Walter S

I've been experimenting with stealth camping. The problem I have right now is that I often want to use my iPad after dark. The screen makes a very noticeable glow. Even if I'm in my hammock with something draped over me I still risk significant slivers of light leaking and revealing my presence.

Yes, I could use it in the day time when I'm not camped. But nighttime is much better since I'm not busy riding my bike and I might want to kill some time, communicate with family, update my trip log, etc.

This feels a little like a problem with no solution but I thought I'd ask if others have faced this and come up with something?

Booger1

They make blackout coated nylon.....but it's heavy by todays standards....about 3oz a yard.

Maybe make a sleeve/shield out of it of some type for your iPod?

Binnet

You need this:

lmfao

mtnbud

Many, many years ago, a buddy and I decided to stealth camp at Diamond Lake in the Oregon Cascades. We had taken advantage of an all you can eat salad bar at the lodge restaurant staying way past dark. We didn't want to bother with one of the campgrounds nearby. We could've went far away , but instead slipped into the woods in a spot between some cross roads. I decided I wanted to read a bit and set up a candle on a rock for some light. Not much later, a group of drunk teenagers came staggering through our camp to investigate the strange glow. They were friendly enough, but not very coherent.

I'd say you are at risk of being noticed if you chose to use your iPad when stealth camping. A little amount light in deep darkness will be noticed. If there's lots of light around you, not so much. Going around a corner or in a little nook will help quite a bit. I often chose not to use a tent when stealth camping so I can set up and take down very quickly. Can you adjust the screen brightness settings?

Depending on where you're stealth camping it might not be worth the risk. Other options include setting up camp and then walking far away from camp to use your iPad in another location well away from your hammock. Being noticed is usually not a big deal. If you're stealth camping in a spot that is a big deal, you probably shouldn't camp there anyway.

Bekologist

something like this would be very viable. Think, big black stuffsack.

But, a milspec blackout tent or pyramid would solve all your problems. www.bivysack.com makes some blackout pyramid shelters, just what the doctor ordered.

stevepusser

Rig up some blackout screen with black plastic sheeting; 2 mil thickness should block out the Ipad's glow. Possibly draping heavy-duty outdoor trash bags artistically around would perform the same function, and those are of course multipurpose as rainproofing, emergency rainwear, and as trash bags.

58Kogswell

My iPad allows me to adjust the brightness.

Go to Settings > Brightness and Wallpaper

and you will find a slider at the top of the page that allows infinite adjustment.

Lowering the brightness saves the battery, too.

-jb

Rob_E

What kind of hammock? I got an overcover for my Hennessy hammock for cold weather that basically turns the hammock into an almost completely sealed cocoon. That, combined with a tarp that came down lower than your hammock, combined with turning the screen all the way down, might do the trick. But in a really dark place, any light might stand out.

If your hammock has a ridge line, I use this to hang my iPad from my ridge line when I'm using it, or just to keep from rolling on to it when I sleep. If you did something similar, then you could set the iPad up and leave it running while you stepped away from camp to see how noticeable it was.

calyth

perhaps find a 3M privacy screen for your iPad, which makes it much harder for people to see your iPad from the side. Maybe that could help filter out the light going sideway, and dim down the display to the level that you could read, but not for others?

fietsbob

I'm Amazed how short the attention span without the electronic Gismo to seek entertainment has gotten..

I brought an AM/FM/LW/SW radio and the Ear Bud and tuned in the world at night..


but now really the SW antennas dont point to the US anymore
since the Computer and web streams have taken Over..

CenturionIM

This, and another trick is

Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> invert color -> on.

This works great if you are reading text only webpages in the dark. Everything else will look weird.

lenA

a pair of eyebuds

Walter S

It is a Hennessy. Where did you get an overcoat for it?

Walter S

Good idea - thanks

Rob_E

https://hennessyhammock.com/catalog/insulation/

There's one hole for air circulation, but it seems like it would limit the amount of light spilling out by a lot.

mm718

I'm guilty but agree with your sentiment. Got a good laugh out of this....

GeoKrpan

Google Glasses

calyth

Depends on what you use it for really. I don't think a kindle, or an iPad for reading books / magazine to be that bad. The stuff that I read could easily be 400 pages, close to letter size pages.