This post started out with my search for a big coffee pot to use while camping. Something that I could put on my Coleman stove or even just right over the fire. As I started searching, I found that most websites were thin on info and were written by people that had never been camping. So I am writing this post to help you pick out a coffee pot for taking camping.
If you are like me, coffee is about the first thing you think of when you wake up on a camping trip. In all fairness, coffee is high on my list most mornings, but on a cold morning on a mountain, coffee is essential. Normally I use instant coffee or do a pour-over brew, but a new idea changed that up. While sitting alongside the road leading to a trailhead, my camping partner and I thought it would be fun if we could put up a sign saying “free coffee” ahead for people heading up to the trail early. I would need a bigger coffee pot for that.
The following are all my considerations for a camping coffee pot that could serve multiple people at once.
How Portable of A Coffee Pot?
The coffee pot I have in mind is one that I can keep in Leif the Adventure Van and use when we are camping. I have storage room, so I could do a full-size coffee pot. When I’m backpacking, I typically use instant coffee, but to do bulk coffee, I needed a big pot, not something I could fit easily in a backpack.
What Size Camping Coffee Pot
The second consideration is the volume of the coffee pot. The primary sizes are 9, 12, and 14 cups. For me, 9 cups seems pretty pointless, 12 is probably about right, and 14 is likely a touch of overkill. I’m a big fan of going big but 14 cup or larger coffee pots are a bit harder to find. For me then, a 12 cup coffee pot for camping will likely work.
A Cup In Coffee Does Not Equal a Cup of Anything Else
One common misconception is that a 12 cup coffee pot will make 12 liquid cups of coffee. In truth, in coffee, one “cup” is actually defined as 6 ounces of water before brewing, with an expected yield of 5.33 ounces. If we stick with a cup of coffee being 6 ounces, and a nearly full travel mug holding 14 ounces that means it takes just over a two cups of coffee to fill your mug. My HydroFlask coffee mug holds 24 ounces, so it holds most of a pot of coffee, and no I don’t have a coffee addiction, I just don’t like having to get up and refill my coffee all the time.
Stainless Steel vs Aluminum Camping Coffee Pot
Honestly, it is a bit shocking to me that they even make an aluminum camping coffee pot. In all fairness, an aluminum coffee pot would likely be just fine, as long as it is just getting used over a gas burner. My hesitation to go aluminum on my coffee pot is that it melts at a much lower temperature than stainless steel, so if I had to put it down on the coals, I would be nervous about it.
Additionally, stainless steel is just a much more tougher material than aluminum, and if it gets dirty, which it will over a fire, it is very scrubbable.
The winner then for me is a stainless steel camp coffee pot.
Other Material Considerations
Aside from the body of the coffee pot, there are a couple of other things to consider when it comes to the build of the coffee pot. The handle and the percolator.
If you are going to use your camp coffee pot over a fire, consider that plastic handles may melt and metal ones can get hot. You can find some that are wrapped with wood and those are a bit more versatile.
The percolator, the little see-through bit on the top of the pot that lets you see that it is perking, can be either glass or plastic. I’m not a fan of plastic as it can melt. You may prefer plastic as it is generally more break-resistant. You will have to decide which way you want to go on that subject.
My Top Contenders for a Camp Coffee Pot
After digging through sites and looking at reviews and how they are built, I put together this list of potential camping coffee pot and where you can get them.
This was a bit of a surprise to me as it wasn’t a name I expected to see on my coffee pot contenders list. But this coffee post checks all the boxes for a potential new camping coffee pot for me.
Stainless Steel Body
Wood Wrapped Handle
Glass Percolator
12 Cup Capacity
Additionally, I’m finding this coffee pot at a reasonable price compared to some of the other brands. This would be suitable for most people’s morning coffee needs, especially if cooking over a Coleman Stove.
If you want to go big, then you probably should look at the GSI line of stainless steel coffee pots. The big advantage to these aside from their size is that they have handles for hanging over your fire off a tripod.
Additionally, they have wide bottoms for catching all the heat possible and being stable.
This 14 cup model is nowhere near their largest and they actually make a 36 cup percolator coffee pot for camp cooking. That is the largest I’ve seen.
One of the other big names in stainless steel coffee pots, Coletti makes a good coffee pot and like the Eurolux, it hits all the major points for a coffee pot for me.
Stainless Steel Body
Wood Wrapped Handle
Glass Percolator
12 Cup Capacity
Additionally, Colleti makes a 14 cup percolator camp coffee pot, of the same style as the GSI coffee pot, complete with a hangar for over the fire.
That pretty much covers the field when it comes to stainless steel coffee pots for camping as I see it. The essential thing to remember is to buy a percolator, not just a pot for making cowboy coffee. Additionally, be sure to stock up on disc coffee filters that are pre-punched for percolators.
I hope you find one of these works great for you when you are out camping and making coffee, and if you are driving to a trailhead and see Leif by the side of the road, be sure to stop by and have some coffee!
