Coffee on the Road – 8 Camping Coffee Makers in Review

Espresso at the touch of a button, a full barista workflow on the camping table or a classic moka pot? There have never been more ways to make coffee on the go. We reviewed eight camping coffee makers and can reveal the strengths and compromises behind the different concepts.

This article is part of our Coffee Special, full of product tests, exciting insights and some valuable new perspectives on coffee. Curious? Then take a glimpse!

It’s just after seven. Your face is still tucked in under a sleeping bag, a gas stove is hissing somewhere nearby – and someone asks the morning’s most important question: “Is the coffee ready yet?” Camping coffee used to mean instant. Or perhaps a little Bialetti moka pot. Today, the market is booming, with camping coffee makers ranging from €25 to well over €500. And this is no longer just about traditional camping. We want our own coffee in the van, hotel room, holiday apartment, office, on a road trip or by the lake – anywhere filter coffee from a flask, coffee from a vending machine or instant simply won’t cut it.

Coffee lovers’ preferences have become incredibly diverse, and so has the range of coffee makers for travelling. Our test field reflects those very different demands. But all eight devices have one thing in common: they’re for people who don’t want instant coffee on an outdoor trip, but a freshly prepared drink – whether that’s moka, French press coffee or espresso. This also means that every model in our camping coffee maker group test demands at least some willingness to put more effort into your cup than you would with an instant product or coffee brought along in a flask.

We assessed all eight camping coffee makers according to the same practical questions. Alongside their general suitability for camping, we focused on two things – not which coffee tasted best, but

How well does the device fulfil the manufacturer’s promises?
Who is that promise actually right for?

Table of Contents

• The Right Camping Coffee Maker Depends on How You Camp
• The Test Field at a Glance – 8 Ways to Make Coffee Outdoors
• How We Reviewed the Camping Coffee Makers
• Which Camping Coffee Maker Is Right for Whom?
• Tops & Flops
• Best in Test, Best Buy and Last Place in Our Camping Coffee Maker Review
• What We Learned From our Camping Coffee Maker Review
• Conclusions

The Right Camping Coffee Maker Depends on How You Camp

Before scraping together your savings for the most hyped product on the market, it’s worth considering what actually matters to you when making coffee on the road. The best camping coffee maker isn’t necessarily the most expensive or technically elaborate one. It’s the one that suits your outdoor routine and the conditions you’re travelling in. As with most things in life, there’s no single portable coffee maker that works best for everyone.

The key questions:

• Are you bringing a stove?
• Do you want battery-powered convenience?
• Are you travelling alone or as a pair?
• Is flavour, speed or simplicity most important to you?
• How much extra kit are you willing to carry?

Once you’ve answered those questions, our review will help you decide which camping coffee maker is the best match.

The Test Field at a Glance – 8 Ways to Make Coffee Outdoors

Classic gas-stove brewing, manual machines that require hot water or self-heating portable espresso makers – there’s no shortage of systems promising the perfect coffee moment. These are the machines included in our camping coffee maker review:

Manufacturer	Model	Category	Weight in g	RRP
9Barista	Stovetop Espresso Machine Mk.2	Stovetop espresso maker	1.860	560€
AeroPress	Go Plus	Pressure coffee maker	560 (with Travel System)	99,90€
Bialetti	Moka Express	Moka pot	530	29,90€
Ciarra	BloomBox	Electric espresso maker	1.640	89,99€
Flair Espresso	Flair 2GO	Manual lever espresso maker	1.670 (with Case)	169 US$
Handpresso	E-Presso	Electric espresso maker	625	137,84€
IKAPE	K2 Pro	Electric espresso maker	805	239,99 US$
OutIn	Nano	Electric espresso maker	650	149,99€

Camping Coffee Makers in Review: A Quick Introduction

 

 

 

 

