Rolling the perfect joint is an art form. You know the kind—the perfectly packed after-work doobie with a crisp twist at the end, a clean seam, and that sweet, sumptuous smell of delightful dankness. A J like that isn’t getting shoved in your jeans pocket or rattling around in your backpack. If you care about your doobie, it belongs in a DoobTube.
We recently had the chance to talk with the man behind the brand—Ray C, a true legend in the headshop world. Ray’s been a staple in the industry for over two decades, and DoobTubes stands as proof that a simple product that solves a real need can go a long way. Built from high-quality components, Ray’s tubes are made to protect your joints—rain or shine.
Can you tell us about you and how DoobTubes got started?
Well, I myself was working as a land surveyor, and then I got sick in the early 2000s. During my treatment, I was harassed by some cops in San Francisco, and I said to my wife, “If this is truly medicine, then it should come in a medical container and have a state law on it to take away probable cause.” So we did that. We had a thousand made on our first run, and it was out in three days. So we went back and did a second run of 3000, which was gone in less than 10 days.
What were those early days like?
We started out as just a medical packaging company. We didn’t even have our name on the tubes. All we put on them back then was just the state law. We were basically the unofficial official tube for medical states.
How did the brand expand from there?
David [Hirschfeld, CHAMPS] saw us at a Trade Show in LA in 2008. He said, ‘If this was in a package and you had a line for smoke shops, you’d sell millions.’ I laughed and said, ‘We do sell millions.’ But he was right—we launched our line for smoke shops, did the 2008 summer Champs, and we’ve been there ever since. Now we’ve pretty much dropped out of supplying dispensaries, and are mainly a shelf item. We do white labeling and we do a full color print, foil— we can print clear labels, and we also sell bulk plain tubes. We own our own equipment, so we’re able to do special colors on request, and of course that’s in a large quantity, but we’re able to do custom tubes for people as well.
What separates DoobTubes from its competitors?
DoobTubes are almost unbreakable. They’re made from a soft but strong poly. If you’re doing something sports-related and fall with it in your pocket, polystyrene would go right through your leg and could kill you. Ours doesn’t shatter, but it instead micro-shatters and absorbs the shock itself. They’re airtight, waterproof up to a certain depth, and odor-free. You can open and close it as many times as you want, and it won’t lose efficiency. Lastly, one of the most important things is that we’ve always been American-made. Everything, right down to the paper it’s packaged in, is local.
Do you have any memorable customer stories from over the years?
We once delivered 35,000 tubes overnight to Las Vegas. UPS quoted $1,200 for the delivery, so I told the guy I’d drive it myself for a third of that. So we packed up my Ford Escape at 3:30pm, got there at 12:20am, and drove straight back. We’re 100% committed to our customers.
How can businesses work with DoobTubes?
You just call me directly. No outside salespeople. No runaround. I answer every phone call myself. (510) 677-6053.
You can also check out our website at doobtubin.com to see the products we offer, and as another way to contact us.
Is there anything you want to tell HeadQuest readers before we get out of here?
I’ve been partnered with HQ since pretty much the beginning. The magazine has hit my mailbox every single month for the last 18 years. That’s consistency and I respect it.
The magazine [HQ] has hit my mailbox every single month for the last 18 years. That’s consistency and I respect it.
