Having tired of costly apartment rentals and hostel expenses, the foremost thought on my mind for the past few weeks has been of converting to “Stealth Camping” (camping in an unregulated urban area while going entirely undetected) full-time.

I was tired of paying a premium for a place to sleep and wanted to enjoy nature without paying for (or dealing with the other users of) a campground spot.

I began to research stealth camping online. The amount of information available is next to nothing aside from some random forum posts and bicycle tourist diaries.

I went to the “Globetrotter” (a HUGE German outdooring store with four levels and a huge pool in the middle) in Cologne to check out my gear options. The smallest “tent” was a single-person bivy sack.

Some suggest using a hammoch when “stealthing” as you do not have to concern yourself with the terrain below. While this made sense, the amount of trees I had seen in Germany were nothing in comparison to all the sleepable bush areas in cities and towns, where one could be easily hidden by the overgrowth.

I was told it would be colder than I thought it was at night, and would only get colder, so I bought a sleeping bag rated for a maximum of -28 degrees celcius (that’s -18.4 fahrenheit).

The two pieces of gear I decided on were the Meru Large Let’s Move Cotton sleeping bag and a Vaude Bivy Sack. The one in the photo was a nice camo-green, perfect for hiding out. The one I received, however, which happened to be the last one in the store, was an unfortunate bright orange. All is not lost, it will just force me to be more aware and cautious.

I needed light. Not the Dynamo self-powered Lantern which I was tempted to get, but would have produced far too much light for my purpose, but something efficient and streamlined. Something small but powerful. The answer was a Fenix P2D.

This flashlight is VERY bright and water resistant. According to them, it can be dunked into the water and brought back out again without any trouble. It is extremely light.

Below is an account of my first ever night of stealth camping. I chose this night because I still had access to my room just 20 minutes walk away and could easily retreat if need be.

8:48 pm – I am at my room now, frightened and excited at the same time. It is to be my first night stealth-camping and I really have no idea what to expect.

I have been reading up on the subject, and though the amount of literature online is scant, I have assembled (in my mind, and now here) a pretty basic list of ground rules:

1. Pitch your tent (or bivy in my case) after the dark ascends, and before the dawn breaks.
2. Make as little noise as possible.
3. Don’t leave behind anything (and shovel your feces into a hole).

Those are the basics. I have yet to see for sure (as the circumstances could have changed since this afternoon) but I believe I have found a good spot near what looks like an RV park nearby. I have chosen to do my first round of stealthing today because I still have this room in Siegburg to come back to. If all goes to hell, I can just run back to my room with my tail between my legs. Having spent nearly $400 on gear though, it would have to be something pretty major to get me to back off at this point.

The only reason I am frightened is that on one of the websites I was reading it said to beware of wrappers or other signs of human life. It said that this could mean it is a frequented area by teenagers who like to party in the bush.

As I have been LOOKING for teenagers in Siegburg and found none, though, I sort of doubt this is the case. Still, I don’t want to be taking over some homeless person’s turf. I would happily move on, but they don’t know that.

Ah well…I suppose I’m just stalling at this point. In the words of our dearly beloved American president GWB, “Bring it on.”

10:38 pm - I have arrived and managed to set up my tent and sleeping bag without too much hassle. When I came in on the private road to get here and passed the RV/Camper park I was surprised to see no lights on at all. I wandered around a little bit until I found a nice flat spot and put my bag down.

I unpacked my little “tent” and laid it town long-ways on the grass. I am very glad I practiced setting the tent up before I left the house. I put the poles of the head-area together and staked two sides down, then I went to the other side and stretched it to give me some space inside, and staked it down.

To my surprise, upon returning to the other side, the stake was gone. I fished around in the dark but couldn’t find it. The string had just slipped off.

Finally I found it under a tuft of grass, and staked down the right side again, taking care to put enough tension on the frame so that the same thing would not happen again.

I proceeded to stake the bottom two points, and was about to stake the third when I realized I was missing a stake. Where the hell could it have gone? I decided I had left it back in the room and moved on without the stake.

Having set the tent up I unpacked the sleeping bag and laid it inside. I put my pack inside as well (a surprisingly good fit) so it would not be stolen in the night. I took my shirt and shoes off, and got inside.

I zipped up the tent and laid back. That was a relief. I heard nothing but the silence you hear only in nature. It is not true silence, as crickets and birds still make noises around you, but it is the closest I have come.

And so I am writing this journal. Soon I will turn off my flashlight (of which I am taking great care to defuse as much as possible, I don’t want anyone spotting me) and try to get to sleep.

11:34 pm - I have been hearing sounds that I thought might come from a nearby animal who has come to figure out what I am. The sounds are like a deep purring. Could it be a cat? I just hope its owner isn’t nearby. I have also heard reports of wild boars in this area, and I don’t want to be dealing with one of those. I have tried opening the little window of my bivy and pointing the flashlight at the darkness, but the slit is too narrow to see much. I will just hope it goes away.

11:38 pm - I finally realized where the “purring” was coming from. On the way in, I noticed some telephone polls making funny vibration noises as they transferred electric signals. I am so close to a telephone pole that it simple sounded like purring. Thank god that mystery is over!

Now my mind is at ease I can get back to trying to sleep.

5:26 am (next morning) - Woke up with only a slight amount of confusion as to where I was, but I soon remembered. The second thought I had this morning was that of amazement. I did not feel drowsy at all. I had only gotten roughly five hours of sleep, but they were good natural hours, and I feel as though my body enjoyed every minute of it.

Apparently I went undetected during the night, or at least, no one bothered me. My shoes were still there when I opened the zipper of the tent.

The night is still dark, and I could pack up now, but it is so comfortable in this sleeping bag, and in this tent, that I am going to try to dose a little more. I am quite undetectable in this position, especially in the dim light.

6:15 (next morning) - I have been lying here for long enough, and am starting to wake up mentally. I think I will pack up and head back home.

I am sure it is still dark enough that no one will see me.

7:50 am (next morning) - Back safe and sound and did not forget anything back at my “campsite”. I feel great, and had a smile on my face the whole walk back.

I feel truly independent now. What a great feeling to know that by taking up only a small patch of ground I can be free of all those accommodation costs, and I can enjoy top-rate views and mind shifting silence.

Even though I have my room to sleep in through the 19th, I think I’ll go and sleep out there again tonight. Maybe I’ll try to find another campsite.