How to Make Coffee While Camping

Camping is one of the greatest pastimes in the world. Whether you love the outdoors or are entirely new to the activity, you probably have one thing you’ll miss from home — coffee.

Even while camping, you may find it challenging to muster the energy to complete tasks without caffeine. You can still make your favorite beverage even if you don’t have all your coffee tech, though. Brew coffee from your campsite with one of these easy-to-learn methods.

1. Travel Mug

Travel mugs are a must-have for any camping trip because they can keep your beverages hot and cold for a long time, which can be immensely helpful out in the wild. Additionally, you can easily make coffee with a travel mug.

Boil your water, then make sure you have a coffee filter that can hold your grounds. Once your water is ready, pour it over the filter. You’ll strain the good stuff directly into your travel mug and will be able to enjoy it all morning long.

2. Coffee Sock

Coffee socks provide another fun way to make the drink you crave while camping. Actual coffee socks exist, but you can also use one of your clean socks if you’re brave enough. All you need to do is fill the sock with coffee grounds and set it in a pot of steaming water. For a more concentrated cup, let your coffee sock steep in a mug instead.

This method is a little messier than others and requires more cleanup — especially if you use a fabric sock instead of one specifically made for coffee. Make sure to plan some cleaning time if you want to try making your brew this way.

3. Cold Brew Bag

This coffee-making method takes a bit longer than the others, so it requires some forethought. If you know you’ll wake up craving coffee, you can choose to steep it overnight. Since it takes such a long time to brew this way, you might even choose to steep it while you’re out enjoying nature. Consider bringing a journal full of recipes to ensure you’re making the tastiest cold brew you can while away from home.

You can easily clean these bags out and repack them once you’re done, making them nearly effortless. Cold brew might seem like an odd choice for camping, but it’s a new take on an old favorite if you’re camping in the height of summer or have just finished up with an activity and need something cold.

4. Percolator

Percolators may be old-fashioned, but they can give you the feel of a stronger cup on a morning when it’s particularly challenging to wake up. While learning how to use a percolator at first can be tricky, a little practice will help you feel more confident with how to set it up. Once you learn this unique way of brewing, you may enjoy the slower, older method of making coffee while you’re on a camping trip.

Since the cup of coffee a percolator makes will be stronger than the other methods, you may not have to drink as much. Consuming less coffee means you may not reap as many negative side effects like anxiety or insomnia but still get the positives of a caffeine dose. Besides, you won’t need to use coffee filters when using a percolator — meaning it might be more beneficial for the environment.

The only downside of this option is you may have to spend more time packing and cleaning. It’s a larger object, so it’s bound to take up more space in your things where you could have included more gear. A percolator could find its home at your campsite if you don’t mind the extra luggage.

5. Cowboy Coffee

When all else fails, you can turn to cowboy coffee. If you want to feel the wildness of the outdoors, this is an easy method that will have you feeling like you’re decades in the past. You just put the coffee grounds in boiling water and stir it around. Eventually, you’ll be able to pour a well-brewed cup of coffee.

Cowboy coffee may include some coffee grounds, so avoid them as much as possible. You may find your coffee isn’t as tasty when you brew it this way and it might be easy for the grounds to burn if you leave them unattended. Still, this brewing method is one of the best ways to celebrate camping in all its glory.

Enjoy Your Coffee However You Like

You’ll quickly find there’s no one right way to brew coffee while camping out in the wilderness. There likely won’t be electricity, so you’ll have to make your daily cup more old-fashioned. Whether you choose to enjoy a cold brew after a day of hiking or want to start your day with cowboy coffee, you’ll find making coffee while camping is easier than ever with these methods.