Sconsin’s Summer Vape Guide

We’re quickly coming up on summer and that means only one thing - time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather! Whether you’ll be out on the lake, camping in the woods or just sitting by the fire, you’re going to want to be care-free and low-key. A portable vaporizer is a great way to keep things discreet (and will also come in handy when it’s too windy for a lighter). To help ensure your summer is a stony one, I’ve put together a little list of my picks for summertime vaping essentials.

VAPORIZERS

SIDEKICK (7th Floor)

Since summer is all about leaving the indoors behind and living your days in the fresh air, the first thing to focus on is a portable vaporizer. You’ll want one that can stand up to the elements and provide great vapor production both with dry herb or concentrates, which in my opinion is the SideKick vaporizer from 7th Floor.The aluminum body is made from the same material as the Silver Surfer vaporizer, so there is absolutely no concern of chipping or cracking. It’s very unique, and is one of the few vapes to have a built in stir tool that can be used right in the middle of vaporizing. Then talking about the vapor production, it has 21 separate temperature settings for achieving in the exact heat that you need; keep it low around 6.5 for dry herb or crank it up to 11 (these go to eleven) and then dial it back to 9.5 for your waxy concentrates. I have found that you really do have a lot of control over the spectrum of effects that you can release from your material when using the SideKick.

Starting very low, perhaps around 4.5 and working up to 7 in the half increments issues a wide range of flavors and the high is very unique. However if you do run it at too hot of a temperature with herb packed in the bowl, expect it to char or burn, so avoid cranking it too high or it might not taste very good!Now if you are going to be vaping wax in the SideKick (or just like chilled vapor) I recommend cooling down the removable vortex air path before the sesh by tossing it in a freezer. So you are probably wondering how that helps when you’re out on a pontoon boat cruising around, well you should have room in your cooler to get that vortex core on ice. If you don’t have a cooler full of icy cold beer then you aren’t summer timing quite right. Leave it in there for about 20 to 30 minutes (if you can be that patient) before putting it back into the SideKick and getting your vape on.The chilly hit that you get after icing it up is pretty sweet, especially on a hot day. After a little while toss is back in your cooler (grab a beer or two while you’re in there) and the vortex will be nice and cold when you want to vape again. If you want to take things to an even smoother level, there is an available bubbler mouthpiece that can be picked up separately. Fill it with cold water and paired with an iced down vortex, you might get frostbite on your tongue… just playing. But really, it could happen. Nah.

The neat carrying case that it’s packaged in has slots for six extra batteries (plus two can go in the unit for a total of eight) so you can make it through a day’s use without having to consider charging. It can also hold all of the cleaning tools in a nifty little pouch that Velcro’s into the case. If you are planning a road trip or end up on a spontaneous one, the SideKick already has you covered as each unit has a car charger in the bag.A lot of cool different accessories are included, so I consider it one of the most complete packages that a vaporizer can be delivered in, 7th Floor really did think of everything. There is even an elastic band to keep the SideKick from moving around in the bag and also a band for the bubbler if you snag one of those. I like water filtration a lot (a HUGE fan of hits from the bong) and got myself a bubbler with the vape, just cause I knew that I would feel like something was missing without it. The best part is that it’s made by Elev8 glass out of Colorado, meaning it is some high quality glass… made with care by some fine glass blowers.

APX (Pulsar)

Okay that’s one of the highest quality vaporizers available, but is $300 out of your price range and you still want a true vaporizer? I like the Pulsar APX as my affordable go to summer vape. It fits comfortably in the palm of my hand and can easily be slipped into my pocket without taking up much room. Plus with moderate use the battery will easily last you for a full day or longer away from any outlets.As I sort of mentioned above, a portable vaporizer is very convenient when you find yourself in a breezy situation where the flame of your dang Bic goes out before the herb can catch fire… frustrating! Plus burning your bud will only give you one temperature, HOT! Whereas the Pulsar APX has five temperature settings, which I personally like to run at 374° and about half way through my session I’ll bump ‘er up to 392° to get the most out of the herb. You can even start with the lowest temperature and work your way through the whole array of settings.

The chamber is large enough for multiple people to get a few hits out of it but doesn’t need to be packed to the top, about half to three quarts full is the right amount. I then pack to down just a little bit, not too densely, but with the extra little bit of restriction on the airflow the hits tend to be larger. If you pack it down too tight however, the flow might be a little too restricted and not perform as well, but you’re smart and you’ll figure out what works best. If you can’t figure it out, just ring your call button and Tommy will come back there and hit you on the head with a tack hammer.

