How To Stealth Vape: The Ultimate Guide To Stealth Vaping (2021 Update)

Welcome to MIST’s Ultimate Guide to Stealth Vaping! We’ll be going over the best tips and tricks to ensure those vapes are kept low-key and you know exactly how to stealth vape the right way.

Because, in a way, stealth vapers are a lot like ninjas (bear with us):

They both use unconventional methods to achieve their goals.
Keep a watchful eye on being potentially exposed.
And know when to strike at the most opportune moment!

Okay, we admit, the comparison is a little tenuous, but knowing the dos and don’ts of stealth vaping is still useful to have up your sleeve. After all, navigating your way through vaping restrictions is the closest you’ll get to feeling like a bonafide shinobi!

MIST has pooled our many years of experience to bring you the Ultimate Guide to Stealth Vaping: what it is, how and why to do it, and when and where you should and shouldn’t. Discover what our top stealthy techniques are, and how best to use them to keep your vaping below the radar.

The Ultimate Guide to Stealth Vaping Explained:

What is stealth vaping?
What are the benefits of stealth vaping?
How do I stealth vape?
How do I stealth vape in public?
Where shouldn’t I stealth vape?

1. What is Stealth Vaping?

Unlike a lot of other vaping terms, stealth vaping is fairly self-explanatory.

Essentially, it’s a term used to describe multiple techniques vapers use to minimise the visibility of vapour and e-cigarettes, mainly when vaping indoors. There are a number of ways to reduce the amount of vapour you exhale, making your vaping as subtle and considerate as possible.

Whilst there are some circumstances in which stealth vaping should be avoided—on planes for example—stealth vaping can be an effective way to circumvent unnecessarily strict vaping rules. Becoming versed in these techniques will enable you to enjoy your vape pen much more often—who would say no to that?

2. What are the benefits of stealth Vaping?

There are lots of reasons why you might want to tone down the visibility of your vape.

However, when compared with smoking, as the vapour you exhale poses little to no health risk to others, most restrictions are due to public opinion. People who are unfamiliar with vaping, and don’t understand what vaping is, often liken the habit and the associated negativity with smoking. As a result, these people tend to become irritated or upset if you vape near them. If you’re in a park, simply walking down the street or sitting in a pub garden, it might be easier to stealth vape than deal with potentially argumentative neighbours.

In many cases, companies create blanket rules for smokers and vapers, even though vaping has been proven to be far less harmful than smoking, for both the person using the e-cigarette and those around them. If you’re on a long train journey, in a pub or a bar that doesn’t allow vaping, or stuck in your office all day, stealth vaping can help you get the nicotine hit you need quickly and easily.

Another good reason for stealth vaping is that it allows you to avoid temptation. A lot of people use vape kits to help them give up smoking. If you’re an ex-smoker who has only recently kicked the habit, you probably don’t want to stand in a designated smoking area to use your vape. After all, surrounding yourself with smokers and clouds of cigarette smoke could well prove too much, and you might give in to temptation. Stealth vaping in these situations is a good way to avoid the familiar aroma of cigarettes, ensuring you keep yourself on the straight and narrow!

3. How do I Stealth Vape?

If you’re planning on trying stealth vaping, you’ll need to ensure your e-cigarette is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Unfortunately, that chunky sub-ohm kit won’t cut it—massive plumes of vapour are more than likely to attract attention! Yep, this is strictly a job for MTL (mouth-to-lung) vape pens. Their discreet size and relatively small vapour production make them easy to conceal when you’re in public. This will dramatically increase your chances of vaping without being seen. Also, take note of any LED lights on your vape device, as you’ll need to make sure these are covered when you’re in stealth mode.

Furthermore, reducing the amount of vapour you exhale will greatly reduce the visibility of your vape. To do this effectively, try:

Holding the vapour in your lungs for a few extra seconds after you inhale.

Taking an extra breath in after you’ve puffed on your e-cigarette.

