Lightweight & Collapsible Pour Over Coffee Drippers 2026
Last Updated: April 28, 2026
By Alan Dixon
By Jaeger Shaw
The Best Portable Pour Over Coffee Drippers
These ultralight drippers are capable of making world-class coffee for backpacking, camping, and travel
Pour over yields the tastiest brew, and the best place to enjoy a cup of joe is in the backcountry. You know you want to make some great camp coffee, so which are the best lightweight and collapsible pour over coffee drippers? This first-of-its-kind buyer’s guide to ultralight drippers evaluates each model according to SCA Golden Cup Standards, in addition to backcountry-friendly features like collapsibility and weight minimization. We’ll give you the top performers but also a large number of well-known backcountry coffee brewers that did not meet our standards in testing and where they are deficient.
- The best pour over coffee dripper for backpacking is Zebrang V60 Flat + Hario V60 #2 Filters
- The best pour over coffee dripper for camping & travel is JavaFlex + Hario V60 #2 Filters
- See every component in our complete system to the Best Backpacking Coffee.
Rigorous Testing | Measured Extraction Levels | Taste Testing with High End Coffees
In researching for this buyer’s guide, we ran ten pour over coffee drippers through a gauntlet of rigorous analyses, including a precision refractometer to measure the coffee for proper strength and extraction levels. And of course taste testing with exceptional, single origin coffee beans from high-end coffee suppliers. Keep scrolling to grok the best drippers for backpacking and camping, as well as models that didn’t make the cut and why we excluded them. Jump ahead for pro tips.
Ranked criteria for assessing pour over coffee drippers for backpacking:
- Brews Coffee to Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) Golden Cup Standard*
- Lightweight
- Collapsible and Compact
- Durable and Stable
- Not Fiddly, Easy-to-Use
* When using properly ground coffee and using a correct technique/pour over recipe. See more…
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The Best Pour Over Coffee Drippers
- Editor’s Choice, Best for Backpacking: Zebrang v60 Flat + Hario V60 #2 Filter
- Editor’s Choice, Best for Camping & Travel: Java Flex + Hario V60 #2 Filter
- Top Pick, Ultralight: GSI Ultralight Java Drip + Melitta #2 Filter
- Top Pick, Collapsibility: Soto Outdoors Helix + Hario V60 #2 Filter
- Top Pick, Quality & Value: Hario V60 #1 + Hario V60 #2 Filter
- Top Pick, Supermarket Filters: Kalita Carita 102-D #05001+ Melitta #2 Filter
- Notable Accessory: Fire Maple Petrel Collapsible Pour Over Kettle
Comparison Table: Pour Over Coffee Drippers
Mobile users rotate device for full width table
| Make/Model | Price ($) | Weight (oz) | Material | Collapsible | Preferred Filter | Test Cup TDS %* | Test Cup Extraction %** |
| Zebrang V60 Flat | 24 | 2.5 | silicone | yes | Hario V60 #2 | 1.45 | 20.0 |
| GSI UL Java Dripper | 11 | 0.4 | polyester | yes | Melitta #2 | 1.47 | 20.1 |
| SOTO Outdoors Helix | 17 | 1.8 | steel | yes | Hario V60 #2 | 1.43 | 19.3 |
| Hario V60 #1 | 11 | 2.2 | plastic | no | Hario V60 #2 | 1.45 | 20.0 |
| Kalita Carita 102-D | 10 | 2.4 | plastic | no | Melitta #2 | 1.45 | 19.8 |
| JavaFlex | 20 | 5.0 | silicone | yes | Hario V60 #2 | 1.45 | 19.9 |
*TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids, which is a measurement of coffee strength (amount of coffee soluble compounds in the water). It’s expressed as a percentage with our target being ~1.45% or even bit higher.
**Extraction % refers to the percent of soluble compounds extracted from the grounds during brewing, with our target being 20-21%. This has an impact on the flavor of the coffee.