Technical Specifications at a Glance

Manufacturer	Model	Pressure in bar (manufacturer’s claim)	Self-Heats Water	Max. Water Capacity (ml)	Max. Ground Coffee Capacity
9Barista	Stovetop Espresso Machine Mk.2	9	No	120	17–20 g
AeroPress	Go Plus	0,3 – 0,7	No	300	280 g
Bialetti	Moka Express	1,5 – 2	No	190	20–25 g
Ciarra	BloomBox	15	No	180	13 g
Flair Espresso	Flair 2GO	6-9	No	60	12–18 g
Handpresso	E-Presso	20	Yes	80	7–8 g
IKAPE	K2 Pro	15	Yes	60	18–20 g
OutIn	Nano	20	Yes	80	6–8 / 16–18 g

How We Reviewed the Camping Coffee Makers

To give you the most realistic impressions possible, we packed the vans and duffel bags and headed into the countryside with gas stoves, review machines and a lot of coffee. Ultimately, we judged each model by how well it fulfilled its own concept. However, the general review criteria were the same for all of them:

Design, Materials and Feel: How premium are the construction, materials and overall impression?

Usability, Brewing Workflow and Control: How intuitive is the preparation process? How much influence do you have over grind size, extraction and brewing?

Practicality in Everyday Camping: How well do transport, setup, packing away, cleaning and use on the road work?

Does the Machine Deliver On Its Promise? Does the individual concept meet the expectations created by the manufacturer?

We deliberately didn’t treat the flavour of the finished coffee as a universal criterion. Whether a coffee convinces depends not only on the machine but also on the beans, grind size, water, recipe and the user’s level of experience. Anyone keen to go deeper can learn more in our How to Espresso story and our visit to a coffee roaster.

We also avoided quoting exact heat-up times. Ambient temperature, the temperature and volume of the water you start with, and on some machines the brewing temperature or a preheated portafilter, all change long you wait. Rather than throwing laboratory figures at you, we describe the steps required before the first coffee is ready, giving you a realistic idea of the overall brewing time.

Which Camping Coffee Maker Is Right for Whom?

For Straightforward Coffee

In the morning, the coffee should land in the cup quickly, without lengthy setup, endless adjustments or complex accessories. These models rely on a simple workflow and still work when your caffeine cravings are stronger than your appetite for a barista ritual.

• AeroPress Go Plus
• Bialetti Moka Express
• Handpresso E-Presso

For Traditional Campers With a Stove

Anyone travelling with a gas stove or camping kitchen doesn’t need a self-heating machine. These models use hot water or direct heat and offer plenty of coffee potential with comparatively simple technology.

• Bialetti Moka Express
• AeroPress Go Plus
• 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2
• Flair 2GO
• Ciarra BloomBox

For Campers Without Mains Power or a Gas Stove

Not every adventure comes with a socket, gas stove or camping kitchen. These machines work independently and bring the water up to temperature themselves. Though, naturally, you’ll have to recharge the battery eventually …

• Handpresso E-Presso
• IKAPE K2 Pro
• OutIn Nano

For Coffee Nerds

Keen to experiment with grind size, extraction and brewing technique even when you’re travelling? These are the most exciting concepts in our comparison test of the best espresso maker for camping. They reward care and offer the greatest espresso potential in the group.

• 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2
• Flair 2GO
• IKAPE K2 Pro

For Two People or Bigger Groups

Making one espresso for yourself is easy. Preparing several cups in a row often requires time and patience. These models are particularly suitable when more than one person is waiting for that first coffee.

• Bialetti Moka Express, with versions for up to 18 cups
• AeroPress Go Plus, producing just under 300 ml of coffee
• IKAPE K2 Pro, producing two shots
• Ciarra BloomBox, producing a maximum of 180 ml of coffee

Tops & Flops

Tops

Flops

Best in Test, Best Buy and Last Place in Our Camping Coffee Maker Review

Best Buy: Bialetti Moka Express

Indestructible, dependable and always ready to go on a trip: few machines stand for uncomplicated coffee quite like the Bialetti Moka Express. Whether at home or at the campsite, it’s hard to go wrong with a Bialetti – unless you forget to pack a lighter. That much-quoted octagonal design has been making strong moka for nearly a century, and at €29.90, it remains accessible to most. This portable machine needs neither a battery nor spare parts, is ready in just a few simple steps and forgives beginners the occasional mistake. That combination of simplicity, reliability and a timeless concept makes it our Best Buy for anyone who wants good coffee on the road without a big production.

