Dry herb vaporizers are becoming increasingly popular because they offer cannabis users an alternative to combustion (a.k.a. smoking).

Many people prefer dry herb vaping because:

Some people prefer the effects over smoking hemp flower or edibles.

It may be safer than smoking.

It is more efficient than smoking. Less hemp flower is needed to produce the same effects so it’s more economical.

The smell dissipates faster. Less lingering odor means you can be more discrete.

Most portable vaporizers use batteries and the battery life is usually frustratingly short because so much energy is needed to heat cannabis to the appropriate temperatures. Most models are good for about a day of use but not much more than that.

DynaVap products are unique in that they are not powered by electricity. Instead, a flame is used to heat the device. When the device reaches the right temperature, it clicks so the user knows it’s ready to take a draw.

In addition to the benefit of not relying on a battery, DynaVap vaporizers have become popular because they offer one of the best dry herb vaping experiences in terms of flavor and efficiency of extraction. They’re all around great little devices.

The simplicity of the devices also means they’re reliable and durable. You don’t have to worry about a wire coming loose or a component wearing out with use. You don’t have to worry about dropping your device and it no longer working. These are sturdy, well-engineered, well-constructed little devices that will provide years of top-quality vaping.

Using the DynaVap

What you’ll need:

A DynaVap vaporizer

A flame, preferably a butane lighter

Ground hemp flower

Most DynaVap devices hold about .1 grams of ground cannabis. To load the device, remove the cap and push the device into the ground material. You may need to do this several times depending on how deep the ground material is in your container.

You’ll know the device is properly packed when the bowl is filled to the brim and it gives you some resistance when you push on the material with your finger. It should feel spongy. If it feels solid you may have packed it too tightly.

When the chamber is filled, hold it at eye level. No cannabis should be protruding above the top of the cap. If it is, use your finger to carefully remove this material or push it down.

Place the cap back on the unit. You’re now ready to heat it with your lighter.

Hold the flame of your lighter underneath the cap so that it just barely touches the cap. Using the hand that is holding the DynaVap, use your fingers to rotate the DynaVap unit. The flame should not be touching the cap for very long in one spot. Try to rotate it as quickly as you comfortably can.

You can experiment with where you position the flame on the cap. Some people prefer to keep the heat of the flame toward the bottom of the cap. Others recommend the middle of the cap. Keeping the flame close to the top of the cap is rarely suggested because it may cause the unit to click before the rest of the chamber has heated.

The DynaVap will click twice if you hold the flame past the first click. I always wait for this second click and sometimes will continue holding the flame on the cap for another second or two past the second click. Be careful though, if you continue to hold the flame to the cap for much longer than a second or two you risk combustion. Smoke will escape the unit and stink up your room!

Note that you need to be careful if you use a butane lighter to heat your DynaVap quickly. Sometimes the clicks will occur simultaneously and you may not be able to distinguish the two clicks. Usually when this happens the click will be slightly louder than usual but not always. As a rule of thumb this is why I avoid holding the DynaVap deep in the flame and, instead, prefer to have the flame barely touch it. With this distance, it’s rare that the two clicks happen simultaneously.

Inhaling with the DynaVap

When you inhale from the DynaVap you can cover the hole on the side (often called a “carb”) of the unit but this will create a very tough draw. I prefer to cover it partially or not at all.

I tend to inhale for as long and as deeply as I can with the DynaVap. I do not take quick or short draws. Sometimes I will try to do one long inhale until the unit clicks to indicate that it has cooled down.

A typical DynaVap session

After using my DynaVap for almost a year, I’ve become pretty comfortable with it. Your first few weeks or even months with it you may wonder whether you’re using it correctly. You may have a nagging feeling that you’re doing something wrong because there are so many variables involved. Where you hold the flame on the unit, how long you hold the flame, how many times you heat the material before discarding, etc. It’s not as simple and straightforward as pushing a button.

Here’s my typical DynaVap routine in depth. I heat the material three times or “rounds.”

The first round is the most flavorful. This is your chance to appreciate the flavor of your hemp flower. This is also usually the smoothest hit. I tend to hold this hit in for longer than the others which tend to be harsher and less delicious. However, this first round typically does not produce as much thick vapor as the second round. During the first round it seems like the chances of accidental combustion are lower than with rounds two and three so sometimes I will hold the flame to the DynaVap for a bit longer after the second click than I will with rounds two and three. This may be because the plant material is more moist during this first round.

The second round is what I consider to be the main event because it will produce the thickest vapor. Sometimes I will have to split the inhale up because the vapor is so thick I need to stop, exhale, and then inhale again.

The third round is basically ensuring that you’ve gotten all the vapor you’re going to get. This round usually doesn’t taste great and not as much vapor is produced. If you aren’t trying to conserve your hemp flower, you may choose to skip this third round completely. If you do, you can save your spent plant material (often called ABV “already been vaped”) and use it to create edibles and tinctures. This way you’re not wasting anything.

Dosing hemp flower with the DynaVap

The DynaVap holds approximately .08 – .1 grams of ground hemp flower.

To calculate how much CBD you’re dosing, you need to know the Total CBD of the hemp strain you’re using.

Note that Total CBD = (CBDa * 0.877) + CBD. Some CBD is lost when CBDa is converted to CBD during the decarboxylation process (which happens when the hemp flower is heated during the vaporization process).

For example, let’s say I’m using Sour Space Candy from Apical Greens which is 18.25% Total CBD. If I pack my DynaVap tightly to get .1 grams of material, then I am consuming approximately 18.25mg of CBD in a single bowl.

If you do three rounds of heating, you’re probably getting close to full extraction though I don’t know of any scientific studies that have been done to see how many cannabinoids are left in the plant material after being vaped.