We prefer coffee on the strong end of the SCA Golden Cup Chart: aiming for 1.45% TDS or a bit higher, and 20% or more extraction — this reflects modern tastes for stronger coffee. But all these dripers are capable of brewing less strong coffee by adjusting grind, amount of water to coffee, and/or brewing time. [The Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) Golden Cup Standard is a set of guidelines for brewing high-quality coffee. The SCA is a nonprofit organization that establishes industry benchmarks for coffee quality and brewing.]
A refractometer device used to test for proper extraction levels
Editor’s Choice, Best Dripper For Backpacking
Zebrang V60 Flat Dripper
- Price: $24
- Weight: 2.5 oz
- Material: Silicone Cone, Plastic Base
- Preferred Filter: Hario V60 #2
- Tested TDS %: 1.45 | Extraction %: 20.0
Pros: Perfect coffee brewing. High capacity dripper, can brew for two or more. Correct coffee temperature. Easy to use. Light. Nearly indestructible. Compact storage, folds flat. Uses Hario V60 #2 filters for best brewing and easy LNT-friendly cleanup.
Cons: Not the very lightest dripper. Tip of the filter sits one inch below the top of the cup. Conical Hario fitters are not readily available at super markets.
The Zebrang V60 Flat is our top (reference level) backcountry coffee dripper to which all others are compared. In our testing, it brewed perfect coffee to SCA Golden Cup standards. In addition, this sturdy silicone dripper ticks all the other boxes — large, 2-person capacity, folds to a compact shape, reasonable cost & weight, durable, maintains correct coffee temperature, and its filters are strong & burst resistant. Its top notch brewing is no surprise, since it’s functionally identical to the 5x World Brewers Cup Championship winning Hario V60 #2 Dripper. (Zebrang is a subsidiary of Hario that focuses on outdoor products).
While Zebrang V60 Flat is the best all-around dripper, it does yield a few things to some other ultralight pour over drippers in this guide. It is not the lightest option, weighing in about an ounce heavier than some others. And the tip of the filter cone sits one inch (25mm) lower than the Standard Hario V60, or one inch below the rim of your mug. This is usually an advantage, keeping the bottom of the dripper cone in the warmed area inside the mug. But brewing larger portions into smaller cups may result in the bottom of the filter tip contacting the top of the liquid before brewing ends. This is solvable by ignoring the problem altogether, using a larger cup (16 oz volume recommended), or lifting the dripper up at the very end of the brewing. Finally, its conical Hario filters are not readily available at super markets.
Pro Tip for LNT: Hario filter papers are super rugged and do not burst when squeezed. This makes it easy to practice LNT by squeezing all excess coffee/moisture out of the filter/ground before putting them into a storage-baggie to be carried out. In comparison, most Melita, trapezoidal paper filters cannot be squeezed as they burst easily, spilling grounds everywhere.
Editor’s Choice: Best Dripper For Camping & Travel
The type of pour over coffee drippers you want for camping and travel are similar to backpacking. Collapsibility, functionality, and quality are still important, but weight minimization is less critical. While we researched and wrote this guide primarily from a backcountry perspective, one dripper clearly rose to the top from a front-country functionality standpoint.
Original JavaFlex
- Price: $20
- Weight: *5.0 oz
- Material: Silicone
- Preferred Filter: Hario V60 #2
- Tested TDS %: 1.45 | Extraction %: 19.9
Pros: Excellent coffee brewing. High capacity dripper, can brew for two or more. Easy to use with no assembly. Wide, stable base that also covers the top of mug retaining heat. Cone holds shape better. Indestructible. Uses Hario V60 #2 filters. Easy cleanup. Tip of the filter is level with the top of the cup, or 1” higher than the Zebrang. Collapses to reduce volume.
Cons: Heavy. Less compact that other collapsible drippers, even when folded in on itself.
