“I made you some coffee” might be the best five words you could hear in the morning and it’s especially true at the campsite. The reason is that you probably won’t have a raging fire going to brew coffee over in the morning. And without a French press or the taste for cowboy coffee, you might not have a convenient system for brewing coffee. That’s why I recommend using coffee bags. 

A coffee bag — or camping coffee bag, as I like to call it — is essentially a tea bag but for coffee. If you want to make one, you’ll need a few things such as coffee filters, coffee grounds, string, and a pot to boil water. For these instructions, we’ll explain how to make camping coffee bags for a single cup of coffee. 

How to Make Camping Coffee Bags

If you’re like me and like to be efficient with your time, I like to start by putting some water over a fire and then assemble my coffee bag while the water boils. While you could try to get your fire going again, I like to use Zip Fire Cubes. They’re easy to use, don’t give off any scent, and they’re waterproof. It’s an easy way to make a small, contained fire. Now, here’s how to make it.

• Lay a coffee filter flat on a flat surface or hold it in your hand
• Measure finely ground coffee grounds for the amount of water
  • 1-2 tablespoons per cup of water
• Close up the coffee filter and tie it off with a piece of string

Now, that your water is ready, it’s time to use your camping coffee bag — or pouch. You’d use it as you would a tea bag. Just put the bag into your mug with part of the string dangling from the side and then pour hot water into the cup. You should allow it to steep until it’s as black as you like it, remove the bag, and enjoy.