Water pipes & bongs
by Hemper
The Das Boot Bong is a borosilicate glass bong shaped like a classic German beer boot, made by Hemper in two sizes: 6 inches and 10 inches. It's one of those pieces that gets a laugh when you pull it out, then earns genuine respect once people take their first hit. The diffused downstem breaks smoke into fine bubbles, cooling it down before it reaches your lungs — so you're getting smooth, flavour-packed draws from something that looks like it belongs at Oktoberfest.
| Variant | Height | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 6" Das Boot (HS2372) | 15 cm / 6 inches | Tabletop sessions, travel, shelf display — easy to stash and quick to clean |
| 10" Das Boot (HS2372) | 25 cm / 10 inches | Bigger chamber, more smoke volume, smoother cooling — the one we'd reach for at home |
The 6-inch version is genuinely pocketable (well, jacket-pocket-able) and works brilliantly as a novelty gift or a piece you keep on the coffee table. The 10-inch gives you noticeably cooler smoke because there's simply more space between the water and your mouth. If you're only buying one, go 10 inch — you'll feel the difference on the exhale.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Brand | Hemper |
| Material | Borosilicate glass, 5mm thick |
| Available sizes | 6 inches (HS2372) / 10 inches (HS2373) |
| Percolation | Diffused downstem |
| Design | German beer boot (Das Boot) shape |
| Joint size | 14mm female |
| Included | Bong, downstem, 14mm bowl |
Complete your setup: a set of pipe screens keeps ash out of the downstem and saves you cleaning time. If you want to keep the glass sparkling, grab a bottle of bong cleaner — a 5-minute soak beats 20 minutes of scrubbing with salt and alcohol every time. And if the 14mm bowl that ships with the Das Boot isn't quite your style, we carry replacement glass bowls in various shapes.
We've sold a lot of novelty bongs over the years. Most of them look great on Instagram and then sit in a cupboard because they're awkward to use, impossible to clean, or fragile enough that one bump on the kitchen counter ends the party. The Das Boot is the exception. Hemper built it from 5mm-thick borosilicate glass — the same lab-grade material used in scientific beakers — which means it handles thermal shock and the occasional knock far better than cheap soda-lime glass pieces.
The diffused downstem is the real workhorse here. Those small slits at the bottom of the stem split your smoke into dozens of tiny bubbles, massively increasing the surface area that contacts the water. More contact means more cooling, and more cooling means less throat irritation. According to research on waterpipe filtration, water filtration can reduce the temperature and particulate content of smoke before inhalation (El Hourani et al., PMC11424890). You'll notice it immediately: the hit from the Das Boot is noticeably smoother than a straight-tube bong of the same size without diffusion.
The honest limitation? The boot shape makes it slightly trickier to clean than a straight tube. The toe of the boot collects resin, and you can't just run a brush straight through. You'll want to use a liquid glass cleaner and give it a good shake — the boot shape actually works in your favour here, since the curved chamber creates a natural swirling action when you agitate the cleaning solution. Just don't leave it weeks between cleans. Resin builds up fast in that toe.
Compared to Hemper's standard straight-tube pieces, the Das Boot trades a bit of cleaning convenience for a lot of personality. Compared to silicone novelty bongs, you're getting proper glass flavour — no rubbery aftertaste, no lingering smell in the material. Glass is glass. It tastes like nothing, which means your herb tastes like everything.
We've had the Das Boot on the shelf for a while now, and it's become one of those pieces people pick up as a gift and then come back to buy a second one for themselves. The weight of it surprised us — 5mm borosilicate has a satisfying heft. It doesn't feel like a novelty; it feels like a proper piece that happens to look like a boot. The 10-inch version in particular has a nice centre of gravity when it's filled with water. It sits stable on a flat surface, which is more than we can say for some "artistic" bongs we've stocked over the years.
One thing we noticed: the 6-inch version produces warmer hits than the 10-inch, simply because there's less air volume between the water and your mouth. If you're sensitive to harsh smoke, the 10-inch is the better buy. If you want something compact for a festival or a mate's birthday, the 6-inch is spot on — it's genuinely fun to pass around, and the boot shape makes it surprisingly easy to grip even when things get a bit clumsy.
Fully functional. The diffused downstem filters and cools smoke through water, just like any standard glass bong. The boot shape is the novelty — the smoking mechanics are solid. We've tested both sizes extensively and the 10-inch version in particular delivers smooth, cool hits.
Pour out the water after each session and rinse with warm water. For deeper cleaning, fill the boot with isopropyl alcohol and coarse salt (or a dedicated bong cleaner), cover the openings, and shake hard. The curved toe traps resin, so don't skip this area. Weekly cleaning keeps it tasting fresh.
It uses a 14mm female joint. The included bowl is 14mm male. If you want to swap it out for a different style — a snapper bowl, for instance — any 14mm male bowl will fit.
Borosilicate glass is the same material used in laboratory glassware. At 5mm thickness, the Das Boot handles daily use, temperature changes from hot smoke and cold water, and minor bumps. It's not indestructible — drop it on tiles and it will break — but it's far tougher than standard glass bongs at 2-3mm thickness.
The 10-inch version gives you a larger chamber, cooler smoke, and a more comfortable grip. The 6-inch is more portable and works well as a gift or travel piece. If you only want one, we'd pick the 10-inch — the difference in smoothness is noticeable.
The opposite, actually. The curved toe section acts as a natural handle, giving you a secure grip that straight tubes don't offer. When filled with water, the weight distribution keeps it stable on a table too.
Out of the box, it's set up for dry herb with the included 14mm bowl. You could swap in a 14mm quartz banger or nail for concentrates, but the boot's chamber volume is really optimised for flower. For dedicated dab rigs, we'd point you toward something with a smaller chamber.
Last updated: April 2026