The Original JavaFlex is another silicone dripper that is close in design to the World Brewer’s Cup Championship winning Hario V60 #2 Dripper. It’s no surprise then that the JavaFlex brews excellent coffee. And it has advantages vs. the much lighter Zebrang V60 Flat dripper. Primarily, the JavaFlex Dripper is nearly indestructible, easier to set up with no assembly required, holds its shape better, and is more stable. The base completely covers the top of the mug retaining heat for proper brewing temperature. And the tip of the filter is higher, level with the top of the cup. It’s also easy to clean. On the downside, while fairly lightweight, it’s still 2-3X heavier than the other drippers in this guide. And while it folds down, it is not nearly as flat as the Zebrang, or our any of the other collapsible drippers.
* Note: The Original JavaFlex does so many things well that we include in this guide despite it exceeding our weight limit. As such, it would be our top choice for a portable dripper to use for non-backpacking travel, car camping, and other coffee-on-the-go use cases. And for those not overly concerned with its extra two ounces, it is in all other ways is an excellent backpacking dripper.
Best Ultralight Collapsible Pour Over Coffee Drippers
These collapsible pour over coffee drippers also brew an excellent SCA Golden Cup Coffee while reducing weight and volume. But compared to our editor’s choice dripper, they brew coffee 10-15 degrees cooler due to lack of sidewalls, and because they do not cover the top of the mug to retain heat. Even so, the final cup of coffee is just around our minimum desired temp of 160F.
GSI Ultralight Java Drip
- Price: $13
- Weight: 0.4 oz (11g)
- Material: Polyester Mesh, Plastic Arms
- Preferred Filter: Melitta #2
- Tested TDS %: 1.47 | Extraction %: 20.1
Pros: Ultralight weight. Excellent coffee. Great Value. Super compact. Replacement cloth-mesh filters available from REI. Uses supermarket available filters.
Cons: Open design loses heat. A bit fiddly and delicate in use. May not clip on all mugs. Melitta filters are prone to bursting when squeezed.
At only 0.4 oz (11g) the GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip is the lightest dripper by a fair margin; the next lightest is three times heavier (albeit, only one extra ounce). Despite the low weight, it still delivers excellent, SCA Gold Cup Standard coffee when paired with a paper filter. And it’s a great bargain at only $11! Replacement cloth-mesh filter are available, although it’s so cheap you could also just replace the whole dripper. Compared to solid cone drippers (like the Hario V60) that cover the top of the mug, the GSI Ultralight Java Drip loses bit of heat due to its open, non-heat retaining design. But it sill delivers coffee at a good drinking temp. It’s major downside is that its plastic cup clips are a bit fiddly and wobbly, and could be broken if not treated with care. And the clips may not fit mugs with a very wide rim.
Pro Tip: While this dripper was intended to be self-filtering with a polyester mesh design, it actually works much better with a Melitta #2 paper filter. This does two things: Firstly, it slows down the drip rate for proper brew strength and extraction to SCA Golden Cup standard; secondly it makes cleanup and practicing LNT much easier – all grounds are contained in the filter without needing to be scraped or rinsed out.
Soto Outdoors Helix
- Price: $17
- Weight: 1.8 oz
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Preferred Filter: Hario v60 #2
- Tested TDS %: 1.43 | Extraction %: 19.3
Pros: Brews excellent coffee. Super compact. Easy to use. Durable. Weighs under 2 oz. Uses burst-resistant conical, Hario filters
Cons: Open design loses heat. Dripper tip sits well below top of mug.
If weight and compactness are high priorities, then SOTO Outdoors Helix is a standout that brews nearly as well as the award-winning Hario V60 (and variants). Easy to assemble and use, it makes excellent coffee and is exceptionally sturdy for an ultralight dripper. Soto Outdoors Helix is also LNT friendly due to using conical “Hario” filters that are strong and do not burst when squeezing liquid out of used grounds. Only downside is a bit of heat loss from the open structure, which results in lower coffee temperatures, and slightly inferior extraction.
