Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Aeropress, VSSL, Frazy, and more: How to make great coffee while camping

Don't feed or caffeinate the bears, though, please

A woman sitting and drinking a warm beverage by a green tent.
Julian Bialowas / Unsplash

Savvy world travelers know the single most important thing to pack is their passport. Without it, nothing else matters. For most campers, that one most important thing — the crown jewel of every camp load out — is coffee. Some would rather forget their underwear, their best backpacking tent, or their significant other at home than head out into the wild java-less.

Recommended Videos

There are plenty of ways to brew the perfect cup at home and almost as many for doing so in the wild. Most campers have pretty strong opinions on their preferred method — the right way, if you will — to make the best cup o’ joe. We’re not here to tell you which is best, but we can help steer the ship. Here is our favorite go-to gear for making great coffee while camping (or traveling or anywhere on the go, really).

A hot water kettle pouring water into an AeroPress Go Portable Camping Coffee Maker.
AeroPress

AeroPress Go Portable Coffeemaker

If you’re serious about making great camping coffee, there are two real contenders: A French press or an AeroPress. We like both. But for sheer convenience, ease of clean-up, and overall taste, we give a slight edge to AeroPress, and its AeroPress Go, in particular. We also like how easy it is to adjust the brew strength.

Flat lay of a VSSL Java Portable Coffee Grinder and a cup of coffee on a wooden table.
VSSL

VSSL Java Coffee Grinder

Good, fresh coffee starts with good, fresh grounds (more on that below). Most of us don’t want to pack the electric countertop grinder in our camping backpacks. VSSL’s Java Coffee Grinder is the next best thing. The beautiful design packs down ridiculously small, so it takes up little space in your pack, and the included carabiner makes it easy to stash wherever you need it. When you’re ready to brew, just pop open the handle, and you can have 20 grams of fresh ground — perfect for a single cup — in less than a minute.

Botlte of Frazy Vietnamese Coffee drink over ice in a cup.
Frazy

Frazy Flavored Ready-to-Drink Coffees

If you’re more of a “Trenta latte, extra whipped” drinker than a “double espresso, no sugar” sort, Frazy delivers the goods. The company’s ready-to-go coffee drinks are completely customizable. Start with your preferred flavor — say, Vietnamese Coffee — then customize it with your type of milk and sweetness level. Every bottle comes ready to drink, so all you need to do is pop the top and enjoy. Bonus: No refrigeration is necessary, so they’re backcountry-friendly.

Shop Now

Bottle of Pop & Bottle's Classic Coffee Super Concentrate isolated on a white background.
Pop & Bottle

Pop & Bottle Super Coffee Concentrate

Of course, packing a handful of ready-to-drink bottles of specialty coffee is fine if you’re planning to car camp. But it’s less than ideal if you’re eyeing a trip into the backcountry where space and weight matter. Pop & Bottle solves that problem with a unique coffee concentrate. Every eight-ounce bottle of concentrate makes up to 16 cups of joe. Drink it piping hot, add ice, or customize it with your favorite creamer or sweetener.

Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker isolated on a plain white background.
Wacaco

Nanopresso Portable Espresso Machine

Coffee is fine, but if espresso is your jam, you need a way to make it on the go. Wacaco’s Nanopresso Portable Espresso Machine packs everything you need to make a solid cup of black into a ridiculously compact footprint. Fully collapsed down, it’ll fit inside your favorite water bottle with room to spare. Plus, it requires zero batteries or electricity. Just add coffee grounds, hot water, and less than 60 seconds of elbow grease, and you have the finest espresso shot you’ve ever sipped in the wild.

Box and packet of Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Instant Coffee against a plain white background.
Death Wish Coffee

Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Instant Coffee

For decades, instant coffee got a bad rap. But we’re living in 2023, and Death Wish Coffee finally figured out how to actually make it good. Its Dark Roast Instant Coffee is, hands-down, the simplest way to prepare a cuppa in the wild. The packets are ultra-compact and only require adding hot water and stirring with minimal waste and zero prep work involved. They’re even astronaut-approved! But be warned, every packet contains a whopping 300 milligrams of caffeine — that’s more than three times stronger than ordinary coffee.

