Stealth Camping

[squirrel bait]

Reading about stealth camping in the Whites got me thinking about gear. Is it better to hang a hammock or pound the ground? Can ya hang a hammock so your just off the ground by a few inches? Do ya still bear bag? Can ya cook with an alcohol stove/any stove? Do you carry any other special gear to help stealth camp? Extra tarp, cammo gear, cold food? Just wondering on this cold windy day at the beach when thoughts turn to......well ya'll know

[hungryhowie]

Ultimately, if you want to be stealthy, just camp out of sight of the trail. Then it'll be a one-in-a-million chance that someone will happen upon you.

If you want to be as stealthy as possible within sight of the trail, however, I'd think that a dark brown or camp bivysac would probably be the best way to make camp.

From my own unscientific tests of hammocks, coyote brown is the best "stealth" color out there...better than camo, even. I know this because I like to camp in the woods across the street from my house, but the neighborhood association would flip if they found out, so I hung up a bunch of different flies of different colors and observed which ones were easiest to pick out. Coyote brown is damn near impossible unless you know what you're looking for.

Regarding hanging hammocks low to the ground, but you'll need to retie as hammocks tend to sag after a little while, and setting up that close to the ground is bound to have you partly on it by morning. Also, if you use a bottom entry hammock, it'll make getting in and out really tough.

As far as stoves, I carry a 3oz (volume, not weight) tuna can alcohol stove. It is completely silent. That was actually the first thing I noticed when I switched to alcohol all those years ago. I could cook, and enjoy the sounds of the forest at the same time. It just seemed so much more "in harmony" with every thing else.

-howie

[Lone Wolf]

I just lay out under the stars.

[rickb]

You ever have a deer step on you Wolf? I had one scare the crap out of me once. The snort that folowed didn't help.

[SGT Rock]

I agree with Howie about coyote brown. I have had people practically run over a hammock that color before they noticed it.