilities your sesh holds, so choose wisely!
Of course, your first priority at this time should be the safety of yourself, your family, your friends (and society in general) so you should cancel any smoke circle plans if you’ve got any of the COVID-19 symptoms or find yourself in one of the most at-risk categories. Even in a safety-conscious, social distance smoke circle scenario, you’re taking a risk and it’s important to keep that in mind. But if you’re going to take the risk, keep that 6 feet minimum (if not more), don’t share anything, keep the party outside, limit the circle to only your most essential squad and show up prepared!