Best Camping Coffee Makers & Machines in Australia

Never underestimate the power of a hot drink on your morale, your body and your energy levels, especially if you are out of your normal comfort zone like camping or trekking. Indeed in very cold conditions, a hot cup of coffee feels like a lifesaver on many levels.

Conversely, sitting around your set up campsite in your nice reclining chair watching the world go by can be the perfect time for a hot coffee and not the instant stuff, but a nice coffee just like you would have at home, because why not? You can.

Whatever the situation, the ability to make and drink quality hot coffee wherever you are is something many of us like to be able to have. In this guide, we will have an in-depth look at different setups, makers and machines for your coffee while camping anywhere in Australia.

Best Camping Coffee Makers & Machines Australia

Wacaco Minipresso NS Espresso Machine

If you like your Nespresso® style capsule coffee at home, then look no further for your campsite companion – the Wacaco Minipresso NS Espresso Machine. This simple and highly portable little machine will have you sipping your gourmet coffee in seconds. Fill with hot water and when you are ready for your coffee, you pump and serve.

Customer reviews are almost all highly rated by people who take this with them to work and drink it on the way, however, there are some pretty big issues with this kind of machine that you should take into account before a purchase nevertheless.

You need to heat the water separately and it only produces 45ml of coffee. The machine needs to cool down again before you open it and refill, which can take 5 mins or so. If you want more than a single 45ml espresso, like say a double – then it becomes a slow and tedious process, not to mention needing more hot water to refill it.

Further to this, capsule coffee makers are not great for the environment, every espresso shot is more plastic in a landfill.

Even though this product is rated highly unless you just love a specific capsule flavour once in your day, this machine is not great for camping and there are better ones listed below due to the limitations (and waste) this machine produces.

GSI Outdoors Espresso Mini Coffee Maker

Here is a coffee maker that is worthy of a campsite – the GSI Outdoors Espresso Mini Coffee maker. It may be small, but the way it is designed to be used, it only takes 90 seconds for a double shot of espresso and can be reused immediately.

This means you can be churning out high-quality coffee every 2 mins and supply your whole campsite quickly and easily.

This mini coffee maker works easily enough, load in your ground coffee and stack it down, fill it with water and place it on a small hiking stove or gas burner. The coffee will take approx. 90 sec to heat up and you can then pour yourself a double shot that can be topped up with milk or more hot water if desired.

Customer reviews are all very positive and this coffee maker is small, light and durable – meaning it can be used for camping or hiking, for small groups or repeatedly with large groups.

It's only reported negative was the base is too small for many gas stoves, something that can be corrected easily enough by using a smaller stove or a metal grill to hold it in place. Well worth the purchase for easy and reliable coffee at your campsite.

AeroPress Portable Coffee Maker

Like the GSI Mini coffee maker, the Aeropress Portable Coffee Maker is a very worthy inclusion at your campsite. It too can produce quality coffee quickly and repeatedly, so whether you have two people or twenty, everyone can have a morning cup of coffee with no stress involved.

Unlike the GSI, this camping coffee maker produces filter style coffee instead of espresso shots and has a higher volume capacity of up to 3 small cups at a time, so realistically – two people should be able to have a coffee every 2 mins or so.

The AeroPress does require external hot water instead of heating it directly, making it very straightforward to use.

Customer reviews all love this camping coffee machine, with the only negative being if you run out of paper coffee filters. While not great for the environment, these filters do break down fairly quickly (or can be burnt) and ensure the coffee is smooth and tasty.

Definitely recommended as a camping coffee maker everyone can enjoy.

JetBoil Grande Silicone Coffee Press

Breaking the mould of camping coffee machines or makers, the JetBoil Grande Silicone Coffee Press is a high quality, durable and flexible piece of camping hiking equipment. It is essentially a silicone press or plunger that can be used directly with JetBoil stoves, or with any large-sized cup up to 1.8 L.

This means you can conceivably make almost 2 litres of coffee in one go, perfect for a group around a campsite!

If not using the JetBoil compatible stoves, then all you need is hot water in your cup, mixed with the amount of coffee you desire, brew, and then when you are happy, insert and push down the press and boom – a large amount of coffee is ready to go.

Of course, you don't have to make 2 L at a time either, but it does have the flexibility to make the amount of coffee you need for you and your group. It can also, in conjunction with a JetBoil stove, work as a steamer for cooking vegetables which is a great added bonus.

This product is very new and there are very few reviews at this point, however, we believe this is an amazing little lightweight device that can be used at campsites or on the move on a long hike.

Sea to Summit X-Brew Coffee Dripper

While this coffee maker may not be able to supply the whole campsite as quickly and as easily as some of the other models, the Sea to Summit X-Brew Coffee Dripper is the perfect little coffee maker for a small group on the go.

It is especially suited to hiking and trekking as it’s easy to use, practically weighs nothing and packs down to almost nothing.

You can have 2 cups of coffee in a few minutes with relative ease provided you have an external hot water source. It is small and silicone so making say, 10 batches in a row for an entire campsite is doable, but not optimal.

But no matter, it can still be done if needed, however this unit really shines with small groups out on a trail who want a cup of coffee.

Customer reviews are overly positive and mostly by people who have taken this out hiking or trekking for a few days at a time. Given its price tag of under $25, its durability due to being made of silicone and the absence of needing capsules or filter paper – you can’t really go wrong with this little brew dripper.

What To Look For When Buying Camping Coffee Makers & Machines

Most people who love coffee will want to have more than one while camping. The easy option is to just bring instant coffee, and sometimes that would be best – however if we can have a decent espresso or filter coffee, why wouldn't we?

Camping Coffee Makers and Machines FAQ

Can you get a 12V coffee machine?

Yes, you can, but we have chosen to not review them here as often they are home coffee makers with an adaption for use with a battery. Certainly, if you have a motorhome or a caravan and have the space for it – there are electrical coffee machines on the market.

They are often very expensive in comparison to the more camper friendly machines and makers we have listed above, often require capsules or pods and can drain your batteries if you are not careful.

Given that all you really need is either external hot water that's run through a filter or a dripper for good coffee - we generally recommend steering clear of the expensive 12V machines.

For more coffee maker options, check out this podcast by Snowys.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to camping, we often want the comforts of home, but we also want to rough it a little. With the exception of the Wacaco Minipresso, the other four coffee makers will produce quality coffee quickly, which can be done repeatedly for larger groups with easy clean up and little impact on the environment.

Whichever way you choose to make coffee for you and your friends, you really can't go wrong with a direct heat, filter or drip machines like the GSI, AeroPress, JetBoil and Sea to Summit models for your next camping trip.