Like the Zebrang, the tip of its filter cone sits 1.5 inches (40mm) below the top of the cup vs. than the Standard Hario V60 which stays above the rim. This is usually an advantage, keeping the bottom of the filter cone ensconced in the top of the mug. But in smaller cups with larger brew volumes, the top of the coffee may touch the filter tip before brewing ends. This is solvable by simply accepting it and ignoring the problem, using a larger (16 oz) mug, or lifting the dripper up and off the mug at the very end of the brewing. Finally, while the conical Hario filters brew the best coffee, they aren’t readily available in supermarkets, and must be ordered online
Best Rigid Lightweight Pour Over Coffee Drippers
In addition to brewing amazing World Brewers Cup Championship Coffee these, rigid drippers have advantages over collapsible drippers. They are super easy to use with no setup or takedown. Their rigid cones support and insulate the brewing coffee for better temperature control and optimal extraction. And they have bases that completely cover the top of the mug, warming the bottom of the dripper and keeping your joe hot in its mug. As such, they are worth serious consideration if you have a bit of room to spare in your pack. [Note: you can pack these filters in your food back with something like gorp, or granola filling up the filter cavity. In this case they do not take up that much room.]
Hario V60 #1
- Price: $11
- Weight: 2.2 oz
- Material: plastic
- Preferred Filter: Hario V60 #2 (not #1)
- Tested TDS %: 1.45 | Extraction %: 20.0
Pros: Perfect coffee brewing. Low cost. East to use — no setup or takedown. Light. Nearly indestructible. Keeps coffee hot during brewing. Uses Hario V60 #2 filters. Easy cleanup and LNT.
Cons: Not compact.
A 5x World Brewers Cup Championship winning dripper, the Hario V60 without question makes amazing coffee at home or in the backcountry. It’s lightweight and has almost every other desirable attribute of a backcountry pour over dripper. The only thing holding it back from our Editor’s Choice is that it isn’t collapsible. That being said it does have advantages vs. more compact drippers in this guide. Its super easy to use with no setup or takedown. And it rigid cones supports and insulates the brewing coffee for better temperature control and optimal extraction. It’s base is super stable and completely cover the top of the mug. This warms the bottom of the dripper and keeps your coffee hot during brewing.
Pro Tip | Go Up a Filter Size: You can easily use the next filter size up in most drippers, e.g. put Hario #2 filter papers in the smaller Hario #1 dripper. This saves weight and volume on the dripper. But still allows you to brew #2 volumes of coffee (enough for two people). Turns out the filter paper sticking out above the dripper works just fine.
Kalita Carita 102-D #05001 Plastic Coffee Dripper
- Price: $10
- Weight: 2.4 oz
- Material: plastic
- Preferred Filter: Melitta #2
- Tested TDS %: 1.45 | Extraction %: 19.8
Pros: Great coffee brewing. Low cost. East to use — no setup or takedown. Keeps coffee hot during brewing. Uses supermarket available “Melitta-style” paper filters
Cons: Not compact. Melitta style filters burst easily.
Kalita Carita 102-D #05001 is our choice for a lightweight dripper that uses the more common, supermarket-available, trapezoidal “Melitta-style” paper filters. It has similar performance and design to the Hario V60, and can easily make SCA Golden Cup Coffee. It also has almost all the advantages of the Hario V60 including, ease of use, and keeping brewing temperatures hot. Downside is that the “Melitta-style” filter papers are delicate and prone to bursting when squeezing out the last bit of coffee before storing them in a bag to carry out.
Fire Maple Petrel Collapsible Pour Over Kettle
- Price: $35
- Weight: 4.5 oz
- Capacity: 11.8 oz
- Material: Anodized aluminum
Pros: Only way to bring a goose neck into the backcountry. Collapses down small. Ultralight. Heat exchanger base boosts boiling efficiency.
Cons: Supplemental pot, this will not replace your primary pot. Low volume is too small. Narrow spout restricts flow, limits ability to agitate grounds.
