Practicing stealth camping is to become invisible to every living being, whether humans or animals. It is like spending three days in a hotel, yet the receptionist does not know your name. When you stealth camp, there’s no single trace of you ever being in the area. You are just like the sun when it’s midnight — is there any telling sign of yesterday’s sun when the time is 3 am?
By knowing how to stealth camp, you can bug out successfully with minimal fuss and move throughout the world without being followed. This does not necessarily mean you have committed or are committing a crime. Some of us, particularly introverts, just prefer to keep our lives and movements private.
5 Tips For Practicing Stealth Camping
When you start practicing stealth camping, you’ve just taken “leave no trace” to a supreme level. You may have heard of this form of camping or might have even tried but failed at it. That’s no cause for shame; it takes even the most seasoned camper several seasons of camping to be a master of the art.
When being a stealth camper, you’ll have to re-address your location, feeding, shelter, and fire-making strategies. All methods to be adopted will be different from what you’ve always known about ordinary camping.
Location
Your location is the chief jewel to guard when stealth camping. So, when in stealth mode as a camper, you’ll surely want a hidden location, which means you’re avoiding open fields and staying away from roadways and main trails. This leaves you with sites that are concealed by heavy bushes. But these sites have to be at an elevated angle, be flat, and have more than one exit routes, so you can leave quickly if your cover is blown.
The ideal location should have a light brush, through which you can observe the environment and keep tabs on what is happening around you. Being able to do so will give you enough leverage on whoever is coming. It’s much like installing a camera at home.
Another factor to consider in your location is the noise density. A noisy location, say a waterfall, will be too overwhelming, such that you may be unable to listen in on your surroundings. It is better to go for quiet, solitary places as this will enable you to pick up broken twigs, grunts or footsteps even when far away.
Shelter
A typical shelter setup is forbidden for stealth camping. You don’t want an elaborate shelter that’ll take you hours to assemble or put apart. What’s ideal is a small, hard to discern tent that or tipi that is easily set up and disassembled; the type you can clear up within 10 minutes. Yes, there are shelter arrangements like that.
A-frames and lean-tos work best for this setup, as long as they are of cool, damp colors, meaning that red, yellow, or sparkling blue is not advisable. All elements to be prepared should be beforehand, including any knot to be tied — this will assist immediate evacuation.
As an alternative, you can convert sticks to tent stakes, although this may involve some carving. This is even more recommended because you can leave them behind when escaping. You won’t be losing valuable shelter, nor can anyone tell that you were the one who put it up.
Your camp should be fixed at twilight when the light is just bright enough for you to see some distance but not enough for others to see or identify you from far. I’d advise that you practice assembling and disassembling your camp well, so you would do so with ease when it becomes necessary.
Attire
You must have seen war movies where soldiers had to camouflage to lay an ambush. I’m sure you saw that they had drab olive attires on, but movies make things too easy. Blending in perfectly is more than just that. When sorting out your attire, have the 3 C’s and 8 S’s in mind:
- Cover
- Camouflage
- Concealment
- Saturation
- Shadow
- Shape
- Shine
- Silhouette
- Silent
- Spacing
- Still
Note and act upon how you and your gear stand out from the native inhabitants of the wild. Skip supplies that create bright lights or even reflect light at all. Should the use of a flashlight be necessary, choose green or red LEDs.
If you’re starting stealth camping at a populated campground or trailhead, don’t alight your car by putting on a head-to-toe camouflage or leaf suit. Dress normally among others and as you slip into the woods, morph gradually into a non-discernable presence. The key is to be casual and unnoticed throughout wherever you may be.
Foods & Fires
The smell given off by your food or fire is an acute giveaway to your location. Therefore, the solution is to eat away from your camp or stick to cold, non-aromatic foods. Remember that it’s the cooking process that gives off the aroma the most.
Usually, for the ultimate stealth camper, a fire is a no-no. However, if you must build one, it is either you do so far from your campsite, build it underground or make a Dakota Fire Pit. The first option may expose you to trackers who may be willing to follow you to your camp; the second requires you to keep the ground below ground level, and the third demands that you contain the fire and ensure that it doesn’t spread.
However, whether a Dakota pit or underground, the smell of fire is difficult to miss in a vicinity. Plus, there’s the hovering leaves and smoke. So, if you’re making a fire, you must be very careful.
Covering Your Trails
If you drive to a campground, your car has to be packed away from your campsite, the same if you’re using a bike. One should park both vehicles in a way that they are facing the opposite direction to the campsite.
Try as much as you can to walk on durable surfaces like rocks. This ensures that you’re not leaving footsteps behind you. When you have to walk on soft surfaces, step gingerly, and leave confusing trails behind.
Takeaways From Practicing Stealth Camping
Practicing stealth camping requires the utmost care and mindfulness. It is easy to slip and forget that you are staying concealed. So, remain mindful. Also, be very observant. A random or unexplainable change in your surroundings should leave you in your very toes.