The Ultimate Guide to Making Coffee on Trail

Are you struggling to wake up on the trail? Do you miss your coffee from back home? Thru-hiking is a minimalist activity, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice all the comforts of home. There’s something special about a steaming cup of coffee on a chilly morning in the mountains.

If you’re passionate about coffee, you might be worried about spending weeks or months drinking crappy brews on trail. The good news is that even as a backpacker, you can still enjoy quality coffee on the trail if you know what you’re doing.

Welcome to the ultimate guide to making coffee on trail while thru-hiking. I am a thru-hiker and a mountain guide in Colorado during the summer. I also happen to be a long-time coffee nerd. I’ve personally tested each brewing method in this guide, and my recommendations are based on a combination of personal experience and research. Enjoy this guide to trail coffee!

Making Coffee on Trail: A Roadmap

Opening Thoughts: Sourcing, Logistics, and Add-Ins
Level 1: Good ‘Ol Fashioned Instant
Level 2: Drink Your Coffee Like a Cowboy
Level 3: Coffee… Bags?
Level 4: French Press and More
Level 5: The Newfangled Aeropress

How To Find Coffee Supplies On Trail

Sourcing good coffee can be difficult on trail, especially from small towns and gas station stops. The brewing techniques described in this guide can be used with any coffee, from Folgers to Onyx, but of course, the largest impact on the quality of flavor is the quality of the coffee itself.

Most small resupply locations may only have a few options — none of which are good. You can always mail-drop yourself coffee from Amazon or from home or plan to carry enough beans to get from large town to large town. Any specialty coffee shops in town will usually sell beans as well. 

Cream and sugar? Finding sugar on trail is easy: just pick up single-serving packets from some restaurant along your path. Milk or cream is a little more difficult. There are shelf-stable creamer cups at restaurants, and you can find milk powder in grocery stores along most trails (look for a whole-milk version like Nido to maximize calories). However, I think powdered heavy cream or single-serve sweetened condensed milk packets are the best options here. Of course, you could also always add a hot chocolate packet (or two!) to make a makeshift mocha. 

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How To Make Coffee on Trail: 5 Methods

Level 1: Good ‘Ol Fashioned Instant

Instant coffee. Everyone knows it: the triumph of industrialized society, the caffeine savior of ultralight fanatics, so bitter it’ll break your addiction. In a backpacking coffee guide, I must start with that ubiquitous brown powder that everyone drinks because, for most, it’s the only option.

It’s a simple process: boil some water, add as much powder as you can tolerate, and hold your nose while you down the resulting drink, which tends to be strong and bitter enough to drive bears away from your campsite.

Personally, I’ve never been able to jibe with instant coffee and would rather drink nothing at all than use it, but for some people, it’s just fine. It’s certainly the lightest, easiest, and most accessible option.

As for product recommendations, there’s good old-fashioned Starbucks Via, which comes in small, convenient packages. Some specialty roasters like Huck from Denver or Partners from NYC have started to produce (quite expensive) instant, but I can’t personally vouch for these. Still, they might be worth a try, especially for very weight-conscious trips.

Ed. note: Casting my vote for Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee packets; they are surprisingly pleasant.

But you didn’t click on this article just to be told instant coffee is the best, right?

making instant starbuckks via coffee on trail

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Level 2: Drink Your Coffee Like a Cowboy

The “cowboy method” allows for making coffee on trail with just your stove cup — no filters, bags, or other machines required. This method is, the romantics say, like experiencing coffee as nature intended … no barriers involved. Here’s the process: 

Cowboy coffee is simple… just grounds and hot water.

  1. Fill your stove with 12 ounces water (ideally pre-filtered), and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let the water sit for a minute or so to allow it to cool.
  2. Add 0.75 oz (about 3 tablespoons) of your favorite coffee, ground medium-fine. Stir the grounds in.
  3. 3 – 4 minutes later, splash the surface of the coffee with some cold water (make sure it is filtered or purified). This helps the grounds settle to the bottom. Wait a few minutes more.
  4. Enjoy!

