The art of stealthy vaping revealed

If you have managed to quit smoking by turning to vaping, you are probably very proud of yourself and your ecig. Indeed, you may feel like shouting from the rooftops and blowing the biggest cloud of vapour you can muster into someone’s face!

Unfortunately, not everyone will be as enthusiastic about your success as you are. Many people see vaping as just another form of smoking. Others feel that the delicious flavours on offer are just too tempting for youngsters. Unbelievable though it may seem, you will even encounter a few unimaginative souls who don’t appreciate a waft of sweet caramel hanging in the air.

Sometimes it pays to exercise a little subtlety. Stealth vaping could save you from disapproving looks and is a great idea if you like to stay out of the limelight. It could also enable you to take a few discreet puffs when you really shouldn’t!

Here’s how to vape happily but under the radar.

Choose a mod with stealth mode

If you need to vape stealthily, it pays to choose your hardware advisedly. There’s nothing covert about a 200W mod with an OLED screen that lights up like a Christmas tree every time you press the fire button. But some mods offer a stealth mode which kills the light show. This is a useful feature after dark, if you happen to be spying on someone or otherwise conducting covert operations. However, it is important to bear in mind that you can’t vape inside most public buildings. Lights or no lights, a burst of menthol and aniseed is a bit of a giveaway, as is a huge cloud of vapour.

Stealth mode isn’t going to help you vape undetected in the cinema or the toilet of an aeroplane. But it’s useful at night when you are driving and will help to conserve your battery charge.

Choose a small device

If discretion is your thing, then a huge box mod topped by a tank fitted with expansion glass probably isn’t a great idea. What you really need is a compact vape pen or pod system that you can conceal in the palm of your hand. These diminutive devices also fit neatly into your pocket and don’t cost the earth.

Keep away from the rainbow

Most devices are available in a variety of colours or finishes. Some are less discreet than others. Black is always a great choice if you like to be subtle. A dazzling rainbow finish is probably not the order of the day if discretion is required. Tiger stripes edged in bright orange will also blow your cover!

Don’t go below

You can conceal a small device in the palm of your hand, and you can avoid an attention-grabbing light show. But there’s no hiding a huge cloud of vapour. Sub ohm coils (those with a resistance below 1.0ohm) deliver significant vapour that hangs in the air. Stealth vaping will necessitate sacrificing those clouds. Choose a high resistance device or at least one compatible with high resistance coils, if you are feeling stealthy. Short puffs minimise vapour production and your clouds will be less visible if you exhale downwards.

Try zero vaping

Zero vaping is the art of exhaling no vapour at all. This is the ultimate form of stealth vaping and should only be practised using high resistance, low wattage devices which are small enough to be concealed in your hand. If you try this technique with a powerful device, you will almost certainly experience a dramatic and very noticeable coughing fit. It is also important to remember that your coils will still make a noise when they are fired.

There are two forms of zero vaping and both require you to take a mouth to lung draw. You will need to practice if you are to master either technique.

Zero vaping technique 1

Start by taking a short puff. Instead of exhaling, inhale air through your mouth and nose. Then inhale air a second time. Hold your breath for a couple of seconds and then exhale through pursed lips.

Zero vaping technique 2

Take a short puff and then draw the vapour into your lungs with a deep inhale. This should last for at least five seconds. Then, exhale through pursed lips.

If you find that some vapour is still escaping your lips, try holding your breath for even longer or taking an even deeper breath. You might find that vaping this way gives you an uncomfortably powerful nicotine hit.

When stealthy isn’t stealthy enough

With more and more people becoming aware of vaping and what it looks like, it is becoming harder to conceal what you are doing. There are going to be times when you simply can’t vape as the penalties for getting caught could be much more severe than just a disapproving look. You can stave off your nicotine cravings by vaping salt nicotine e liquids as the effects last for longer. But, in the end, you will sometimes have to endure that familiar yearning and keep your ecig in your pocket for longer than you would like.