I read some great advice, your tobacco should always be dryer than you think. I have been letting certain tobaccos air dry a bit before smoking and what a difference, that and gentle tamping occasionally, just those two things and bowls stay lit much easier, much more smoke and almost no gurgle anymore.
I brought a corn cob to work with some Bulls Eye, which is a generic version of the De Luxe Navy, instead of going out and lighting up a Monte 4 or 5, smoking a bit, purging and clipping, now I can just pack up a bowl and puff away to my heart's content, stash the pipe in my favorite tree and head back in, this is working out very well and I think my cigar collection is going to thank me, I know my wallet is.