Coffee just tastes better outside. Whether you're waking up at a campground, spending a weekend in the backcountry, or drinking your first cup beside the camper, you don't need electricity—or a complicated setup—to make good coffee.
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Here are 7 easy ways to make coffee while camping.
1. Camping Percolator
The classic. Add water, coarse-ground coffee, and place the percolator over a camp stove or fire. Once it starts perking, reduce the heat and let it brew until it reaches your preferred strength.
Best for: Campgrounds, campers, and groups.
2. Pour-Over
Heat water, put your pour-over brewer over your mug, add medium-ground coffee, and slowly pour the hot water over the grounds.
It's lightweight, simple, and makes an excellent cup.
Best for: One or two people who still want really good coffee at camp.
3. French Press
Add coarse-ground coffee and hot water, let it steep for about four minutes, then press.
The only downside? Cleaning wet coffee grounds out of a French press at a campsite isn't particularly fun.
Best for: Two to four people.
4. AeroPress
An AeroPress is lightweight, durable, fast, and easy to clean—basically everything you want in camping gear.
Add coffee and hot water, let it brew briefly, and press it directly into your mug.
Best for: Camping, road trips, and anyone short on space.
5. Cowboy Coffee
No coffee maker? You still have coffee.
Heat water in a pot, remove it from the heat, add coarse-ground coffee, and let it steep. Give the grounds time to settle, then carefully pour.
Will you occasionally get grounds in your cup? Yep. You'll survive.
Best for: Minimalists and people who forgot the coffee maker.
6. Instant Coffee
Coffee snobs can complain all they want. Backpackers understand.
All you need is hot water and a mug. It weighs almost nothing, takes seconds to make, and there's virtually no cleanup.
Best for: Backpacking and ultralight camping.
7. Cold Brew
Make your cold brew at home, put it in a sealed container, and toss it in the cooler.
In the morning: open, pour, drink.
No fire. No stove. No waiting for water to boil.
Best for: Summer camping and lazy mornings.
So, What's the Best Way to Make Coffee While Camping?
For a traditional campground, a percolator is hard to beat. For one or two people, we'd go with a pour-over or AeroPress. If you are backpacking, instant coffee wins on simplicity.
But ultimately, the best camping coffee is the one you actually enjoy drinking.
Bring your favorite coffee. Bring enough of it.
And drink it outside.
Dripfish Coffee — Coffee for wherever you end up.