I like smoking weed. If you’re here, you probably already know that. But living in a vehicle and smoking weed isn’t the best combination, and in some states, it’s a recipe for disaster. Even in legal states, smoking in your vehicle is often prohibited, (yes, even if the vehicle is off and at your home – or in my case, is your home.) So what do I do when I just want to kick back and smoke without drawing too much attention?
After nearly a year of van-dwelling, I’ve gotten lowkey smoking down to a science. These are my top tips for when you want to light up in a vehicle without getting in trouble.
5 Tips for Van Life & Cannabis: How to Smoke Lowkey
1. Maximize Ventilation and Air Circulation
One of the keys to discreet smoking in a confined space is ensuring proper ventilation. I’ve got two rooftop vents and two internal fans I can use, and when I need to smoke lowkey, I use them all. I set one vent to push air in, one vent to push air out, and both internal fans set to push the smoke toward the external vent.
Do whatever you can to increase air circulation in the vehicle – crack open those windows, pop the roof vent, and let the fresh air flow through. This makes the smoke dissipate faster, keeps you from hotboxing the van, and helps prevent any lingering odors from taking hold. Weed smoke doesn’t soak into fabric like cigarette smoke does, but you still need to maximize your ventilation to keep your van from smelling like a prop in a Cheech and Chong movie.
2. Opt for a Bowl or Water Pipe
While joints are my go-to smoking choice, they produce a very noticeable amount of smoke and marijuana odor. When you need to keep your smoke sesh lowkey, reach for dry herb vaporizer, a classic bowl, or a water pipe like a bong or bubbler. All of these consumption methods produce less smoke than a joint which makes it easy to circulate the smoke out. When I need to keep my weed on the DL, I also exhale the smoke directly into the air vent I’ve got circulating out. I like this small pipe from Ongrok and this bong from Chill.
3. Invest in a Personal Air Filter
For an extra layer of stealth, invest in a personal air filter. These nifty little devices work like a charm to capture and neutralize smoke particles, ensuring that what you exhale won’t linger in your van. I use this one from Ongrok if I’m really nervous about weed odor. You need to ensure the filter covers your mouth entirely during your exhale, or smoke can still escape. But you’d be amazed by how well this little device works! Portable and discreet, it was a game-changer for me as a van life smoker.
4. Odor-Eliminating Spray is Your Friend
Weed smells. Raw or smoked, the best weed comes with an undeniable odor of dankness. And even if you’re using a bong, have all your fans running, and exhale into an air filter, the burning flower will still put off a smell. That’s where a good odor-eliminating spray comes in handy. Keep a small bottle on hand to quickly freshen up the air and mask any lingering scent. There’s the stoner classic Ozium and the family-favorite Febreze, but both are way too strong for my sensitive nose. I use this fragrance-free odor eliminator from CannaBreezy and it works wonderfully. I’ve also heard good things about Cannabolilsh, but I haven’t tried that one.
5. Burn Incense or A Candle
After your smoke session, consider burning some incense or lighting a candle. It’s a classic move to cover up any remaining odors and replace them with a stronger smell. Alternatively, you can use the opportunity to cook something aromatic. The smells of a meal can easily overpower any traces of smoke.
6. Always Keep Your Stash Out of Sight
The golden rule of van life is putting the weed away immediately. Keeping your stash out of sight is of the utmost importance when you live in a vehicle. Keep it in a locked box, a bin under the bed, or a cabinet underhead – just keep it somewhere that it’s not out in the open so it cannot be used as probable cause. These days, you can’t tell the difference between weed and hemp smoke (and hemp is legal in all 50 states – probable deniability.) Keep your weed and paraphernalia out of sight so it can’t be used against you.
Living in a van is about simplicity and finding creative solutions to make life comfortable. Finding ways to enjoy your favorite plant medicine lowkey is just another aspect of that creativity. These tried and true tricks have gotten me through 11 months of van life enjoying weed without my van smelling like a rolling dispensary. If you have any other suggestions on how to eliminate weed odor and smoke lowkey while living on the road, please let me know!
I live in my car in NY. It’s a anxiety ridden thing. If I’m to smoke in the confinement of my home and my vehicle is my home then what’s the issue. If I’m completely in an undrivable state of the car. Ie insulation in the windows and in bed. Then it’s my house ATM. Not a vehicle. If the keys r hidden and a slight smell. Then there should be no issues… There needs to be a law stating if we’re 1000% in for the nite then yes it’s my legal house. Can the cops come in and give you charges when your smoking in your living room??? Idc if they sit and watch so I don’t leave. I’d feel safer knowing I’m “protected”. There has to be a line somewhere of what constructs for house mode and what’s for driving mode.
If I drove with all my nite stuff up. I’d be ticketed for destruction of view. So if that’s the case then my car is clearly my home. If I’m in the driver’s seat with keys in and no insulation up well then it’s a car and a DUI. With the transit life becoming more and more ny needs to make another stupid law and specificy we put up a marker on the car stating we’re not driving and we’re in the nite making it a home, then we need to be left alone! Cops just want the ego stroke of oh I got someone who was about to pass out on their living room a DUI then they just need to not be a cop as how is that serving and protecting the citizens.
Know ur laws. If you don’t sign a ticket and a cop does. Send to d.a. it’s a contract the cop signed and he becomes the signer, your the co signer IF yah signed it. Therefore like a regular house or car payment. The signer pays. First. If yah didn’t sign it then better as it’s all the cops responsibility to pay it. I’m sure they forgot that aspect of the law to stroke their ego.
Um. Who wants to start a petition with me about transit life and leaving us alone! I mean why fuck with someone who is anywhere at any given time vs someone who has an address on Google….
There’s more us than cops…
He probably just jelly your stuff better than his stash at home.
We all know 99.9% of cops do it for the ego stroke so show then smoke is better than stroke 😉 😉
Like how big of a d*ck to disturb someone whose not technically breaking any laws and let all his buddies get off on actual drunk driving incidents just so they stay friends just for paperwork and what a few hundred bucks.