Most vapers have realized that not everyone understands, or is comfortable with, e-cigarettes.
Some people still see vaping as equally harmful as smoking cigarettes, despite various sources explaining how much healthier it is in comparison.
Some also claim that passive vaping (others inhaling second-hand vapor) is as unhealthy as second-hand cigarette smoke, although this too has been proven inaccurate by several studies.
Whatever reason people may have, I’m sure that as a vaper, you’ve gotten more than a little tired of the constant need to avoid conflict or explain the benefits of vaping. Fortunately, you’re not alone, and many people who vape are making a switch to stealth vaping in public places.
Stealth vaping means that you are vaping without others around you noticing. Also called zero vaping, stealth vaping is a way to vape discreetly without anyone seeing that you have an e-cigarette.
Contents
What is Stealth Vaping?
Stealth vaping methods allow you to hide your vapor clouds and the smell of vaping. Without actually blowing vapor from your mouth, you are basically turning your e-cigarette into a nicotine inhaler.
Stealth vapers usually use a smaller mouth-to-lung (MTL) device or pod vape because they use a lot less power than your standard vape pen. With less power comes less vapor, which also means less smell, and when clandestine vaping, you’ll want to hide as many aspects of your vaping as possible.
Why Do People Stealth Vape?
While for some vapers, pumping clouds might be a large part of the vaping experience, no one can deny that there are times when you’d like to get your nicotine hit discreetly—times where a vape device without vapor would be perfect.
That’s why many people choose to vape like ninjas. Stealth vaping techniques allow you to perfect the art of zero vaping, where no vapor comes out.
Whether you’re in an area where vaping is frowned upon, or you want to avoid the never-ending lectures of family members, stealth vaping is a great way to hide your habit. Additionally, you can enjoy some of that addictive chemical, nicotine, without others around you noticing or being bothered.
Most people use stealth vaping for privacy or to respect others in public places.
While stealth vaping can be discreet, having even a small puff in an area with vaping bans, especially those enforced by law, might still be a bad idea.
You could trigger the fire alarms of some places (like hotel rooms and airplane bathrooms) through vaping, which could land you in trouble. It may be a good idea to check if the area you want to vape in has any specific vaping policy.
How to Stealth Vape?
For the most part, zero vaping comes down to a balance between the device you’re using and your stealth vaping technique. There are a few ways people stealth vape, including the ‘second inhale’ and the ‘gulp’ technique.
Just remember that getting your stealth vaping smooth may take a bit of trial and error. Don’t give up if you still see vapor clouds or go into a coughing fit the first few times you try zero vaping.
The Device
While stealth vaping is not impossible with larger vape pens, it is a lot more complicated.
Large devices tend to use a lot of power, meaning they produce a lot of visible vapor. On top of this, large devices are nearly impossible to conceal in your hand, defeating the point of stealth vaping altogether.
As mentioned before, stealth vaping works best with a mouth-to-lung vape or pod device. These small devices can fit snugly in the palm of your hand and create significantly less vapor than your standard electronic cigarettes.
Stay away from sub-ohm devices when smoking vapes in public because you’ll exhale too much smoke.
But, generally, the smaller your device, the better. Look for something that fits comfortably in your hand and isn’t easy to drop when pulling the vape from your pocket.
Once you have your device, you can increase your stealth game by covering your LED lights with a piece of colored tape. You can also block the fire indicator (the small LED light) with your finger whenever you take a hit.
Plus, it might be a good idea when you buy your device to ask if it has any excessive lighting effects or makes noise. You want to be as stealthy as possible, and your device should be too.
The Juice
You may also want to go for a vape juice that doesn’t have much of a smell. Even if your liquid smells like candy, you might still draw unwanted attention, increasing the risk of getting caught. Juices containing a high nicotine level with just the faintest aroma are the best choice for optimum stealth.
But, overall, you should choose an e-liquid with more propylene glycol than vegetable glycerin. VG isn’t good for places where vaping is banned because this popular e-juice ingredient creates massive clouds. PG solutions, conversely, give your vapor a discreet form factor.
The Technique
Now that you have your stealth vaping device, it’s time to nail down the zero vapor technique.
Step 1: The Inhale
When you want to stealth vape, your inhale may need to adjust a little bit.
Try taking either a long, deep inhale or multiple, short inhales. Short puffs will help to limit the amount of vapor you’re taking in.
When you zero vape, you want to make sure you’re not filling your lungs completely and instead only taking a small inhale. If you breathe in too much, you’ll more likely end up coughing and blowing out a big cloud.
Step 2: The Hold
After you’ve inhaled your vapor, it’s time to hold it for a few extra seconds instead of immediately exhaling. As a rule, the longer you hold your breath, the less vapor will come out.
During this hold, you can use one of the two techniques that we spoke about above:
Technique 1: The Second Inhale
For this technique (my personal favorite), after taking your hit and inhaling the vapor, take a second breath of clean air through your mouth and nose.
This extra breath will help to disperse the cloud in your lungs and give you a smoother exhale, making it less likely for you to cough.
Technique 2: The Gulp
The Gulp technique is similar, although a bit trickier. After your breathe-in, instead of taking a second breath, gulp the vapor down.
In other words, swallow it. Swallowing will also disperse the vapor in your lungs and lessen the density of your cloud.
Technique 3: The Shirt Trick
For this method, you should be exhaling the vapor straight down your shirt, so it dissipates inside. Many vapers prefer this smoking technique because they find it easier than trying to blow through pursed lips.
Step 3: The Exhale
Finally, steadily blow out the air. If you’ve nailed the techniques above, there should be no vapor exhaled after your zero vape hit. But it’s still probably a good idea to exhale slowly to ensure no vapor comes out.
If you want to go extra stealth mode, exhale either slowly through your nose (this method is called the stealth nose trick) or purse your lips and blow towards the ground and away from other people, especially when you vape indoors.
These tips translate to less vapor coming out of your nose or mouth.
Wrap Up
All you need to do now is practice, practice, practice. You’re probably better off trying this vaping method out at home before going out into the big wide world.
Furthermore, remember that “with great power comes great responsibility,” so make sure you use your new stealth vaping skills in places where you’re not likely to get into legal trouble—if you are caught vaping.
Finally, you should know that although vapes are safer than smoking, they aren’t good for you. E-cigarette use can lead to heart disease, birth defects, and other reproductive harm.