Most people consider luxury that it’s not worth trying to drag along the equipment to make in the outdoors, especially when you’re backpacking and need to actually carry all of that equipment yourself. But if coffee is a necessity, there are some surprisingly good backpacking coffee maker options for those looking to start their mornings with a good cup of coffee. Some are so lightweight that the coffee grounds will end up being the heavy part.
Backpacking Coffee Maker
What to look for in a backpacking coffee maker.- Method – Do you prefer your coffee dripped, or perhaps a French press is more to your liking? Whatever method of making coffee you prefer, there is a backpacking coffee maker that can accommodate you. Some are lighter and smaller than others, of course, but you do have options.
- Weight – Some outdoor coffee makers are heavy, bulky and not suited to taking backpacking with you. A good backpacking coffee maker is, more than anything, a coffee maker that will take up a minimal amount of room in your backpack and wont weigh a lot, so that you don’t regret taking it after a long day of walking.
Best Backpacking Coffee Maker
Some of the very best backpacking coffee makers to choose from.- Snow Peak Titanium Cafe Press - If you prefer your coffee made from a press then the Titanium Cafe Press from Snow Peak is about as good as you're going to get. The pot has enough room for about 2 cups of coffee, and doubles as a cooking pot too, for at night when you need to make dinner. And being titanium, the whole thing weighs a scant 6.3 ounces, which is 178 grams.
- MSR MugMate Coffee Filter - The MSR MugMate was the 2009 winner of the Backpacker magazine Editor's Choice Gold award, and for good reason. It's the same basic design that a tea immersion filter uses, but with a better screen for keeping coffee grounds out of your coffee. Of course you can reuse the filter innumerable amount of times, and you can make your coffee as strong or as weak as you prefer, just by leaving the filter in for a certain amount of time. And when you're not using it, it fits snugly inside your cup or mug for easy travel. The whole thing also weighs just 1 ounce, or 28 grams.
- GSI Ultralight Java Drip - If you prefer a drip filter for making your coffee the Java Drip by GSI is an innovative solution. A couple of plastic legs suspend the drip filter above your cup, so that you can quickly make a cup of coffee. Best of all, the whole thing folds down flat and weighs just .5 ounces, or about 14 grams, which is close as you'll get to nothing.