While for some, cowboy coffee is a freeing experience on par with skinny dipping, it is objectively not good. Unfortunately, I’ve never gotten past the crunchy, gritty feeling of grounds in my morning brew.

Plus, cleanup is a chore. Following LNT protocols, all grounds not consumed should be packed out, but since the spent grounds are mingled with coffee liquid, you’re stuck either adding liquid to your trash bag or downing as much of the grounds as you can stomach (which isn’t the best for bowel regulation in the short-term, FYI).

The only thing better about this method versus instant is that at least you’re making real coffee, not a bitter powdery drink.

making cowboy coffee on trail means cleaning up a lot of gritty coffee sludge at the bottom of your titanium cup

I can’t get past this level of grit in my drink every single morning

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Level 3: Coffee … Bags?

A popular step up from cowboy coffee, you can buy coffee “sachets” across the internet, which are basically like teabags but filled with coffee grounds instead. Each brand of these will vary in its flavor, quality, and instructions for brewing, but they keep your grounds separated from the water and can even be found with dehydrated cream or flavorings added in, if you’re into that type of thing. 

There are specialty options, such as a “pour-over” style bag, which has mixed reviews. For a cheaper option, you can also buy empty teabags and fill them with whatever kind of coffee you desire. There’s also a metal reusable version of sachets called the BrewSpoon that weighs less than an ounce when empty (thanks to Misty Klement for that suggestion). Cleanup is easy either way– you can just throw your used grounds in your trash sack, and the end result is pretty decent coffee.

The reason this isn’t my preferred method is sourcing. Specialty prepackaged pour-over sachets are incredibly difficult or impossible to find in most trail towns, so you would probably be stuck with mail drops for these niche items. 

making coffee on trail by pouring hot water over a pre-filled sachet

This pre-filled “pour-over” style bag is an option for discerning backpackers. However, it’s only available by internet shopping and deliveries.

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Level 4: French Press and More

Are you a coffee snob looking for more control and quality in your tentside brew? There are plenty of gadgets out there for you to experiment with. Some hikers choose to pack out mini french Press kits at a considerable weight penalty. If you have a Jetboil or MSR integrated canister stove, a lighter option is these french press-style attachments (like this one from Jetboil, or this from MSR), which are somewhat effective at containing grounds for a minor (1.3 oz) weight penalty.

Either way, here’s a method for the best french press brewing (adapted from James Hoffmann’s famous method): 

  1. Fill your stove with 12 ounces water (ideally pre-filtered) and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let the water sit for a minute or so to allow it to cool.
  2. Add 0.75 oz (about 3 tablespoons) of coarsely ground coffee to the French press, stir it in, and wait 5 minutes. 
  3. With a spoon, scoop off the top layer of silt and bubbles, and wait another 5 minutes.
  4. Press the plunger down just to the top of the liquid in the press, and pour through the apparatus into your cup (or drink directly from it!).
  5. Enjoy!
making coffee on trail in a jetboil and pouring it into a titanium cup to serve

Pouring coffee out of my stove after preparing with the french press attachment.

Some hikers, myself included, find the Jetboil and MSR attachments still let some coffee grounds through, so I would recommend experimenting before relying on them in the backcountry.

Of course, the main downside to this method (other than weight) is a pretty arduous clean-up process. Similarly to the cowboy coffee method, after brewing you have grounds to fish out from the bottom of your stove cup/french press, which can become an annoying extra chore in the morning when you just want to break down camp. Again, LNT regulations require grounds to be packed out, not scattered.

Alternatively, some people bring pour-over style funnels into the backcountry and prepare coffee that way — the obvious downside to this method would be space inefficiency and having to pack in/out much larger paper filters. Sea to Summit makes a collapsible pour-over style dripper as well. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend this method because the next one is much lighter, durable, and convenient. 

Overall, the french press and pour-over methods can yield very good coffee if you have the process down. Personally though, I feel that these techniques are best saved for the home countertop, where inconveniences like bulk, weight, and cleanup processes aren’t as big of a deal.

