Caffeine withdrawals. It’s a real struggle. Many people think that heading out to the wilderness means giving up luxuries like cushy mattresses, coffee, running water. Okay, you’re giving up most of that, but caffeine doesn’t have to be one of them!
If you’re someone who feels rage without your daily dose of caffeine, read on!
1. Instant coffee
The taste might suck, but it’s faster, lighter, cleaner, and easier than brewing some cowboy coffee. The coffee is freeze-dried; all you gotta do is just add water.
If you’re not a coffee person, there are instant citrus drinks and a whole slew of other drink mixes.
2. French Press or Aeropress, pick your poison
So you’re kind of a coffee snob and that instant stuff won’t do? If you’ve got the space and the manpower, or if you’re car camping, pack along your French press or Aeropress, whatever your style is, and a little hand grinder for some handcrafted coffee. Pictured above is an Aeropress.
The Snow Peak Titanium French Press is extra light (6.3 oz) and packable! It can be used to boil water too. It’ll set you back $56. Available through Amazon too.
The Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker retails for $30.
The Hario Coffee Mill Slim Grinder Mini carries your beans and provides freshly ground coffee. Buy for $28.
3. Backcountry Espresso
Are you a fan of lounging in coffee shops and instagram-ing your latte art? If pressed coffee just won’t do, the Wacaco Minipresso might just be your thing. Espresso in the backcountry made easy! It’s been tough getting my hands one of these bad boys since it seems to be stuck on pre-order. The specs look promising though! It’s on the bigger and heavier side of things, but that’s a fair price to pay for your daily dose of premium coffee. Read one of the few reviews here.
The Minipresso comes in two versions: one that takes coffee capsules and one for coffee grounds. Sign up for the pre-order here and get the Minipresso for $39. Looking for something with more reviews? Try the Handpresso.
4. Tea
Not a coffee person? Me neither. Tea is my weapon of choice whether I’m in the backcountry for not. And it’s pretty easy to pack and brew. If you want to fancy it up, bring some tea filters or an infuser and use loose-leaf tea.
Buy tea just about anywhere including Amazon.
Did I miss anything? What are your favorite ways to enjoy caffeine while camping?
I personally like to use the Folgers coffee bags. They are just like tea bags but with coffee in them. They taste incredibly better than the instant stuff. Great Post!
Oh nice! Maybe I’ll try picking those up next time. The nice thing about instant stuff is it dissolves so you only have to carry the wrappers.
I actually never thought of heating the titanium cup directly on the stove. Seems perfect for tea.
I’m very attached to my JetBoil, so for me, the easiest way to coffee is to use the JetBoil coffee press. It’s just a french press plunger that fits perfectly in the JetBoil. Super light and simple.
Big fan of that Aeropress. Light and easy to clean.
Love my Aeropress! If you grind ahead of time (I know it’s not the best way, but it’s easier) the Aeropress is a very fast and strong cuppa joe without the grit. Much better than the Starbucks route in my opinion. I haven’t tried the coffee teabags from Folgers, but that sounds great as well. Great round-up of options!
Thanks for the tips! And thanks for stopping by :)
I have a cool french press attachment for my nalgene – great coffee, barely any extra gear!
What?! They make such a thing? Going to look into it now.
I like Starbucks Instant Via and I add a pouch of instant hot chocolate. Better than bringing sugar and powdered cream. Also, we do french press when camping BUT in high elevations the coffee is weaker because of the boiling temperature. Jesse and I are very particular about our french press too ;)
The instant hot chocolate sounds like it would make things taste so much better! Do you think you’ll pick up the Minipresso?
Or…chocolate covered espresso beans! They are tasty and so freaking easy! Unless it’s 90 degrees, then they just melt!
I’m a brew/press girl! But stay clear of them while backpacking. I’ve tried the Nescafe individual packets (blech. Like water w/ coffee as an after taste lol). Tried the Folgers, too! But so far the Via has come close to flavor to replace coffee at home.
I stick to specific blend tho.. the Starbucks Christmas/Holiday Blend. I stock up on these babies during the Holidays for use during the summer backpacking season (tip: They come out in December and get reduced prices after New Years day every year!).
I’m a huge fan of the PocketFuel Cold Brew Coffee packets and also the PocketFuel Chocolate Espresso nutbutter (it’s like freakin nutella with espresso beans in it gaaaah!). I used to use Clif shots for my daily caffeine, but they are loaded with all sorts of crazy ingredients and I only really like one or two of the flavors. The PocketFuel coffees are legit cold brew coffee concentrate, made creamier with coconut milk mmmmm. I also always pack some caffeine pills for a just-in-case afternoon jolt on a last push up a mountain pass.
Chocolate Espresso nutbutter? I’ll have to look into this. Thanks for the tips!
It’s so good, I’m telling you! http://www.pocketfuelnaturals.com/products/nut-butters/chocolate-espresso/
I like ZipFizz (bonus: the containers can be used as waterproof firestarting kits. Add lint and matches and you’re ready to go.) I also like that some of the Nuun hydration tablets have caffeine.
Also great recs! I need to update this to add the Nuun tablets… and Clif Shot Blocks with caffeine!