Breathing in, swallowing the vapour and the exhaling through your nose. Almost all the visible vapour will have disappeared by the time it’s released from your lungs.

Try reducing the amount of VG (vegetable glycerine) in your vape juice—this will reduce those dramatic vape clouds. A good ratio is 50/50, but, as a rule, the less VG, the more stealthy you’ll be. Just be careful not to tip the balance too far, as a heavy PG mix can be harsh on your throat..

Another common stealth vaping technique is to hide your e-cigarette use behind your clothes. Although this can be effective, using a vape kit with heavy emissions will result in clouds of vapour erupting from your neckline and wisping out of your sleeves, which—unless you’re cosplaying as Gandalf—is undesirable to say the least!

Opting for a small vape kit, like, for example, the SMOK RPM 4, which has minimal vapour production, and using it as discreetly as possible is your best chance of vaping unseen. If you’re new to stealth vaping, try practicing at home before you head out and about (no, really!), just to see how invisible your vaping really is.

4. How do I stealth vape in public?

Independent experts have estimated that vaping is around 95% less harmful than smoking, however, many people are still unaware of the multiple benefits that come with making the switch to e-cigarettes.

As a result, there are many bars, restaurants, offices and shops that have placed restrictions on vaping in and around their premises, forcing vapers to take stealthy measures in order to enjoy their favourite vape juice in public.

If you’re planning on visiting somewhere where vaping is restricted, you will undoubtedly want to use your vape whilst you’re there. If this is the case, pack your shurikens, because stealth vaping may well be your only option.

5. Where shouldn’t I stealth vape?

As tempting as it can be to vape anywhere that takes your fancy, there are some occasions where you have to be mindful and respectful.

As tempting as it can be to vape anywhere that takes your fancy, there are some occasions where you have to be mindful and respectful:

On a plane – though many people may be breaking this rule, it is illegal and does pose a risk (albeit a small one).

Around children and babies—this is something you should definitely not do! Considering vaping is relatively new, there isn’t much data on how second hand vapour affects children and babies. But considering their lungs are sensitive and still developing, MIST recommends you are as conscientious as possible.

Around pregnant women—again, as with the above point, pregnant women may be sensitive to second hand vapour. We advise that you refrain from stealth vaping in such a situation.

At school (teachers and parents alike)—with so many kids around, it’s important to be mindful of where you’re vaping.

At work—this one is more dependent upon circumstance, what your workplace rules are, and how brave you feel!

It’s important to bear in mind that all UK airports have banned the use of e-cigarettes, and most airlines do not permit vaping on board. There are also some serious repercussions in countries such as Thailand, Dubai and Singapore where all electronic cigarette devices and associated materials are banned.

So, make sure that you respect your surroundings when you’re abroad, be stealthy where you can, and adhere to the rules and regulations around travelling with vape pens.

Although vape devices don’t produce tobacco smoke, research into the risks of passive vaping around pregnant women and babies is still ongoing, and it is advised to err on the side of caution—basically just don’t do it!.

The NHS website states that “e-cigs release negligible amounts of nicotine into the atmosphere and the limited evidence available suggests that any risk from passive vaping to bystanders is small relative to tobacco cigarettes.”

However, it goes without saying that it is still a matter of decency not to blow plumes of vapour at anyone!

Need more vaping advice?

Sometimes, stealth vaping can be the only way to stave off that pesky craving for tobacco. Because of this, MIST believes that some rules were made to be broken—or at least bent. Our Ultimate Guide to Stealth Vaping should provide you with all the tools you’ll need to start stealth vaping today. Just be sure to be mindful of when not to vape. You wouldn’t want to cause a newborn unnecessary harm, or end up accidentally buying a ticket to the Midnight Express, potentially spending 10 years in a foreign prison!

Though if you’re mindful of when not to vape, and become well versed in the tricks of the trade, you’ll be like the MIST gang in no time— vaping on trains, the back of buses, or when the waiter isn’t looking!

For more juicy titbits of vaping knowledge and knowhow, check out some of our other guides.