VAPORIZER ACCESSORIES

NANO GRINDER (Magic Flight)

In order to get the best hit from any dry herb vapes the material needs to be ground up, which can be tough when you aren’t sitting on your couch with a coffee table to house all of your vape accouterments. That’s why I picked up a Magic Flight Launch Box Nano Grinder. This thing is only the size of a quarter so it’s very easy to bring with you anywhere, it can fit in the small pocket of your jeans or the SideKick case.Now you might be thinking, “Sconsin, how the heck can something that small be effective?” The answer is pretty simple, just don’t overload it with herb when you are grinding and it works great! Plus it can grind nearly the perfect amount of herb for the APX, it’s a match made in heaven. If you find it gets tough to spin, drop it in a little isopropyl alcohol for a bit and it’ll be good as new. Don’t forget to rinse it off with some water and allow it to dry, otherwise you might get a harsh flavor from the alcohol next time you grind.

TIGHTVAC CONTAINER (TightVac)

We’ve covered the portable vapes and grinder you’ll want, but what are you going to transport your nugs in? I hope it isn’t a plastic baggie, your buds can easily get flatten and that’s not fun. I’m also not a big fan of those squeeze top containers that they give out at dispensaries, they pop open too easily and then you’re digging herb out of your beach bag the rest of the day. I trust my bud in a Tightvac, it keeps the herb fresh and won’t ever accidentally pop open. The vacuum button seals it airtight to prevent any scent (or freshness) from leaking out.They offer a variety of sizes, but for a day outside, the .06 Tightvac which holds about 5 grams is the right size for me. Larger sizes are available though, some are even large enough to hold a whole loaf of bread, so if you need to keep a loaf of bread fresh it’s an option. The solid style is the way to go; it prevents light from leaking through and deteriorating the quality of your bud. Also nobody would be able to tell what’s in the container and discretion is key when partaking outside. They even offer some with cool designs, perhaps a touch to flashy for some but worth taking a look at. I’m a sucker for artsy stuff (used to date an artist) so I have a couple of the design containers that I store my different strains in.

WAX PEN VAPORIZER

GRAVITY (KandyPens)

The last thing I’ll cover is which wax pen should be your summer go to, the KandyPens Gravity. There are a lot of different wax pens out there and I have tried the bulk of them, I like this one a lot because it comes with two unique atomizers that both give a different experience. The dual crystal quartz atomizer is the one you’ll want to use for large clouds, I load that sucker up with wax which it can handle, because of the elevated air flow system.

The coilless ceramic dish is my outright favorite for flavorful hits. I use it on the lowest heat setting to get some nice bubbling which releases the terpenes most efficiently, if you really want to taste the concentrate that’s the one to use. The Gravity comes in a hard shell case that can hold all of the components so you’ve got both atomizers on hand when you are out and about. The battery itself is capable of switching between four different temperature settings, so you can get some nice clouds if you go with the hottest option. Personally I use the green setting most of the time, because that’s my favorite color and I’m kind of weird like that.

WAX ACCESSORIES

NOGOO CONTAINER & VAPE SCRAPE (NoGoo)

With a Gravity in hand, you’ll want to keep your concentrates in a NoGoo container and never have to worry about fighting to get it out of a glass jar, because some always gets left behind! NoGoo also makes a Vape Scrape tool that has silicone tips to prevent wax from sticking when you are trying to place it on the coil.If you have ever damaged a heating coil simply by attempting to get your wax onto it, then you know the struggle is real. Odds are that you’ll be out in the sun and the wax will be sticky as ever so the Vape Scape tool will be your best friend. This doesn’t mean you won’t want to use some caution when loading the atomizer, nothing worse than globbing some wax on only to realize that you damaged it, bummer. If you have an extra atomizer on hand then life will go on, another reason why I love my Gravity, two atomizers baby!

That’s our summer vape guide and I hope that it helps you get prepared for the stony days ahead. Don’t just spend your time inside wasting away, get out there and enjoy the heck out of it! I know that that what I plan on doing, every day and night… well as much as I can at least. If you pick up any of the products mentioned above and have some questions, suggestions or praise please leave it in the comments section below. Cheers!