Camp Coffee

Sometimes we've heard a debate about whether or not to bikepack with coffee and coffee making supplies.  We don't understand the question.  Coffee in the morning, by a fire, as the sun comes up, is not an option; it's part of bikepacking for us.

Camp coffee is also really easy.  And it can be extremely light as part of your gear system.  We've bikepacked with three types of systems, from hard to easy.  Good to bad.  Here are our preferred methods.

Disclaimer:  We don't get paid by any company for reviews.  We don't get items for free.  We pay for every item we test and review.

GSI pourover coffee method camp coffee - image - Rob Vandermark.JPG

Method:  A Good Cup Of Coffee

This is the best method we've found for making a pretty decent cup of coffee in tough conditions.  The style of coffee making is 'pourover', the most popular high quality coffee making method right now.

System weight:  About 180 grams.*

Coffee Making Supplies

  • Coffee beans, 27 grams in a plastic bag that weights 2 grams.
  • Coffee grinder:  After choosing high-quality beans that are not over-roasted, the most important step is to grind the beans just before use.  We use the Porlex Mini Grinder.  It's about as small as we've been able to find.  It weights about 220 grams.  It's all metal and ceramic so it won't get damaged.  It's easy to adjust the grind setting.
  • Coffee filter, fabric:  Our favorite is the GSI Ultralight Java Drip.  It weighs 12 grams.  It's super portable, and we haven't been able to damage it yet.  It's easy to clean, too.
  • Coffee filter, paper:  This a paper filter weights about a gram.  We find this makes for a cleaner brighter drink.  A paper filter can also be used for filtering debris out of muddy water if needed.

Coffee Making Instructions:

  • Boil water.
  • While the water is working on boiling, fill the grinder with the 27 gram pre-dosed coffee. Grind
    until there is nothing left! 
  • Put a paper filter into the ultralight GSI filter.
  • Wet the filter with fresh hot water, let water drip into mug to preheat all parts of the system. Dump water out just before you’re ready to begin making the coffee.
  • Put the coffee grounds into the paper filter.
  • Once the water has been off boil for about 15 seconds, begin the pour over process. Be careful. Camp kettles pour quickly. Pour as slowly as possible for 10 seconds, then stop for 15, and repeat until mug is three-quarters full. Be careful not to overfill the cup.
  • Enjoy your camp coffee! 

Pro Tips:  

  • Coffee mug: Something insulated is best.  Most lightweight thin wall camp mugs dissipate heat impressively fast.  We find that we drink coffee more slowly at camp so a mug that helps keep the coffee hot is worth a few extra grams.
  • Pre-dose the beans before your trip.  If you're out for 10 days, make 10 pre-dosed plastic bags with 27 grams of beans each.
GSI pourover coffee method - image - Rob Vandermark.JPG

Method:  Super Light & Fast

System weight:  About 42 grams.*

Coffee Making Supplies

  • Coffee, ground, 27 grams in a plastic bag that weights 2 grams.
  • Coffee filter, fabric:  Our favorite is the GSI Ultralight Java Drip.  It weighs 12 grams.  It's super portable, and we haven't been able to damage it yet.  It's easy to clean, too.

Coffee Making Instructions:

  • Sames as the pourover method above.
Cowboy Coffee - image - Rob Vandermark.JPG

Method:  Caffeine, And That's About It

This is called cowboy coffee.  It's really rough but if you need caffeine and don't care what it tastes like, or want to carry the lightest setup possible, here's what you do:

System weight:  29 grams.*

Supplies:

  • Coffee, ground, 27 grams in a plastic bag that weights 2 grams.

Coffee Making Instructions:

  1. Pour the grounds in the cup. 
  2. Pour boiling water in the cup. 
  3. Let is sit for 2 minutes. 
  4. Drink.  

Pro Tips: 

  • To minimize swallowing grounds, pour a bit of cold water in the mixture just before you drink it.  
  • If you're traveling superlight you don't need to have a coffee mug; a high quality bicycle water bottle will work in a pinch.

*Total grams for each system does not include water boiling systems or the mug -- you better be traveling with this already.  The system weight is only for the parts that are for coffee making only.

There are dozens of ways to make coffee at camp.  What are your favorite methods?