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Level 5: The Newfangled Aeropress

Enter: the Aeropress. This unique brewer has garnered fame, devout fanatics, and even a world championship over its short 20-year lifespan. The brewer works somewhat like a combination of a French press and an espresso machine — the grounds sit in an immersion brew for a while (like in a French press), but then the liquid is pressed out through a filter (like espresso). The end result is a clean, well-developed cup of coffee that can be as concentrated as you like.

The Aeropress system: plunger and brew chamber with cap lined with a paper filter.

Perhaps the best thing about this brew method is cleanup, however. Instead of having to rinse or fish out grounds from the bottom of a French press, cleaning an Aeropress is as simple as popping out the used “puck” of grounds after you’ve plunged all the coffee out of the machine.

For backpackers who want actually good coffee, I consider the Aeropress the top-of-the-line option. Here’s the brewing method (adapted from James Hoffmann’s recipe, but there are many, many others):

  1. Fill your stove with 12 ounces water (ideally pre-filtered), and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let the water sit for a minute or so to allow it to cool.
  2. Prepare the Aeropress by putting the plunger in the bottom, and orienting it facing up (see picture). Add about 0.5 oz (about 2 tablespoons) of espresso ground coffee to the chamber, then fill the chamber with hot water. You’ll be able to fit about 7 – 8 oz of water in the chamber. Stir if needed to wet all the grounds, and wait 3 minutes.

Fill the Aeropress chamber with grounds, with the opening oriented up. This is the “inverted” method, which I find is a little simpler.

  1. Place the paper filter and cap on the top of the brewer, and then quickly flip the brewer over your cup/stove. Press the plunger down until all liquid has been extracted. Add the remaining hot water to dilute your coffee if you’d like a normal drip concentration.
  2. Enjoy!
making coffee on trail with an aeropress go and a titanium cup

Pressing the coffee out of the Aeropress.

The Aeropress comes in multiple sizes, but the Aeropress Go makes the most sense for backpackers. While the Go comes in a kit with various tools and an included camp mug, you can scrap the rest and bring the brewer alone into the backcountry for a 5 oz weight penalty (the entire kit is about 11.5 oz).

That extra 5 oz will make ultralighters scoff, but if you really want the best coffee possible in the backcountry for the least hassle, I think this may be your best option. The Aeropress makes very good coffee, very consistently, and does a good job of compensating for poor coffee quality or user technique. 

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Making Coffee on Trail: What Have We Learned>

In truth, ultralight or weight-conscious thru-hikers will probably always stick with instant or cowboy coffee, and that’s OK. However, if you have a little bit of extra weight allowance in your backpack and want to experience an awesome caffeine high while you explore epic places, I can’t recommend the Aeropress enough. Get out there, sip your coffee on mountaintop boulders, and enjoy! 

Featured image: Photo via JT Simmons. Graphic design by Zack Goldmann.

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Comments 11

  • Holly : Feb 5th

    Wet coffee bags are heavy, about 2 oz.

    Reply
    • Jeff : Feb 6th

      You left out one of the best options, which is pour-over. You need two cups, but with brewer options such as the GSI Javadrip or Munieq Tetradrip, which weight almost nothing, and an ultralight titanium 450ml mug at under 2oz, you can brew just as good a cup as the aero press for under 3oz and minimal bulk if you next your mug inside your larger pot. Could also just bring a plastic Hario V60 which weighs a little more, but is honestly what I use at home to make coffee. You can use paper filters, so cleanup is easy, just squeeze extra liquid out and put it in a ziplock to pack out. For coffee grounds, you can buy k-cups and cut them open and take out the grounds so you don’t have to buy and carry more than you need for the stretch to the next town. I find 2 k-cups makes a good pour over cup.