The Fire Maple Petrel Kettle is a great way to level up the quality your backcountry coffee for not much extra bulk or weight. Unlike traditional cook pots, which deliver a sloshy inaccurate pour, the Petrel’s gooseneck offers professional-grade accuracy to create that perfect circular motion. To store it in your backpack, unscrew the goose neck spout and unclip the handle; then nest the extremities into the kettle itself. Despite the portability and niftiness, there are drawbacks. Mainly, the 11.8 oz volume feels slightly too small, especially if you want to brew a larger cup or for two people at once. The spout is also quite narrow, and may not be able to agitate the grounds much, if desired. Notably, this a connoisseur’s choice, not something we’d recommend as part of your everyday backpacking kit. It is also a supplemental item; too small and specific to replace your primary cook pot. Our wish list for Fire Maple would be to add the gooseneck port to a regular pot so it can do both jobs, or make this one larger.
Zebrang V60, locked in and ready to brew
7 Popular Coffee Makers That Didn’t Make the Cut
And why they’re worse for backpacking than our preferred pour over coffee drippers
AeroPress
Why we don’t recommend it: While we prefer pour over to AeroPress, we acknowledge that it makes good coffee. That being said, the fact that it weighs 12 ounces and does not collapse categorically eliminates it from backpacking consideration. Pour over is just as good if not better, and the components to make it are lighter, more compact, and less expensive. For use in the backcountry, pour over is better than AeroPress.
Miir Pourigami
Why we don’t recommend it: Despite a super cool aesthetic, and the fact that other reviewers gave it an editor’s choice award, we aren’t impressed by the Miir Pourigami, and explicitly recommend against it from a backpacking perpsective. For starters, the stainless steel body weighs 6.24 ounces, 2-4x the average weight of the pour over coffee drippers in this guide, and 2.5x heavier than our top pick the Zebrang V60, which also collapses flat and is easier to assemble. In cold weather, the stainless steel Pourigami will leech more heat from the coffee than plastics or silicone, degrading the extraction process. And it does not cover the top of the mug letting more heat escape. Furthermore, it lacks a ribbed interior, which has potential slow the brewing process beyond its optimal pace.
French Press Pot Attachments
Why we don’t recommend it: From a quality of coffee, convenience in the backcountry, and leave no trace standpoint, we prefer pour over drippers to French press, and components like the Jetboil French Press Plungers (altho we do acknowledge that pressing has it’s fans for the flavor of oils retained oils retained in this method). But with pour over, simply pull out the used filter, squeeze it to remove any remaining liquid, and dispose of it in your trash bag to be carried out. But what do you do with leftover French Press grounds? It’s always a mess to scrape them out of the bottom of the pot. Because they cannot be squeezed, they will be wetter and heavier than spent pour over grounds contained in a paper filter. Lastly, some small amount of grounds will still be hanging in the pot, which then requires rinsing, which will inevitably land up in nature instead of carried out.
Vargo Titanium Travel Coffee Filter (by extension coarse mesh filters)
Why we don’t recommend it: The Vargo Titanium Travel coffee filter is an attractive option because it’s ultralight and does not require paper filters. However it’s expensive and it leaves much to be desired in the brewing department. The coarse titanium mesh design drains too quickly and does not hold heat well, yielding weak, under-extracted coffee. This cannot be fixed with a finer grind. Furthermore, the small diameter dripper cone requires careful pouring to keep flow into the center of the grounds and to avoid overflowing. Not only do we recommend against this unit, but by extension, coarse mesh filters in general brew inferior coffee to paper filters. For good reason, you won’t see many, if any coarse mesh filters winning a SCA Golden Cup award. And of corse this uninsulated design that does not cover the top of the mug loses tons of heat.
MSR MugMate
Why we don’t recommend it: The MSR MugMate does not brew respectable coffee. First and foremost, there is little control over brewing/extraction. Since the entire brewer sits below the top of the mug — about halfway through the pour, the coffee in the cup reaches the bottom of the filter essentially stopping the dripping through the grounds. Its small diameter requires careful pouring to keep flow into the center of the grounds and to avoid overflowing — difficult to do with backcountry pots. To make things worse, the grinds and MugMate filter extend well into the cup taking up a lot of volume and leaving little room for your final brew — when you take the MugMate out you might only have half of a mug’s worth of coffee. Its small size makes it only suitable for solo coffee, while most of our other droppers can brew for one or two. Finally, as with all metal mesh filters, there is a messy cleanup process, and LNT issues with rinsing out the last of the grounds.
