A proper outdoor trip is also a temporary abstinence from everyday habits — watching television, counting Instagram likes on your phone, checking email and so on. But abstaining from drinking coffee? Not happening. That feeling — a warmth that creeps over you as you stoke the campfire on a golden morning, sipping and listening — is simply too great to give up. And with these five coffee makers, you won’t have to.
Additional contributions by Michael Finn and Tanner Bowden.
GSI Outdoors Java Press 30 Ounce
Best Overall: Quick, light and tough as a Nalgene bottle, GSI’s Java Press is a French press made for any outdoor adventure, from car camping to thousand-foot-high portaledge hanging. Wrapped around the five-cup carafe is a ballistic nylon sleeve, which keeps the coffee hot and the press impact-resistant. And when the pot’s empty, cleaning it is a cinch.
Stanley Adventure Percolator Coffee Pot
Best for Brewing Over a Fire: Brew coffee just like the cowboys of old, without getting nasty grounds in your mouth. Simply toss in a few scoops, add water, hang it over an open flame (for the full cowboy get-up, use a stick), and then, when the coffee starts whistling, pop on the silicone grip and serve. Holds six cups.
Snow Peak Coffee Drip
Best for the Minimalist: Trekking solo? A simple coffee drip is all you need — just make sure you know how to brew a pour-over. Snow Peak’s coffee drip is incredibly lightweight (4.9 ounces, lighter than the GPS watch on your wrist), and folds flat (like a bookmark for the adventure novel you brought with you).
Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker
For the Flavor Snob: The Aeropress is among the most portable full-on coffee systems ever, yet its flavor quality, according to career baristas all over the world, rivals that of refridgerator-sized coffee machines. There’s certain patented reasons for that: basically, it imparts less carbon dioxide, leading to sweeter and less bitter coffee. The best part? It packs down to about the size of your water filter — but, like pour-over coffee, it’s important to know how to use it.
Jetboil Flash Java Kit
For the Fastest Coffee: Basically, the Jetboil system takes the standard French press process — boiling water, dropping in grounds, pressing them down before the pour — and combines it all into one. That means delicious coffee, in five minutes flat (the Flash cooking system can get two cups of water boiling in 100 seconds). The Flash Java Kit includes a coffee press and a sample roast from Green Mountain Coffee, but the stove will work for any drink or meal that calls for hot water, so this one is also appropriate for whipping up dehydrated meals, soups, teas and cocoa.