9 Camp French Press Models for Amazing Camping Coffee

Photo credit: Maddy Baker via Unsplash

What is a Camp French Press?

The timeless, familiar glass French press coffee maker was invented nearly 100 years ago. It has always been known to make a dependably delicious, full-bodied brew, and it remains a stalwart in cafes and home kitchens alike.

The fully manual brewing process takes just a literal few minutes and yields a rich and aromatic, yet smooth, cup of coffee that you can easily customize to your liking.

For its many benefits, however, a traditional French press is far from ideal for camping coffee. Its bulkiness and almost ironic delicate materials are simply not well-suited to The Great Outdoors.

Thankfully, today there are many affordable, easy-to-use, and outdoor-appropriate alternatives. Modern French presses still incorporate the tried-and-true plunger system, but now in a streamlined design.

Typically made from stainless steel or hard plastic, today’s camp French press is lighter, portable, and more durable so you can toss it into your pack and forget it’s there until you need a caffeine fix.

How to Choose the Perfect Camp French Press

Although the models in this camp French press review share many similarities, they all fulfill slightly different brewing and camping needs and preferences.

To help you make a decision (and the best possible camping coffee, of course!), there are several things to consider and ask yourself before choosing a camp French press.

What’s the single most important feature to you?

Are you concerned with the weight and/or physical size of a camping French press? How important are brewing capacity, ease of use, and cleanup?

What will you use your camp French press for most?

The type and amount of camping coffee you make will be very different if you’re backpacking or solo camping, as opposed to car camping or brewing for a group.

How often will you use it?

Some people love their camping French press so much and find it so easy to use that they end up turning it into a daily coffeemaker in their home. Others are designed specifically for camping and the outdoors, and of course, you’ll favor very different feature sets between the two ends of the spectrum.

What size camp French press do you need?

Are you solo, or does everyone want a cup of camping coffee?

How’s cleanup and overall ease of use?

Let’s be honest: brewing camping coffee can be a hassle, and doubly so when it comes to cleanup. The last thing you want is a camp French press that requires a complicated setup or breakdown.

Camping French Press Reviews

Because we’re talking about a fairly simple, entirely manual coffeemaker, subtle design differences in camp French Presses result in vastly different brew styles and impact ease of use.

When so many models look (and often feel) nearly identical, how are you supposed to pick one that outshines the rest? We’ve put together this buyer’s guide to help you make a solid selection, even if you have limited French press or coffee knowledge.

In our camp French press reviews, we highlight all the little nuances ranging from the easiest to use to the one that fits most compactly in your backpack. We hope you find a clear winner. Cheers!

Stanley Adventure All-in-One Boil + Brew French Press

• • BEST FOR: Anyone interested in an all-in-one coffeemaking solution, car campers, and groups or those who drink a fair amount of coffee
  • FAVE FEATURES: The ability to boil water and brew coffee in the same camping French press, large capacity, and holds heat well
  • MINOR COMPLAINT: The cup sometimes takes some finessing to nest into the pot
  • LINK TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON

The Stanley Adventure All-in-One Boil + Brew comes with a hefty, well-insulated 32-ounce pot, brewing cup, and plunger — that all nest perfectly together. Its most significant “pro” is that large capacity; one pot covers a few people and you can easily and quickly brew more for larger groups. 

Stanley’s unique two-container system is also super handy and completely eliminates one step of the camp coffee-making process. With this outdoor French press, gone are the days of having to boil water separately! Seriously, I had no idea how nice this would be until we started using it.

Aside from making excellent camping coffee, the Boil + Brew also works perfectly for your other backcountry cooking needs. As another bonus, the inside is roomy enough to double as storage space for a backpacking stove, a few days’ worth of coffee, and a couple of utensils.

BruTrek Basecamp Coffee Press

• • BEST FOR: Folks unconcerned with weight/size, such as vanlifers, car campers, and glampers
  • FAVE FEATURES: Very well-insulated and extremely durable
  • MINOR COMPLAINT: Heavy, plus the plunger is sometimes tricky to press and (like many other outdoor French presses) pouring can be messy
  • LINK TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON

Like the Stanley Adventure Boil + Brew, the BruTrek Basecamp French press also has a large 32-ounce capacity. This brewer has a completely different design, however.

BruTrek’s patented “Bru Stop” filter completely stops the brewing process once you push the plunger down. If you’re a French press veteran, you may be all-too-familiar with that second cup of coffee being bitter, a result of over-brewing. Well, this genius little filter eliminates that! 

Several reviewers actually mention that they have a difficult time pressing the plunger, but we haven’t found that to be the case. It gives some resistance, sure, but no more than any other camp French press we’ve tried. 

The BruTrek Basecamp is also double-wall insulated, which keeps your coffee hot for hours, a notable “perk.” If you’re a backpacker or camping minimalist, you may want to choose another camping French press model: this one is bulky and nearly two pounds.

GSI Outdoors JavaPress, 30-ounce

• • BEST FOR: Backpackers and car campers alike; excellent all-around camp French press
  • FAVE FEATURES: Exceptionally well-insulated and a plunger that doesn’t allow grounds to pass through
  • MINOR COMPLAINT: The design of the pour spout means you have to pour slowly or deal with a mess, and we don’t love that the handle is sewn on rather than fixed
  • LINK TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON

Serious camping coffee aficionados needn’t look any further than the GSI Outdoors 30-ounce JavaPress.

The lightweight design is surprisingly rugged and makes a consistently great cup of coffee, so this camp French press is backcountry-ready and makes an excellent travel companion. We all know hotel coffee is blah (at best)!

The shatter-resistant plastic is super tough as it is, but GSI Outdoors upped the ante by wrapping it with a ballistic nylon cozy. Not only does this protect the JavaPress, but it also keeps the coffee inside warm for a long time and makes it easier to handle during the brewing process.

Another standout feature is the silicone-ringed plunger, which does a fantastic job of keeping grounds out of your cup.

Note: GSI Outdoors makes two other, smaller, versions of the JavaPress. The Personal JavaPress includes a nesting cup and press, and the Commuter JavaPress is an all-in-one camp French press and mug.

AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press

• • BEST FOR: Outdoor enthusiasts who also happen to be “coffee snobs,” as well as backpackers and solo campers
  • FAVE FEATURES: Makes superb coffee and ultra-portable
  • MINOR COMPLAINT: Only makes a small amount of coffee
  • LINK TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON

In a category all its own, the AeroPress Go has a cult-like following of avid outdoorsmen and coffee professionals alike. Every year, there’s even a World Aeropress Championship!

The AeroPress Go utilizes the same core press design as the iconic original, except it’s optimized for portability. Built from sturdy but lightweight plastic, its entire weight clocks in at only .7 pounds (including the cup!) and everything nests neatly into a tiny package.

With a unique vacuum press design, the Go is compatible with any grounds and the entire contraption is effortless to clean. You’ll likely also find yourself using it at home (the coffee quality really is THAT good!), making the value even more outstanding.

Brewing great camping coffee is easy with the AeroPress Go, but the sky is truly the limit in terms of versatility — just search Google or Youtube for “AeroPress hacks” or “AeroPress recipes.” You’re welcome.