Secrets of Stealth Camping

Stealth Camping is the act of secretly camping in a public or private area and then leaving without being detected. Used by commandos on secret missions, it has become popular with civilians who dare try it. Stealth camping often has less environmental impact than traditional campground camping. It goes beyond Leave No Trace: BE NO TRACE. You become invisible to humans and wildlife. Stealth camping does not necessarily mean illegal camping.

This video covers:
- Transportation
- Preparation
- Blending in
- Insertion and Extraction
- How to be Invisible and Silent
- Types of Shelters
- Food and Fire
- Footprints
- Infrared Detection and Game Cameras
- Advice from Experienced Stealth Campers

Care of tactical clothing: Hand wash in Tech Wash, which has no whiteners/brighteners The use of normal detergents will make you light up like a light bulb because it has whiteners/brighteners

Walking through water - If you are going to lose your scent in water because you are being followed, or maybe you just trying to move much more stealthily, insert your boot toe first into the water, then insert your second boot toe first into the water. Now instead of just splashing through the water, you glide- pick up your feet only enough to move forward slowly and deliberately, but never breaking the surface of the water with your boot. This allows one to move through a creek near heavy cover of the bank with complete silence.

Stealth hiking and camping:

Military Special Forces, Insertion, extraction, escape, and evasion:
Get Selected! for Special Forces: How to Successfully Train for and Complete Special Forces Assessment & Selection, by Major Joseph J. Martn, Colonel Ed Philps USA Ret, Master Sergeant Rex Dodson

Low Visual Impact and Infrared Camouflage:

Somebody Else's Problem:

[CigsInABlanket]

When you said "mimic the sounds of vegetation" I couldn't help but think of you in your ghillie suit saying "TREE! TREE!" as people walk by on a trail. What a goof, hope you're doing well!

[pepperoni-prepper]

as a land owner, footprints are the usual way i know someone has been around. just takes one footprint and i can soon track down where they came into the property, and where they went afterwards. its the same way i track feral animals.i also set footprint traps... which is basically ground that has been made clear and soft so that footprints are left when you walk on it. i use these so i know if feral cats or pigs have been on the property, but they also work for people. i think this vid is very good advice for people who wish to be free and not annoy land owners/.

[recall]

Nice, I do a lot of this, and I have shown in several of my videos that people will walk right by, sometimes 10 feet from video

[sparrowwings]

totally awesome attitude Ken. I am a 3 yr. veteran of stealth camping and I am a woman. The lyrics in your song got me right from the let me alone". I can relate. As a woman who does this stealth thing, I have learned so much by living this way, especially who I am and how strong I am. I feel perfectly at peace when I am in stealth mode. I would like to learn more about your little alcohol stove. Was it made from a coke can? Couldn't tell. By the way, your respect for nature and other people is amazing and shows your intelligence. Stay groovy.

[Abereshe]

Nicely done. Something I had done as a youth, in the military, and most of my camping I considered responsible field craft.I like your approach. A few tips. Using a long lasting insecticide on clothes and gear ( I use Permethrin as an arachnicide for ticks) .. important in Lyme or RMS Fever country)  especially when laying on the ground or in a bivy situation. / Moving slowly a few steps, pausing for a few minutes, when you are in your close to your spot is a good way of keeping the animals happy. Sudden silence can give you away, and upset birds will "scold" a ground based "threat" with a specific call which draws attention. Keeping oneself "fragrance" free also helps reduce detection from bipeds and quadrupeds.. Watching how deer move, how birds communicate, etc is part of situational awareness that
 instructs us, increases our experience, is less intrusive, and enriches our life experience. Good job and thanks,   Happy Trails

[TheRamblingShepherd]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but the infrared you talk about in the video won't detect heat signatures. Your game camera uses near-IR, whereas thermal cameras use far-IR. These are much more expensive and less common, and wouldn't be something you'd likely encounter as a regular security camera or similar. While your clothes show up brightly in near-IR, residual heat signatures from your body or even a fire won't.

[TexasBarnRats]

"Think about why you want to stealth camp."  Historically for me it was because I wasn't supposed to be there!

[greyman]

As someone who lived on the road for 4 years living out of a backpack with stealth camping as my primary means of shelter I can honestly say this is the best video on the subject I have seen so far. Well done. I have even learned some new things from you.

[darrennaudi]

I like everything about Ken, from the information he provides to the way he delivers it. This episode I enjoyed so much. It reminded me of the "wanting-to-be-stealthy" feeling we get as kids (such as when I used to hide in the wardrobe as kid and have my parents look for me as they pretend that they had no clue where I was :) ). I suppose its a feeling that never really dies inside us even as we grow...the loveof being sneeky :)

[thiccboss]

this has to be Kenneth's most notorious video in his channel.
because of the title tag word "stealth" it attracted some of the most immature and close-minded trollies that like to play comedian in the comments, it's like introducing surrealist film to a golfer.

but this is standard quality KennethKramm content!! problem is that the tickets were sold to the wrong audience!

[TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive]

I might need to learn this, despite Australia being so large, it seems you cannot find anywhere to camp without a billion different fees and regulations, you can't just go somewhere and setup a camp.

[tcorourke]

Rule #1 of commandos on secret missions: don't park your car where your stereo might get stolen, LOL. 

[mhypersonic]

In the words of Aladdin

Its only illegal if you get caught

[andbarton]

I've been doing this with my brother, or with friends, for decades. Never actually know it was called "Stealth Camping" though. We basically just called it "Camping", and never ever used a campsite. We just camped in basically anywhere we fancied. Got caught just once by a farmer, and just told to leave. We haven't done it for ten years. I'm 71 now and watching this video has made me fancy trying it again.

[DatCupcake]

A technique I've seen illegal immigrants use to hide or at least distort their footprints is to wrap squares cut out of old carpet around their shoes. Of course it isn't perfect, but a couple of slight, round-ish impressions look considerably less suspicious than a group of clearly defined footprints with shoe tread.

[damright]

Wild camping in the UK has always been illegal, I have wild camped all my life and never once been discovered. As you may know the UK has a High Population to area.

[Oldsparkey]

Hunting since a early age, U.S.Marines training, Law Enforcement officer chasing poachers and smugglers for almost 30 years has taught me how to camp so no one knows I am there. I started camping as a kid and enjoyed having folks not know I was there.
Your video brings a lot of the points out on how to camp and disappear in the woods. A good Jungle hammock and a alcohol stove are my favorites and if done correctly you don't even leave any footprints.

[koreakiwon]

This concept of stealth camping and your explanation is quite interesting. It is more extreme than bushcraft camping and inspires me a lot. I will try to find out if this would be any possible in my country. Thank you so much.

[WmGemmell]

Thanks for all the fantastic information, Ken - appreciate you sharing the knowledge. This was a very well put together and in-depth video covering tons of great material. Stealth camping, in its most legal form, has been interesting me a lot lately. This was helpful. Cheers ~ Wm

[d.p.l]

Its pretty cool to see how much effort you put in to these videos and how you reply to as many comments you can, That takes alot of dedication :)