Make Delicious Coffee While Camping: Caffeine-Lover's Guide

Looking for the best way to make coffee while camping? Cruise America shares the top RV coffee-making tips. Read to discover how to make the perfect cup of joe!
Coffee mug filled with coffee beans.

Just because you're getting away from your normal grind, out enjoying the great outdoors, doesn't mean you want to sacrifice your daily coffee fix, does it? Of course not: Coffee is a necessity, whether at home or when you're out camping. But, what’s the best way to make coffee when camping?

The Best Ways To Make Coffee While Camping

There are many different opinions on the best way to make coffee when camping. If you're researching how to make coffee off the grid, here are some of the most convenient and popular ways to do it.

AeroPress

An AeroPress is a nifty gadget you can use to make a quick (it usually takes less than two minutes) cup of tasty espresso-like coffee. AeroPress coffee is made with a specialized, heat-resistant cylinder, usually placed over a cup.

You fill the cylinder with hot water and coffee grounds and then push the water through the coffee grounds with a plunger. The mixture passes through a filter, letting freshly-brewed coffee through to your cup but catching the grounds. And, just like that, you're ready to drink!

French Press

Long before the AeroPress, there was the French Press, consisting of a beaker and plunger made of a wire-mesh filter. To make French Press coffee, you place ground coffee and boiling water in the beaker, wait three to five minutes, and slowly push down the plunger. With the coffee grounds pushed to the bottom, what remains on top is a few cups' worth of freshly-brewed coffee.

Note: French Press coffee maker beakers are usually made of glass, but camping-friendly French Presses made of stainless steel or plastic are also available.

Moka Pot

If you've got coffee grounds, water, and access to a fire, you can make some near-espresso with a Moka Pot. Pour water into the lower chamber, fill the cup that goes on top of it with ground coffee, screw the top pot on tight, and put it over the fire. In a few moments, pressure will push boiling water through the coffee grounds, creating a rich little pot of coffee that you can drink on its own, like espresso, or mix with milk for your own delicious campfire Americano.

Moka Pots come in a variety of cup sizes/volumes, so you can brew for yourself and someone else with a smaller one or brew for a bunch of people with a larger size. Also, if you don't have a campfire going, you can just heat up the Moka Pot on your RV rental’s stove.

Cowboy Coffee

Cowboy coffee is as simple and reliable as it gets for campers in need of caffeine. Take coffee grounds, put them in a pot with water over a fire, and wait for it all to boil (you can add some sugar or salt, but this isn't necessary).

If you want to keep the coffee grounds out of your cup, pour the brew into a small strainer over a cup; the strainer will catch the grounds, leaving only a campfire-created, ready-to-drink brew in your cup.

No campfire? No worries! These are modern times. You can also make Cowboy RV coffee on your RV stove.

Pour-over Coffee Sachets

Pour-over coffee sachets or pouches (there are many different brands) are an easy and fast way to make a quick cup of joe. First, open the coffee sachet and place it on the cup; it should hang on the rim of your cup, leaving room below.

Next, bring water to a boil using a pot (or a kettle, if you have one in your RV), and pour the hot water into the sachet. Wait a minute or two, remove the sachet, and enjoy the morning atmosphere with a piping hot cup of coffee.

Capsule Coffee

One big advantage of staying in an RV rather than a tent is access to creature comforts. If your rig is connected to electricity, you can bring along your Keurig or a Nespresso coffee machine from home and enjoy RV coffee whenever you want with a minimum of fuss.

Pour water into your Keurig or Nespresso machine's tank, insert the pod of your choice, press the start button, and wait for the coffee to flow into your cup. Voila!

Enjoy RV Coffee With Cruise America

The best way to make coffee when camping depends on how much coffee you want to drink and how much effort you want to put into it. And, whatever method you end up choosing, you can make it in an RV. But, before you can make RV coffee, you need to have an RV!

Cruise America has plenty of RV rentals for you to choose from, and how to make coffee when camping in them is up to you! The sooner you get in touch with Cruise America to see all of your options, the sooner you can discover for yourself the best way to make coffee when camping!

RV Lifestyle

Find Your Perfect RV To Rent

Maximum
Capacity
7
Learn More

A traditional motorhome with the self-contained features you expect. This economical family unit is a traditional favorite for those who want the walk-through convenience of a motorhome.

Features And Amenities Include:

Maximum
Capacity
5
Learn More

A traditional motorhome with the self-contained features you expect, units in the USA even include a power generator. This economical family unit is a traditional favorite for those who want the walk-through convenience of a motorhome.

Features And Amenities Include:

Maximum
Capacity
4
Learn More

Our compact plus unit is a fully self-contained RV. The floorplan features a unique rear kitchen design with all the amenities of a larger unit. The compact RV is the ideal unit for two adults of any age and a dinette folding to an extra bed allows for a child. With 6.5 foot/2 meter ceilings and walk through convenience even tall campers can enjoy the compact plus RV.

Features And Amenities Include:

Maximum
Capacity
3
Learn More

Our compact unit is a fully self-contained RV. The floorplan features a unique rear kitchen design with all the amenities of a larger unit. The compact RV is the ideal unit for two adults of any age and a dinette folding to an extra bed allows for a child. With 6.5 foot/2 meter ceilings and walk through convenience even tall campers can enjoy the compact RV.

Features And Amenities Include:

Maximum
Capacity
4
Learn More

This custom built trailer provides the freedom to setup camp and use your own vehicle to get in and out of town.  It has all the amenities of a motorhome, but provides flexibility when you need it.

Features And Amenities Include: