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Having coffee in a van is a must. It’s the slow morning, sipping on a cup of joe in a new place each day that drives people to love van life. But not all campervan coffee makers are good for life on the road. A campervan coffee maker must be quick to clean, easy to use, small, and something that uses only a tiny bit of energy.
Here’s a list of the best camper coffee makers on the market. We’ve ordered it in our list of favorite campervan coffee makers, to the least favorite.. all of which are great for van life!
The Best Campervan Coffee Makers
Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker | grab yours here
Is it possible to have a GOAT camper coffee maker? If so, this is it! This is hands down, by far, the best campervan coffee maker of all time. It’s compact. Requires little to no clean-up. Has zero trash waste. And makes the cutest little coffee cake to compost wherever you are in nature! The Aeropress Coffee Maker can be used to make a proper full cup of coffee or just a quick and easy espresso on the go.
The flavor is always good, and it’s so easy to use, it’s nearly foolproof! We’ve had our original Aeropress since getting married, and have gotten so much use out of it in the past 8 years. It’s our go-to travel/backpacking coffee maker, and the best one for the camper too!
Don’t forget to grab a reusable coffee filter to go with your Aeropress! This is the one we use!
Pour Over Cone | find it here
We use a big glass pour over daily (discussed below), however, that’s not really the best thing to have in the van, as it’s completely glass and easily breakable. So this pour over cone is the second-best way to enjoy a pour over while in a campervan. Making a pour over coffee in the van is like going to a coffee shop and getting a drip coffee. If you have an unlimited amount of water, we recommend getting this pour over cone, as you’ll have zero trash waste with it.
However, if you need to watch the amount of water you use, we recommend this pour-over cone, with these paper filters. Using the paper filters, you can still dump the coffee grounds for compost out in nature, then just have the filter in your campervan trash.
Percolator Coffee Pot | find it here
Growing up, my dad always brought his percolator camping with us. It’s an easy way to make coffee over a fire, and when you don’t have a fire, don’t worry, it’s easy on a stove too! The Percolator Coffee Pot keeps all the coffee grounds in one little cup/tray, so all you do is compost the used grounds, give the little tray a swish of water, and you’re good to go!
The Percolator Coffee Pot is super nice because you can choose how strong your coffee is, by letting the water recirculate over the beans for longer if you want your coffee stronger!
Moka Pot | find it here
The Moka Pot is for coffee lovers that want something as close to an espresso as they can in a van without having an actual espresso machine. Moka pots remind me of percolators in the shape and general look of the coffee maker, however, the flavor is so much more bold compared to anything I made with a percolator… probably because I’m not patient enough to keep the coffee brewing with the percolator! haha.. Anyways, if quick, thick, and espresso like coffee is your jam, the moka pot is for you.
Like everything on this list, the clean up is real easy with the Moka Pot, as the coffee grounds stay in one little cup, easy to compost and rinse. No trash with this campervan coffee maker!
Pour Over | current prices here
It legitimately pains me to have the Pour Over so far down on the list of best campervan coffee makers. I’m legit sitting here drinking my favorite coffee brewed with our pour over, thinking how sad it is that we probably won’t be having our pour over in the van. The coffee is divine, the cleanup isn’t too bad, but the actual coffee maker itself is far from being campervan friendly.
The pour over is made of completely glass, with only a cork or plastic hold around the neck, so we sadly can’t recommend having this in your campervan. Can you do it.. sure! Add a little protection around it and call it good. But the Aeropress (number one listed above) is far superior in the campervan world in our opinion, and tastes just as good, without the risk of breaking on you in the middle of the desert leaving you with no coffee maker at all!
French Press | find it here
Okay, full honestly here… I don’t really like French Press coffee.. as it’s a bit too oily for me. However, we use our french press occasionally, and it’s nice for here and there. Aside from my bias opinion on it not producing the best cup of joe.. the French Press coffee makers are hard to clean!!
That’s the biggest turn-off for me when considering this as a camper van coffee maker! I’ve included it in the list because I know a lot of people like a french press for their coffee, and it is a nice coffee maker in the sense of being basically indestructible.
Campervan Coffee Maker Extras
Gooseneck Kettle | find it here
While gooseneck kettles are super cute, they aren’t necessary for everyone! You truly only need a gooseneck kettle if you’ll be using the pour over or pour over cone. Otherwise, skip the gooseneck kettle and save a bit of space in your campervan coffee kit!
Regular Kettle | grab one here
For the above mentioned campervan coffee makers, you really only need this kettle for the Aeropress and French Press coffee makers. Regular kettles are great, as they don’t have the extra long “neck” the gooseneck kettles have. Grab a small regular kettle for one, or a larger one for two people.
Thermometer | find it here
Maybe a little snooty patooty having a thermometer for your coffee water. But honestly, why not… That way you never have to have burnt coffee again!
Scale | grab yours here
Since purchasing this scale, our coffee game has been upped tremendously. Actually weighing the coffee grounds and the amount of water you put into your coffee makes all the difference from a good cup to a phenomenal cup of joe! This scale is super small and rechargeable! That’s a double win!
Airtight Coffee Container | find some here
Say goodbye to soggy coffee beans from your nightly condensation, and hello to beans that will last longer and taste better with an airtight coffee container. I’d argue these are a must if you deal with a lot of condensation when sleeping in the van. We’ve used old pickle jars, ice cream tins, and the like to store our beans.. really any container will work! Repurpose if you can!
Coffee Grinder | find one here
We have this Hario coffee grinder and absolutely love it. We love it so much, we did a full review on the grinder…. you can find it here. Buying preground coffee is a-okay… but having freshly ground coffee every morning truly ups the coffee game. And hey, what else do you have to do while you wait for your water to boil?
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