[FEATURE STORY]
Have Tobacco, Can Travel
Outfit your customers to go on the road
By Melissa Niksic
Photo courtesy of OtterBox |
“To smoke or not to smoke?” Unfortunately, this is a question many tobacco users face when they’re on the road. Smoking and traveling don’t always mix, and one sure road to profit is for retailers to offer a variety of products that make life easier for their on-the-go customers.
Travel humidors are must-have items for smokers who want to make their cigar collection portable. Quality travel humidors feature complete humidification systems and designs that prevent cigars from moving or being crushed. Other travel humidor features include hygrometer gauges, accessories such as poratable ashtrays and cigar cutters, and customization options.
OtterBox offers the well-known Cigar Caddy product line, a collection of rugged travel humidors designed to keep cigars fresh for an extended period of time, regardless of lifestyle and environment.
“The Cigar Caddy line is targeted for the cigar smoker who would like to carry two, five, 10 or 15 sticks with them, while also keeping them fresh,” says Jim Drobnick, retail sales specialist with Otter Products, LLC. “The five-, 10- and 15-stick cases all have a humidification device inside to allow the cigars to stay fresh.”
Ready to travel
In addition to the humidifier, all Cigar Caddy cases come with protective foam to ensure individual cigar protection. The product also has a rubber seal, creating an airtight box and allowing the unit to float if submerged in water.
Photo courtesy of Don Salvatore |
Drobnick says that the Cigar Caddy is great for customers who partake in outdoor activities or who prefer weekends in Las Vegas. Cigar Caddy prices range from $21.49 for the two-stick model to $29.95 for the 15-stick model.
Csonka Worldwide’s Cigar Traveler holds four to five premium cigars, along with essential cigar accessories. Its compact size allows it to easily fit inside a golf bag or briefcase. The Cigar Traveler also features a brass closure, which ensures a proper close and tight seal, and 100-percent-steel case construction for superior strength and durability.
Smokers seeking a smaller humidor may gravitate toward Csonka’s Pocket Cigar Case. This humidor boasts the same features as the Cigar Traveler, but it is made to accommodate two to three cigars. The Csonka SmoKit is a travel humidor case for cigarettes and cigarillos, which includes all the features of Csonka’s travel cigar cases. The SmoKit is also equipped with a quartz clock and stainless-steel ashtray. All Csonka humidors retail from $24 to $99.
Don Salvatore offers several travel humidors and cigar cases from which consumers can choose. Sam Difiglio, vice president of sales and marketing with Don Salvatore, says that people should consider the nature of their trip when selecting a proper humidor to take along.
How the famous go
One of the most recognizable people in the world uses a Don Salvatore humidor when he travels: former President Bill Clinton. The humidor in question was even featured in a documentary about Air Force One.
“The documentary was filmed during Clinton’s final good-bye ride on Air Force One,” says Sam Difiglio, vice president of sales and marketing for Don Salvatore. “They were showing his office on board and the many nuances and special features aboard the aircraft. They opened his maple desk drawer and pulled out the humidor. It was filled with cigars and adorned with the presidential seal.”
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“If it is for a short trip, say overnight, a leather case will do, a two- or three-finger variety, preferably with Spanish cedar lining,” Difiglio says. “If it’s for three days to a week, a four-, eight- or 10-finger case with a humidistat will work. If you smoke more, a leather travel humidor will be the right choice.”
Among the many cigar cases offered by Don Salvatore are leather-wrapped cases with cedar lining. Three- to ten-finger cases are available; the eight- and ten-finger cases include a humidistat. All of the cases feature aluminum reinforcement, which insulates the cigars and prevents crushing.
For travelers looking for a humidor to accommodate a larger number of cigars, Don Salvatore manufactures a slim leather travel cigar portfolio. The humidor is made of genuine leather and is lined in Spanish cedar. It accommodates 22 large-ring cigars and features straps that keep the cigars in place.
