Whilst straight cigarettes might be the norm for some smokers, the ‘roll your own’ smoking contingent is still going strong. Smoking tobacco in this way is much cheaper than buying straight cigarettes. There is also the added benefit of being able to personalise the rolled cigarette, from the type of tobacco, the burn rate, thickness of the paper and the filter used. Due to this high level of personal detail, hand rolling smokers all carry different items in their day to day carrying.

Firstly, what is rolling tobacco?

Rolling tobacco or shag tobacco is used to make self-made cigarettes. It gets its name from the finely cut strands of tobacco appearing to look like ‘shag’ fabric and it was originally considered to be of poor quality. Various types of cuts are used in shag tobacco, and most shag blends use a simplistic mixture of cutting styles, consisting mostly of loose cut.

Commonly, most smokers will carry their rolling tobacco – often in the pouch that the tobacco came in. These pouches tend to be plastic covered and do a fairly good job of keeping the tobacco moist and ready to smoke. However, some smokers choose to decant their chosen tobacco into a tobacco tin or a smaller pouch – as carrying around your supply of tobacco for the whole week is a bit unnecessary.

They will also carry other essentials such as filters and rolling papers. The most convenient way for smokers to carry filters is to use popper tips, which are plastic wrapped tips that can be kept clean and tidy, and can be popped out when required. However, if your filter of choice isn’t available in popper form, then carrying them loose in your tobacco tin or pouch is a good alternative.

Rolling papers are easy to carry as they are usually packaged in neatly folded little cardboard containers. Slim and light to carry, they don’t get in the way of anything. The cardboard packaging they come in keeps them in good condition – it is recommended that you keep the papers in the packaging until you need to use them.

Another option for those who roll their own cigarettes is to pre-roll them. This requires a bit of time and planning, sitting down of an evening and rolling the smokes for the next day – this will save time and cold fingers (in the winter months). The cigarettes will need to be stored in a tin or a box to keep them safe from potential damage. The only downside to this method, is that you won’t have the necessary materials to roll any additional cigarettes if you get through all the pre-rolled ones.

It boils down the personalisation element of rolling your own cigarettes, there are endless possibilities and combinations of flavours. Carrying your smoking equipment is down to personal preference as well, you’ll need to find a method that works with your lifestyle and your preferred way of smoking. There’s absolutely no harm in trying out some different methods to find what works for you.