Fitness
Be Your Own Backcountry Barista With These Camping Coffee Makers
There’s no other luxury that gives comfort to the backcountry than being able to sip on a cup of freshly made coffee in the morning. For too long outdoorsmen were resigned to sadly pouring hot water into freeze-dried ground coffee crystals of dubious origin while off the grid. But now, with advances in brewing tech and lightweight, robust materials, you don’t have to be shruggingly satisfied with a weak cup of joe. You can easily prepare your morning mug of joe around the campfire with the same reverence of coffee at home using top-of-the-line camping coffee makers.
Whatever your preferred style of brewing—pour over, espresso, French press—you can rest assured your next outdoor coffee-brewing experience will be extra tasty thanks to an arsenal of camping coffee makers tough enough for the wilderness.
Be Your Own Backcountry Barista With These Camping Coffee Makers
1. Wacaco Nanopresso
Wacaco takes the countertop espresso maker and shrinks it to the size of a sunglasses case. It’s slick: Grinds go in one end, hot water in the other. Then a few pumps of the piston produce up to 261 psi for one 2.7-ounce shot of super-smooth go-go juice (crema froth included).
[$65; wacaco.com]
2. Planetary Design BruTrek French Press
The stainless steel plunger creates a physical barrier between 32 ounces of liquid coffee and grounds. With an insulated aluminum shell and spill-proof lid, nurse every precious drop without over-extraction bitterness or gritty final sips.
[$60; planetarydesign.com]
3. VSSL Java
Dump a single 20g serving of choice beans into one side of the minimalist VSSL Java cylinder, twist the grinder screw to adjust up to 50 settings of coarseness, and crank away. Seconds of even hand-power effort yield enough fine, fresh, uniform-size grounds to fill the lower storage area, mess-free.
[$150; vsslgear.com]
4. Snow Peak Field Coffee Master
Of course, this is more than a percolator. The 1.6 pounds of stainless steel simplicity bubble up four cups per round. Pull the guts out and the exterior works as a kettle, while the inner section doubles as a pour-over base. Just add filters. The handle removes to pack away.
[$160; snowpeak.com]
5. ESPRO Bloom
The problem with pour-over coffee: It’s sooo slooow. Make it more tolerable. The brewer’s steep sides and 1,500 micro-holes move water faster (and they’re small enough to work with coarser grounds and no paper filter), cutting brew time to two minutes while also ensuring a consistent steep.
[$35; espro.com]
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