How To Make The Best Coffee While Camping

After a night of light sleep on a camping mat, nothing is more important than your morning cup of coffee to get you ready for your day outdoors. But finding the best way to prepare that cup can be challenging.  We have compiled a list of great coffee options for every camping situation.

1. Backpacking – The Ultralight Coffee

If you’re on an ultralight backpacking trip, single-serve coffee bags are a great way to cut down on equipment. Simply bring the number of coffee bags that you need for your trip. You can find anything from Americas morning favorites to a variety of single origin beans for the true coffee lover.

For a little more quality, bring a collapsible coffee dripper and your favorite grounds – a popular way among campers to cherish their coffee love on a trip.

Across both ways, a great way to minimize your gear and packing is using a cooking cup pot – a stainless steel mug that can be placed directly on your burner or fire. A titanium version, if you want to invest an extra couple of dollars, is even lighter.

2. Group Camping – Getting More Cups out of Minimal Gear

If you’re camping with a group and need more than that one cup in the morning, a percolator is great for you and your friends. Make sure to choose the right option for your group size and cooking situation. A compact portable set is a great option for camping stoves and smaller groups. An outdoors percolator can be placed on a camping stove or directly on fire, and is available in different sizes.

For your coffee grounds, choose a variety that comes in a resealable yet lightweight container, or refill the amount you need into a Ziplog bag before you leave.

Extra Perk: No filters needed means you’re producing less trash while in nature! Plus, you can use your percolator coffee maker at home after your trip.

3. Shorter Trips – Making Coffee without Fire or Stove

You might plan a camping trip in a park or landscape where no open fires are allowed, or consider not packing a camping stove for a shorter adventure. If you are able to bring hot water in a thermos – for example from the previous nights’ BnB stay – a thermal travel mug with an integrated, paperless coffee filter could be a great choice for you. For those willing to spend a little more, a hand-held portable coffee maker comes with a matching thermos bottle to keep your water hot until you’re ready to use it.

…Or Find Quick Alternatives to your Hot Morning Cup

You want to start your day’s mileage early and these options all just seem a little too involved?

For the convenience focused camper, a bottle of cold brew concentrate is a quick way to get your morning cup ready, be it for yourself or any group size. Make sure to add the right ratio of concentrate and water for the best taste and get a resealable concentrate bottle so you can pack up for the next day.

A great option for an even quicker coffee kick are the popular GO CUBES chewable coffee.