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Inside: I am lost without my morning cup of coffee, so I asked my friend Heather to write about different ways to get a good cup while camping, or on the road. Here are 7 ways to make coffee while camping.
If you’ve ever gone camping you know it’s just as important to have that steaming hot cup of coffee in the morning at camp as it is at home. Perhaps even more important, but it isn’t always the easiest thing to get a “cup of joe” from over a fire (or camp stove), and if you come unprepared your morning moment of sanity might be fleeting. One of the ways I stay sane is by making sure I have that morning coffee. There’s nothing like a cup of coffee on a cool morning after a night of camping and there are quite a few ways to make coffee while camping.
I’m a basic drip coffee gal myself. In the past, I’ve used Folgers Instant Coffee bags, to brew up a cup like you would a cup of tea. I’ve also resorted to making a pot at home, letting it cool, and packing it in the cooler, then reheating it in a pot. Or I just bought it at the camp store. However, ALL of those options left me thinking there HAD to be a better way. So, I asked my friend Heather to share her thoughts on how to get the best cup of coffee while camping.
Hi! My name is Heather McCurdy and I am the food and travel blogger behind Real: The Kitchen and Beyond where I encourage families to savor life together around the table and on the road no matter what your budget is. Our family loves to travel and one of the ways we make it an adventure and save money at the same time is by tent camping. If you want a way to save your sanity and make packing easier, make sure you grab my comprehensive camping guide printable.
7 Ways to Enjoy a Cup of Coffee While Camping
- Percolator kettle/coffee boiler – this is one of the easiest ways to make coffee while camping and is worth the investment if you camp several times a year.
- Pan with water and a coffee filter – if you want to go with a really low-key way to make coffee while camping and not take extra equipment, you can heat water in a pan, put a coffee filter in your mug with coffee grinds, then pour over and steep like a tea bag. This can take a bit of trial and error to get your cup of coffee just the way you want it but makes for efficient packing. You can also get a reusable coffee filter like this one.
- Drip/pourover collapsible coffee maker – Pourover collapsible coffeemakers take up jut a little space but you do need something to heat the water in and coffee filters. I find this to be one of the easiest ways to make my coffee while camping without needing to go to a lot of work. It can drip while I start breakfast.
- French press – There’s nothing like the taste of french press coffee. Well, maybe AeroPress, but taking the glass carafe on the road can be a bit of a pain and you need to heat the water in a pan still. Still, this can be great way to make coffee if you already use a French press at home. –
- Javapress – want French press without the risk of breaking glass? This Javapress is a 2-in-1. Add hot water and grinds and you have a hot mug of coffee in hand.
- AeroPress – AeroPress turns out a great cup of coffee and is easy to pack and go as it doesn’t take much space with your gear. It does take special coffee filters but they don’t take up much space. also not that you will need to heat the water in another pan.
- Camping coffee maker – if you are looking for all the amenities on your camping expedition you can get a specialized propane run coffeemaker like this Coleman coffee maker.
- Can’t stand the thought of settling for pre-ground coffee while camping? The Javamill is easy to pack and take on the road.
What’s your favorite way to make coffee while camping?
Steve Hemingway says
Coffee is an addiction to me. I’m kinda lazy all the time. So I always get my coffee prepared with the electric geyser. But if there’s no electricity supply, then I’m dead without coffee. You got some interesting points though.
Chris says
Great post. French press is what we use camping.
Chris recently posted…Top 5 Compression Socks for Construction Workers
TriskPatrick says
Great article. I have never looked beyond instant coffee or percolator, but this article gives a lot of great suggestion to make backcountry coffee experience even better
TriskPatrick recently posted…Best portable gas grills to buy for camping in 2017
Angela Maciel says
Coffee’s an addiction and French Press is my love 🙂
Mahfuz Ahmed (Shohel) says
Wow! Great post it helps me a lot, I’m impressed; Your idea is outstanding; the issue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am pleased that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.
Angela Maciel says
I tried on a wood flame and believe me this was the best ever tasting coffee… The only thing i used was a coffee filter and rest was all manual.
Mike Rio says
Have to agree! Drip is the best. I’ve used all 4 of those methods and for backpacking as apposed to car camping, I use the SOTO Outdoor Compact Helix coffee maker
Kathryn Brown says
Hi Amy,
Thank you for sharing this information. Every morning I need a cup of coffee for my refreshment, unfortunately, I missed it when I go to camping, after reading this article I don’t have to miss my morning coffee. Thanks again.
Michael says
Great I found another camping and coffee lover. Yep, coffee is one of the most important things when we go camping. And I thought we were weird to bring our milk frother. 🙂
Jessica says
Hi Amy!
I love French Press. But I always have an instant coffee mix and a good old kettle when camping. I can’t live without coffee, so it is always good to have back up, just in case.. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Jessica