The company also offers a soft traveling humidor that holds 20 cigars and includes a humidistat, hygrometer, 56-ring gauge cutter and flint lighter. Prices of the humidors vary.
The bells and whistles
There are many other essential travel accessories that are popular among tobacco enthusiasts. Don Salvatore has a patented portable tool to help remedy a tight “draw” or “plugged” cigar. The Havana Draw Enhancer™ improves the draw and eliminates plugs in cigars of all shapes and sizes.
“The tool sits inside a pen barrel so it can clip onto a shirt pocket,” says Difiglio. “It’s made of stainless steel and has diamond-cut serrations along the length of the shaft. It actually cuts away the blockage of your plugged cigars so you have a more permanent opening.”
The Havana Draw Enhancer™ can also be used as a “smoking handle.” When drawn partway through the stub of a cigar, the Enhancer™ can be used to smoke the cigar all the way to the end without burning one’s fingers. It retails for about $13.95.
Photo courtesy of OtterBox |
Small, maintenance-free travel air purifiers are also popular tobacco accessories, especially the filterless ones. Csonka’s Smoker Cloaker line of air purifiers is available in several different models designed for use in homes, hotels, cars and campers. These odor eliminator products are compact in size and retail from $24 to $399.
Specialty lighters are essential travel accessories for all smokers. Michael Chunko, president and CEO of Csonka Worldwide, says that travel lighters need to be lightweight and durable.
“Lighters can be frustrating, so make sure they are guaranteed to work well, refill after refill after refill,” he says.
Csonka’s Triple Flame Ultra Torch lighters feature a contemporary metallic design and are durable as well as affordable. The Csonka Golf Stick Lighter with LED Light is the company’s newest sporting lighter, which features a built-in light. All Csonka lighters retail from $5.99 to $14.99.
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Photos courtesy of Csonka Worldwide |
Getting on the plane
Although the tobacco industry offers a variety of travel products to consumers, smokers still face many hassles when attempting to transport their tobacco equipment to different locations. Even the act of locating a place where smoking is allowed can be a major challenge for travelers.
Lighters, both fueled and unfueled, are prohibited in airport security checkpoints and in all carry-on luggage. Air travelers may bring unlimited quantities of unfueled lighters in checked baggage, and up to two fueled Zippo lighters as long as they are enclosed in Department of Transportation-approved cases.
OtterBox’s Zippo Cargo Case is the only available lighter case that does that. Designed with a special insert to hold a Zippo-brand pocket lighter, the Cargo Case is waterproof up to 100 feet, and is also dust-proof and drop-resistant.
“Passengers are allowed to carry two of these cases—each case holds one lighter—in their checked luggage,” Drobnick says. “Lighters will be confiscated if not in a special case.” Each Zippo Cargo Case retails for $12.95.
Where to light up
In addition to facing security issues while traveling, smokers often have a difficult time finding locations where smoking is permitted. Many city and state governments have passed laws prohibiting smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars. It can be difficult to locate a hotel, resort or other destination where travelers are allowed to light up.
Csonka Worldwide recently launched Wheretogotosmoke.com, a Web site designed to unite smokers and smoke-friendly facilities. “The Wheretogotosmoke.com Web site will offer travelers important help to enjoy a smoke wherever they are,” Chunko says. “The database is growing, and we look forward to highlighting all smoke-friendly establishments’ information.”
Photo courtesy of OtterBox |
Smokers can visit Wheretogotosmoke.com and search for tobacco stores and smoke-friendly establishments in any given area. Users can also submit smoke-friendly facilities to be added to the site. The site’s database currently consists primarily of tobacco retailers, but Chunko says the number of entries continues to grow. “If we do not know about a smoke-friendly place, then it will not show up until someone submits it and it goes on our database.”
Citysearch.com is another Web site that allows users to search for smoke-friendly locations. Simply type in the words “smoking permitted” in the search field at the top of the home page, and select a city from the drop-down menu. The search generates a detailed list of establishments where smoking is allowed, including restaurants, bars, clubs and hotels. |
