Stealth Vaping

Published by Emma Logan on 29th Apr 2014

One of the great advantages of vaping instead of smoking (other than the obvious health and financial benefits) is that it frees the user from laws surrounding smoking in public places. I don’t think anyone would argue against the public health benefits the smoking ban has delivered, but as vaping doesn’t have the same association with passive smoking, the user should feel comfortable vaping around other people. That’s not to say, however, that blowing great plumes of vapour into someone’s face is generally to be encouraged.

There are certain situations where a touch of discretion is required. Many pubs in the UK, for instance, are happy to allow vaping on their premises (others may not be as forward-thinking), but it can still be advisable to keep the vapour clouds to a minimum. In these situations, Stealth Vaping can be very useful.

What is Stealth Vaping?

Stealth Vaping is the act of using your e-cigarette in a discrete fashion, one in which it is not immediately obvious what you are doing. This can involve various techniques, but principally you should try to obscure the e-cigarette itself, or at least the bright blue LED on the end. Similarly, instead of exhaling billowing clouds of vapour, you should be trying to minimise your exhalations as much as possible, or directing the vapour where it cannot easily be seen.

How do I stealth vape?

As I’ve already mentioned, the first thing to bear in mind is that your e-cig can easily be spotted from a distance due to the bright LED it will feature somewhere along the housing. Common sense would dictate that if the LED is bright blue, it cannot possibly be a cigarette. In the interest of diplomacy, however, it’s best not to assume the observer will be able to put two and two together, which is why it’s advisable to try to block the light from the LED in some way. The easiest method of doing this is simply cupping your e-cig in your hand, with the LED pointing inward, or down towards the ground.

With that achieved, the next thing you should do is to control the amount of vapour you exhale. This can be achieved in several ways, the first of which is reducing the amount of vapour you inhale to begin with. Vapour will naturally dissipate in your lungs, so by taking shorter drags, you will immediately notice a reduction in the volume you exhale.

Another technique that can be used here is holding the vapour in your lungs for a longer duration. As above, as the vapour will naturally dissipate anyway, by holding it in your lungs for a longer period you will naturally exhale much less.

Directing where you exhale is also a very useful habit to pick up. Leaning forward and blowing the vapour downwards (for example under the edge of a table) is a good idea.

Where should I be stealth vaping?

Common sense should prevail here. While vaping isn’t covered by the smoking ban, it is still down to individual companies and organisations as to whether they will allow it on their premises. You should always follow any explicit guidance given in these circumstances.

That said, when there are no hard rules (or even better, where vaping is explicitly permitted) you may still be advised to use discretion. Workplaces are a prime example of this. If you are lucky enough to be able to vape at your desk, consideration should still be shown to your colleagues. Following the advice above, you should be able to happily vape away without anyone even realising.

Other places where stealth may be advisable includes pubs, trains and planes (always check with your airline prior to departure – most airlines will have a policy in place and you should follow their guidance at all times).

Anything else?

Yes! We have just introduced a line of vapourless e-liquids specifically designed to aid the discrete vaper. Our Clear Steam line of UK Made e-liquids are manufactured using a blend of ingredients that reduce vapour production.

Clear Steam can be used in the same way as other e-liquids, but in order to see its true effectiveness, the user needs to make sure to inhale fully when taking a draw. Inhaling fully into the lungs, and holding the inhalation for a second will result in no visible vapour upon exhalation. Simply puffing and exhaling, without drawing the vapour into your lungs will see a small amount of vapour exhaled, though this will be much smaller in volume than that produced by our standard range of e-liquids.

Whether using Stealth techniques or using Clear Steam, you’ll have no problem keeping those clouds to a minimum when out in public.