      Reply
    • Doug : Feb 7th

      Hang the wet coffee bag on the outside of your pack ‘til it dries…😁

      Reply
  • Misty Klement : Feb 5th

    Hi JT! So happy to hear from a fellow coffee nerd. I worked at a coffee shop for a few years while I was in college to feed my habit. I love the AeroPress method, and use it frequently at home as well. I don’t use the “inverted method” however, it just seems like a good way to spill coffee all over. Anyway, there is one newcomer to the backcountry coffee party, the BrewSpoon. I just recently discovered it on Etsy. It works much like a loose leaf tea filter. Just add coffee grounds into the spoon, twist on the other half and brew it right in your cup of hot water for about 4-5 minutes. Emptying the Spoon is as simple as dumping the spent grounds into your trash bag. I’ll twist off one half and use it press whatever water is still with the grounds first. The empty BrewSpoon weighs less than an ounce!

    Reply
    • JT Simmons : Feb 5th

      Thanks for that awesome suggestion, I added it to the article. I hadn’t heard of the BrewSpoon before, it looks like a great option!

      Reply
  • Jeff Yegian : Feb 6th

    Aeropress is great, but bulky. I got a coffee straw (JoGo and others) as a gift and find it’s the method I prefer.

    Reply
  • Milk : Feb 6th

    Before trail I became a coffee snob and went down the rabbit hole. On trail I tired nescafe, but couldn’t do it. Starbucks was oddly good, but had a distinct flavor to it… Anyway, midway through Virginia I picked up a one cup moka pot. Cleanup was a hassle, but it was so worth it. I miss mountain top coffee and I miss my trail lattes made with cafe bustelo and powdered milk. I haven’t used an aeropress, but I imagine the cleanup is a bit easier.

    Reply
  • KittySlayer : Feb 7th

    We like Black Rifle Coffee sticks. Similar to SB Via. Cowboy coffee is good but if you adhere to LNT it is a pain. Wouldn’t haul an AeroPress but is great for car camping.

    Reply
  • Rick "Quiet Man" : Feb 7th

    My coffee preferences and best practices comes from Europe – almost anything brewed in the U.S., regardless of method, is simply “brown water.” My home coffee method is a European home espresso machine…a quad every morning! Beans are various – Illy or Lavazza preferred; lately, it’s been Honduran coffee we brought back from a recent trip. Starbucks Italian Roast for guests! LOL

    So, you might think my trail coffee would reflect my coffee snobbery. But you will be surprised. Trail coffee might garner more debate than what constitutes ultralight! And they are nested arguments. Thru-hiking or section hiking, the only practical (and lightest) option is instant. I do use Starbucks Via…black…I do not agree that it is bitter (but if you think it’s bitter…add sugar and that disgusting fake creamer stuff, powder or wet). For a treat, I will sometimes bring Kopiko Instant Cappucino, if I have a supply from an international market. I also recently picked up some instant packets of Vietnamese coffee that I am anxious to try. Yes, these options are not available from trail town resupplies; however, frankly, for long-distance hikers who often exist on ramen and instant mashed potatoes, how can one complain about cheap instant coffee? LOL

    I have been known to make Greek, Turkish, Serbian (pick your nationality) coffee at home as well. So, cowboy coffee might be an option if it were not messy and the LNT concerns. I use a French Press on my boat; but weight and the mess/LNT issues for thru-hiking/section hiking make that option very impractical. I have a Nanopresso, which when paired with good European ground coffee (lately Jakobs), is a nice treat for day hikes. I have carried it for a section hike, but found it not worth its weight cost.

    So, for weight reasons and LNT reasons, instant is the only practical and realistic choice for long-distance hiking. Everything else is the stuff for weekend or day hike.

    Reply
  • Lynn : Feb 8th

    Folgers started selling a “coffee bag,” It’s just a tea bag with coffee grounds in it. Of course I had to pick up a box in my quest to have decent coffee on trail. They are perfect. Now I need a new mission…

    Reply
  • Jeff : Feb 9th

    I’ve taken to using a JoGo coffee straw. Still have to deal with grounds, but otherwise convenient and tasty.

    Reply

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