AeroPress Review: The Best Travel Coffee Maker for Camping and Outback Adventures
Why the AeroPress Is Perfect for any Adventure
If you’re a coffee lover who enjoys camping, road trips, or exploring the rugged beauty of Outback Australia, the AeroPress is hands-down the best travel coffee maker you can pack. Compact, lightweight, and incredibly durable, it’s built for life on the road and offroad, and it brews a cup of coffee that rivals your favourite café.
We’ve taken our AeroPress on countless adventures, from remote bush camps to dusty desert tracks, and it’s never let us down. In this detailed AeroPress review, we share why it’s our go-to coffee brewer for travel, how it performs in the bush, and why it’s a must-have for any coffee loving adventurer.
Built for the Bush
The AeroPress is made from tough, BPA-free plastic that can handle the rigors of travel. Whether it’s bouncing around in a drawer in your camper trailer or getting knocked around in the back of your rig, it holds up. We’ve used ours in the red dirt of the Simpson Desert, in the beautiful beaches of Queensland, and even in the remote African bush in Zimbabwe.
- Coffee Setup in the Bush in Zimbabwe
- Brewing Coffee Along the Zambezi River (Mana Pools NP)
- Making Coffee with the AeroPress in a Remote Camp in Zimbabwe
Compact and Lightweight
Space is always at a premium when you’re camping or touring. The AeroPress takes up barely any room and weighs next to nothing. It fits easily into your camp setup or even your glovebox. We of course store ours in our Underkover coffee canvas bag that houses all our coffee making gear. This bag is thrown between camper trailer, vehicle, and even our suitcases when travelling overseas.
Fast and Easy Brewing
When you’re waking up to the shrieks of sulphur crested cockatoos or watching the sunrise over the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert, the last thing you want is a complicated coffee setup. The AeroPress brews a cup in under two minutes, and cleanup is just as quick. No mess, no fuss, just great coffee.
Although we do complicate ours just a little, as we grind our coffee before we brew, some see this as a hassle, but they also seem quite quick to say “yes please” when the coffee is brewed.
Cold Brew Capability
Middle of summer and temps are rising! No worries. The AeroPress can also make a smooth, low-acid cold brew. Just use room temperature water, extend the steep time, and press as usual. It’s perfect for those sticky summer Queensland afternoons. However, a hot brew will always come out better, so a better option if you have ice, is to make it hot and then add ice and cold milk.
Our AeroPress Story: From the Outback to Africa
We’ve brewed AeroPress coffee in some pretty wild places. One of our most memorable experiences was taking it on a trip to Zimbabwe, Africa (quite recently – story coming soon). It performed flawlessly throughout the journey, but we didn’t return with it, because a coffee loving friend was so impressed, they insisted on keeping it! That’s the kind of impact this little brewer can have.
Back home in Australia, it’s been part of every major trip. No matter where we are going, the AeroPress is always within reach. It’s become a ritual: grind the beans, get the jet cooker going, brew the coffee, and take in our surroundings.
- Coffee Gear Store in the Underkover Coffee Bag
- Coffee Gear Stored in Underkover Canvas Coffee Bag
- Our "Permanently Borrowed" AeroPress Along the Zambezi River
How the AeroPress Works
The AeroPress uses a patented 3-in-1 brew technology that combines immersion, aeration, and pressure. This unique process extracts rich flavour without bitterness or grit.
Here’s how it works:
- Immersion: Coffee grounds steep in hot water, similar to a French press.
- Aeration: Stirring introduces air, enhancing smoothness.
- Pressure: The plunger pushes the brew through a paper filter, removing oils and sediment for a clean, espresso-like finish.
Brewing with the AeroPress (Standard Method)
- Heat water to 85°C, boiling your billy works just fine.
- Insert a paper filter into the cap (pour some hot water through the paper filter first) and twist it onto the chamber.
- Place the chamber on your camp mug.