The Best Big Coffee Pots For Camping
This post started out with my search for a big coffee pot to use while camping. Something that I could put on my Coleman stove or even just right over the fire. As I started searching, I found that most websites were thin on info and were written by people that had never been camping. So I am writing this post to help you pick out a coffee pot for taking camping.
If you are like me, coffee is about the first thing you think of when you wake up on a camping trip. In all fairness, coffee is high on my list most mornings, but on a cold morning on a mountain, coffee is essential. Normally I use instant coffee or do a pour-over brew, but a new idea changed that up. While sitting alongside the road leading to a trailhead, my camping partner and I thought it would be fun if we could put up a sign saying “free coffee” ahead for people heading up to the trail early. I would need a bigger coffee pot for that.
The following are all my considerations for a camping coffee pot that could serve multiple people at once.
How Portable of A Coffee Pot?
The coffee pot I have in mind is one that I can keep in Leif the Adventure Van and use when we are camping. I have storage room, so I could do a full-size coffee pot. When I’m backpacking, I typically use instant coffee, but to do bulk coffee, I needed a big pot, not something I could fit easily in a backpack.
What Size Camping Coffee Pot
The second consideration is the volume of the coffee pot. The primary sizes are 9, 12, and 14 cups. For me, 9 cups seems pretty pointless, 12 is probably about right, and 14 is likely a touch of overkill. I’m a big fan of going big but 14 cup or larger coffee pots are a bit harder to find. For me then, a 12 cup coffee pot for camping will likely work.
A Cup In Coffee Does Not Equal a Cup of Anything Else
One common misconception is that a 12 cup coffee pot will make 12 liquid cups of coffee. In truth, in coffee, one “cup” is actually defined as 6 ounces of water before brewing, with an expected yield of 5.33 ounces. If we stick with a cup of coffee being 6 ounces, and a nearly full travel mug holding 14 ounces that means it takes just over a two cups of coffee to fill your mug. My HydroFlask coffee mug holds 24 ounces, so it holds most of a pot of coffee, and no I don’t have a coffee addiction, I just don’t like having to get up and refill my coffee all the time.
Stainless Steel vs Aluminum Camping Coffee Pot
Honestly, it is a bit shocking to me that they even make an aluminum camping coffee pot. In all fairness, an aluminum coffee pot would likely be just fine, as long as it is just getting used over a gas burner. My hesitation to go aluminum on my coffee pot is that it melts at a much lower temperature than stainless steel, so if I had to put it down on the coals, I would be nervous about it.
Additionally, stainless steel is just a much more tougher material than aluminum, and if it gets dirty, which it will over a fire, it is very scrubbable.
The winner then for me is a stainless steel camp coffee pot.
Other Material Considerations
Aside from the body of the coffee pot, there are a couple of other things to consider when it comes to the build of the coffee pot. The handle and the percolator.
If you are going to use your camp coffee pot over a fire, consider that plastic handles may melt and metal ones can get hot. You can find some that are wrapped with wood and those are a bit more versatile.
The percolator, the little see-through bit on the top of the pot that lets you see that it is perking, can be either glass or plastic. I’m not a fan of plastic as it can melt. You may prefer plastic as it is generally more break-resistant. You will have to decide which way you want to go on that subject.
My Top Contenders for a Camp Coffee Pot
After digging through sites and looking at reviews and how they are built, I put together this list of potential camping coffee pot and where you can get them.
Eurolux Percolator Coffee Maker Pot
This was a bit of a surprise to me as it wasn’t a name I expected to see on my coffee pot contenders list. But this coffee post checks all the boxes for a potential new camping coffee pot for me.
Additionally, I’m finding this coffee pot at a reasonable price compared to some of the other brands. This would be suitable for most people’s morning coffee needs, especially if cooking over a Coleman Stove.
GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Steel Percolator Coffee Pot
If you want to go big, then you probably should look at the GSI line of stainless steel coffee pots. The big advantage to these aside from their size is that they have handles for hanging over your fire off a tripod.
Additionally, they have wide bottoms for catching all the heat possible and being stable.
This 14 cup model is nowhere near their largest and they actually make a 36 cup percolator coffee pot for camp cooking. That is the largest I’ve seen.
COLETTI Bozeman Camping Coffee Pot
One of the other big names in stainless steel coffee pots, Coletti makes a good coffee pot and like the Eurolux, it hits all the major points for a coffee pot for me.
Additionally, Colleti makes a 14 cup percolator camp coffee pot, of the same style as the GSI coffee pot, complete with a hangar for over the fire.
That pretty much covers the field when it comes to stainless steel coffee pots for camping as I see it. The essential thing to remember is to buy a percolator, not just a pot for making cowboy coffee. Additionally, be sure to stock up on disc coffee filters that are pre-punched for percolators.
I hope you find one of these works great for you when you are out camping and making coffee, and if you are driving to a trailhead and see Leif by the side of the road, be sure to stop by and have some coffee!
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