Suluk Kapik 46
Why we don’t recommend it: We really wanted to like the Suluk Kapik 46 dripper, because it seems like Miir Pourigami for 25% of the weight. It’s ultralight, made of titanium, looks super cool, stores flat, and works with Hario #2 filters. But it has numerous downsides. First is its high cost (up to 4x higher) vs better performing drippers of the same or lower weight, e.g. Soto Helix or GSI Ultralight Java Drip + Paper Filter. It also has a lower brew/cup temperature vs top notch drippers (about 10F less, probably due to the heat-dissipating-fin nature of the titanium panels). Lower brew temps result in lower extraction and a slight reduction in flavor, especially for the light roast coffees we prefer. Finally, it’s difficult to assemble and when stored it has a lot of points and sharp edges that limit how and where you can store it in a backpack (we suggest you put it in a protective baggie away from your inflatable sleeping pad).
Fino Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Filter Cone Number 2
Why we don’t recommend it: Sometimes it pays to get a name brand. The low cost, Amazon favorite (4.5 stars, 8,436 ratings) Fino Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Filter Cone Number 2 looks very similar to our top pick Kalita 102 dripper, but is larger and heavier. In addition it came with an off smell that we could not wash out. And that smell transferred to the coffee flavor — easily detectable on the first sip. Even without the smell it would not be a top pick.
What To Look for in Pour Over Coffee Drippers for Backpacking
Brews coffee to the SCA Golden Cup Standard
This is a brewing technique that results in an SCA Golden Cup. Our target is a cup with 1.45% TDS or a bit higher, and 20% or more extraction — this reflects modern tastes for stronger coffee. We also want a final in-cup temperature of at least 160F (70C). Bad technique = bad coffee every time! [Note: many coffee specialty shops have some excellent brewing recipes for a starting point.] We hold our pour over drippers to the highest possible standard, and will recommend nothing less than that which is capable of brewing an SCA Golden Cup.
Desirable Characteristics of Pour Over Coffee Drippers For The Backcountry
- Uses paper filters, not mesh (Hario V60 #2 preferred)
- Restrained output for proper flow rate (3-4 minutes to complete pour over)
- Ribbed interior surface (prevents filter from sticking to interior sidewall)
- Insulating, full sidewall coverage between filter and outside air (non-metal preferred to retain more heat)
- Base of dripper covers top of mug to retain heat
- Test brew meets SCA Golden Cup standards
Desirable Characteristics of Pour Over Coffee Drippers For The Backcountry
- Lightweight (1-3 oz) or Ultralight (<1 oz)
- Collapsible, ideally collapses flat
- Sufficiently sturdy and durable
- Not overly fiddly, minimal set up time, easy to use
The Five Things that Matter Most To Backcountry Coffee Brewing
Coffee Beans and Technique Matter Most! In our testing we were able to consistently make great coffee to SCA Gold Cup Standard with many (but not all) of the coffee drippers we tested. What mattered most for making good coffee was in order of importance:
- High Quality Coffee Beans, Correctly Roasted. Bad beans = bad coffee every time. We strongly prefer light roast, and suggest you go no darker than medium-light roast. We discourage you from choosing dark roast coffee. First, because it tastes burnt obscuring all those lovely flavors of a high quality bean. Second, dark roasts get stale much faster which matters in the backcountry.
- Properly ground with a burr grinder. Use a burr grinder at home, the day before your trip, to have consistently correct particle size and avoid dusty fines that can result in bitter, over-brewed coffee. Grind them to the correct size, aiming for whatever fineness that has your dripper draining out in 3-4 minutes. We recommend a Baratza Encore grinder, set in the 13-16 range.
- 15 to 1 Ratio: For every gram of ground coffee, use 15 ml of water. Ex. for 20g of coffee you would use 300 ml (10.2 fl oz) of water.