- Add one heaping scoop of medium ground coffee.
- Pour water to the #4 mark.
- Stir gently for 3 seconds.
- Insert the plunger about ½ inch to create a vacuum.
- Wait 60 seconds.
- Press gently until you hear the hiss.
- Pop out the coffee puck, rinse, and enjoy.
Our Preferred Method: Inverse Brewing
We prefer the inverse method, especially when camping. It gives us more control over steep time and flavour extraction.
Here’s how we do this:
- Place the plunger on a flat surface and insert the chamber upside down.
- Add coffee then water and stir.
- Attach the filter cap (with paper filter).
- Let steep for 60–90 seconds.
- Flip onto your mug.
- Press gently until you hear the his.
- Enjoy a richer, more balanced brew.
TIPS – before placing the filter and cap onto the AeroPress, we like to pour a little hot water through the paper filter to remove any weird taste. You don’t have to do this; we have just always done this with any coffee brewing method that uses a paper filter. Like our Hario V60 at home.
Below we show you how we make coffee with our AeroPress. FYI – for demonstration purposes we used a clear glass and cold water to better visualise the process.
- Adding Freshly Ground Coffee to AeroPress
- Add Ground Coffee to AeroPress (Inverse Method)
- Stirring Coffee Brew with Provided Stirrer
- Top Up AeroPress with Water (Inverse Method)
- Run Water Through Paper Filter
- Screw on Filter Cap with Filter
- Flip AeroPress Onto Mug
- Push Plunger Until You Hear a Hiss
Grind Tips for the Perfect Brew
We use a Porlex grinder on the road, it’s compact and fits inside the AeroPress chamber if you have the mini. We prefer a fine grind for an espresso-style brew.
Here’s a quick guide on whether your grind is just right:
- Too easy to press the plunger: Grind is too coarse.
- Too difficult to press the plunger: Grind is too fine.
- Just right: Smooth press with some resistance and a rich flavour.
What’s Included in the AeroPress Kit
- Plunger
- Chamber
- Filter Cap
- Scoop
- Stirrer
- Paper Filters
You’ll also need a kettle or billy, a mug, and ground coffee or beans with a grinder.
If you don’t mind using a needle and thread, you can also make your own little pouch to store the paper filters as we have done. This was made using speaker box carpet, polyester thread, straps, double sided hook and loop.
- AeroPress Kit
- AeroPress Put Together for Packing
- AeroPress Plunger Fully Extended
- AeroPress and Porlex Pro Coffee Grinder
- Homemade Paper Filter Storage Bag
- Homemade Storage Bag for Paper Filters
Cleaning and Maintenance
After brewing, remove the filter cap and push the plunger to eject the coffee puck. Rinse all parts under fresh water. Use gentle soap every few weeks to remove oils and prevent staining. It’s one of the easiest coffee makers to clean, ideal for camping where water and time are limited. If water is being conserved, a simple wipe down with paper towel is all the AeroPress requires until you can give it a more thorough clean.
Final Verdict: The Best Travel Coffee Maker for Australia’s Outdoors
Whether you’re camping at Fraser Island, touring the Outback, or parked in between the dunes of the Simpson Desert, the AeroPress delivers. It’s rugged, reliable, and brews a cup that’s smooth, rich, and full of character, just like the landscapes we love to explore.
With over 55,000 five-star reviews across 60+ countries, the AeroPress has earned its reputation. For us, it’s not just a coffee maker, it’s part of the adventure.
If you’re looking for the best travel coffee maker for camping, caravanning, or exploring Outback Australia, the AeroPress is it. Highly recommended, especially with a coffee grinder to perfect that morning brew!
We did not receive anything to write this, we paid for our AeroPress and this is our honest opinion after years of use.
Our AeroPress Rating
For more coffee gear reviews, you can find them all here.
For other gear reviews, you can find them all here.
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Thanks for reading.
The thoughts of Peter.