Read the individual review here.

Best in Test: AeroPress Go Plus

Few coffee makers have earned the cult following the AeroPress enjoys in specialty coffee circles. For 20 years it has run on a brewing principle that is simple to the point of elegance, producing excellent coffee with minimal effort. The Go Plus takes that formula on the road: the all-in-one system packs down entirely into its insulated travel mug, brews in a handful of steps and rinses clean just as fast. For anyone who prefers aromatic coffee to espresso, the Go Plus is the most versatile camping coffee maker in our test.

Read the individual review here.

Last Place: Ciarra BloomBox

The Ciarra BloomBox pursues a likeable idea: espresso at the touch of a button for vanlife, camping or the desk, with as little fuss as possible. Compared with the other machines in the test field, however, the concept falls short of expectations. Despite having a battery, the BloomBox can’t heat water independently, losing the very convenient advantage many people expect from an electric camping coffee maker. There are also compromises in espresso quality and temperature. For anyone already working with mains power or preheated water, the BloomBox provides a simple solution. In direct comparison, though, the competition offers more convincing overall packages.

Read the full review here.

What We Learned From the Camping Coffee Maker Group Test

There Is No Single Best Camping Coffee Maker

One finding stood out above all others: the best device depends less on price than on how and where you intend to use it. Anyone who wants an espresso as quickly as possible in the morning has different priorities from someone who sees brewing as part of the camping experience. There’s a world of difference between a €30 Bialetti and the €560 9Barista – yet either could be the right choice.

More Pressure Doesn’t Automatically Mean Better Espresso

Claims of 15, 19 or 20 bar look impressive, but reveal surprisingly little about what actually ends up in the cup. Grind size, dose, temperature and brewing method play roles that are at least as important as maximum pump pressure.

Convenience Costs You Control

The simpler the workflow, the less influence you generally have over the espresso. Pressing a button and drinking coffee works remarkably well today. But anyone who wants to actively control grind size, extraction and espresso quality will inevitably end up with a more involved system such as the Flair, 9Barista or IKAPE.

Read the Small Print

Not every promise means what you’d expect at first glance. Battery-powered doesn’t automatically mean self-heating. High pressure figures don’t guarantee better espresso, as explained above. And “camping espresso maker” can describe completely different concepts depending on the manufacturer. The Ciarra BloomBox in particular demonstrates why it’s worth checking the technical specifications carefully.

Freshly Ground Coffee Beats Capsules, Hands Down

Whether you’re using a lever machine, battery-powered espresso maker, French press or moka pot, freshly ground beans will usually deliver a noticeably better result. Capsules answer with convenience, cleanliness and repeatability.

Small Filter Baskets Set Clear Limits

Many portable battery-powered machines use very small filter baskets to save space. That leaves less room for a stable coffee puck and even extraction. Accessories such as larger baskets can make a surprisingly big difference. Our tip: before buying, check the manufacturer’s website to see whether one is available.

Conclusions

Camping coffee has grown up. A €30 Bialetti and a €560 espresso maker are worlds apart, and neither one wins on price alone. There’s a machine here for almost every kind of camper, and the question isn’t how much kit you can carry. It’s what you want your mornings to feel like. Because nobody ever remembers the perfect espresso. They remember the view, the cold hands, the first sip.

All camping coffee makers in review: AeroPress Go Plus | Bialetti Moka Express | Ciarra BloomBox | Flair 2GO | Handpresso E-Presso | IKAPE K2 Pro | 9Barista Stovetop Espresso Machine Mk.2 | OutIn Nano

Words: Felicia Nastal, Susanne Feddersen Photos: Tim Eckermann