- Proper Pour Over Technique: Using very hot (just off boil) water make around four separate, timed pours in a circular motion, concentrating your pouring over the middle of your grounds — avoid pouring on the sides of the dripper. Do not pour the full amount of water all at once into the dripper! Coffee should fully drain in about 3-4 minutes. [The fineness of grind will be the major factor determining drain time].
- Keep Things Hot: Coffee extracts the best, and tastes best, when brewed at near boiling temperatures (and most folks are not fond of a lukewarm cup). Keeping brewing temps hot is a challenge as many backcountry mornings are cold and things cool quickly. There are a number of ways to solve for this. If you’re expecting cold weather, avoid collapsible drippers without full sidewalls (ex Soto Helix). Use a pot with a neoprene sleeve. Bring your water back up to boil in between the second and third pour.
Pro Tips & Other Pour Over Dripper Considerations
Our Complete System for Backcountry Coffee
For a complete explanation of the system and how to use it, hop over to our guide for the best backpacking coffee. But in short, here are all of the components:
- Zebrang V60 Flat Dripper
- Hario V60 #2 Paper Filters
- Snow Peak Titanium Double Wall 450ml Mug
- Mug Lid from Klean Kanteen
- Firemaple Petrel G2 Pot
- MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove
- Smell-proof Mylar Bags for storing grounds
- TOAKS Titanium Long Spoon
- Masetri House Digital Scale (at home)
- Baratza Encore Burr Grinder (at home)
Powdered Heavy Cream
For those who prefer cream in their coffee, we recommend powdered heavy cream. It’s highly packable, calorically dense, and can easily be added to other meals to increase flavor and richness. We recommend it very highly, even if you don’t use it for coffee.
Store Grounds in a Resealable Smell-Proof Mylar Bag
We use these smell-proof, resealable mylar bags to store coffee grounds. Pack one for fresh grounds, and one for used grounds. The 5×8 size is large enough for short trips and solo use, upsize to the 6×9 for sharing or longer trips. Each bag weighs only 0.3-.4 oz. Grounds are incredible smelly, capable of flavor-tainting surrounding gear and food in your pack, so smell-proofing is incredibly important.
Paper Filters vs Mesh Filters Pits LNT Against Lower Carbon Emissions
Now here’s an interesting philosophical dilemma that pits LNT against reduced carbon emissions. The disadvantage to paper filters is that they are single-use, require shipping, plastic wrap, and other wasteful practices that contribute to global carbon emissions. But the upside is that, in addition to improving the quality of your coffee vs mesh filters, they make practicing Leave No Trace incredible easy. Once you’re done brewing, simply extract the filter containing the grounds from the dripper, give it a light squeeze to remove excess liquid, and plop it into your garbage bag to be carried out and composted at home. The Hario V60 #2 is our preferred paper filter for both brew quality and burst-resistance while removing from dripper and squeezing.
On the other hand, mesh filters like this Vargo Titanium model are reusable and eliminate the need for paper filters. However, they leave a huge post-brewing mess that drastically increases the likelihood of used grounds ending up in the backcountry and running afoul of LNT best-practices. While you can scrape most of the used grounds from a mesh filter into your garbage, this process is messy, likely to get all over your hands, and some grounds will inevitably be left over and require rinsing to complete the job. The run off a filter rinse inevitably results in grounds being left in the backcountry, or even worse, into a body of water. Grounds are acidic, which is bad for the ecosystem, and an incredibly smelly animal attractant.
While neither solution is perfect, we paper filters because they make practicing LNT easy, and improve quality of coffee.
Conclusion to Lightweight Pour Over Coffee Drippers
Thank you for reading this guide, where we to have improved the quality of your coffee while decreasing the weight of your pack. When paired with high quality, properly ground beans, lightweight pour over coffee drippers can brew to the SCA Golden Cup standard in the backcountry. So ditch that acrid Starbucks Via, and settle for nothing less than delicious camp coffee.
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Hello
I just wanted to let you know that you have a decimal error, in the table, on the weight, with the GSI Ultralight Java Drip Coffee Maker.
Cordially, Craig
Great catch! Just corrected it.