Stainless kettle heating over a campfire grate.
zapCulture / Pixabay

A few final tips for making great camp coffee

No matter which camping coffee-making option you choose, there are a few universal tips to ensure an optimal brew. These apply to every method, from making cowboy coffee to your camp-friendly French press to a Nanopress.

Use the highest-quality coffee you can afford

Coders and chefs know, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Your final product is only as good as the ingredients you start with. Good coffee doesn’t have to cost a fortune. But, in general, more expensive coffee is usually better quality. That’s why we suggest buying the best quality coffee you can afford.

Start with whole beans and grind fresh

There’s no denying that already-ground coffee is easier to pack and work with when you’re camping. But coffee starts to go stale rather quickly once it’s ground. For the best-tasting cuppa, we highly recommend grinding your beans fresh right before brewing.

Get the water temperature right

It’s easy just to wait till your water’s boiling to assume it’s ready. But boiling water can (and usually does) actually burn your coffee grounds. The ideal hot water temperature for camping coffee is around 200 degrees. To achieve this in the wild, bring your water to a boil, then take it off the heat and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then brew your coffee.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Why you should try Vietnamese iced coffee (and how to make it yourself)
A new type of iced coffee you need to try
Vietnamese iced coffee

Even as someone well-versed in all things coffee, I had not heard of Vietnamese iced coffee until recently. As soon as I saw it on a coffee shop menu (ironically, while traveling to Punta Cana) for the first time, I was instantly intrigued. Vietnamese iced coffee, sometimes condensed milk coffee, isn't way different than traditional iced coffee. I went on a research expedition to learn about Vietnamese iced coffee, including what makes it unique and how to make it at home. Here's what you should know about this creamy, sweet, and icy variation of iced coffee.
How to make Vietnamese iced coffee

The traditional method of making Vietnamese iced coffee uses a special filter called a Phin. Using a Phin filter is the most popular way of brewing coffee in Vietnam, and it involves a method that closely resembles the way many Europeans and Americans brew and pour coffee over.

Read more
How to steam milk: Perfect your technique for rich, creamy coffee drinks
Learn to steam milk like a Barista
steamed milk

As an aspiring barista, I've grown to understand the importance of steamed milk in making all of my favorite drinks. To learn how to make a cappuccino at home, I had to master the art of making steamed milk. Learning how to steam milk at home is difficult, but you'll need to commit to learning if you want to expand the types of coffee drinks you can make at home. Teaching yourself how to steam milk will allow you to experiment with all kinds of elaborate espresso drinks just like you order at the café -- from the cafe au laits to cappuccinos.
Steamed milk vs. frothed milk

As you experiment with how to steam milk, it's key to understand the slight differences between steamed milk and frothed milk. In the world of coffee-making, these two are often confused -- and I completely understand why. To help you know the difference, consider how you'd make a latte. The ratio of espresso to milk in a latte is usually 3:1, with espresso on the bottom, steamed milk on the top, and a light layer of frothed milk on the top.

Read more
How to use a milk frother: Simple tips and tricks to elevate your drinks
Here's how to use a milk frother with ease
Cappuccino

Once you've mastered brewing the perfect coffee at home, the next step in every home Barista's journey is to learn how to use a milk frother. You'll need frothed milk to enjoy specialty-type coffees from your kitchen, such as lattes and cappuccinos. At one point, I was intimated by the concept of frothing my milk, as it can sound more complicated than it is. Learning to use a milk frother is easy enough for coffee lovers of any skill level. Here are two of my favorite ways to froth milk for coffee at home, ideal for those who do not have an espresso maker with a steam wand attachment.
How to use a milk frother: Hand frothing

Using a handheld wand milk frother is one of the easiest methods for frothing milk at home. A handheld milk frother can be used in your mug and is an excellent option for those who don't have an espresso maker at home. Before I had an espresso machine with a steam wand at home, I found the handheld milk frother to be my go-to for frothing milk for coffee. I like this method because it requires minimal skill and clean-up (always a motivating factor when making coffee at home instead of ordering it out at a cafe).

Read more