A can of beans, will sit nicely on a cylinder, held in place by the spark-plug wire, on a hot day, will be nice & warm in a hundred + miles. The engine pulses even slowly rotate it as you go....Alas, this is defeated by air-cooling on the colder days.

Really Instant Coffee: If all you have is your instant coffee and a cup, here's how you make coffee. Locate empty wine bottle and two sheets of newspaper (Hey, I learned this from hobos,OK?). Put one cup of water in the cleaned out bottle, wrap bottle in one sheet of paper. Set fire to paper. When burned out, repeat with second sheet of paper. Pick up VERY hot bottle with gloved hand, swirl around and pour into cup with coffee. This works beautifully, I've tried it several times. File this one away; the good times ain't going to last forever....

Matt Parkhouse (Grand Duke of the Hobos, as appointed by Steamtrain Maury Graham, Himself, 1989)

Some of the big outfitters are selling stainless steel coffee presses. Campmor offers two sizes and one in a composite material, too. The smaller one is no larger than a good sized mug.

The French Press method of brewing coffee has two good features. First, it eliminates the risk of over boiling or burning the coffee, while yielding a rich tasting, full bodied brew. No more cowboy coffee!

Second, it frees up the camp stove sooner for other things. You just boil some water and transfer it to the press. The coffee brews off-stove. You save fuel, and you can get those noodles going while you enjoy your coffee.

Let's see, tonight I'll think I'll have the hazlenut ...

John Filak

I did away with Cowboy Coffee years ago when I spotted a 1-cup Melitta drip thing in the supermarket. It is nothing more than a plastic cone and ceramic mug. You just replace the ceramic mug with a good stainless steel camp mug. Since I grind my own beans at home anyway, I just carry some in a small container and some #2 paper filters. Boil water on stove, put the cone on the mug, pour H2O over the grind, and voila! Bennies: light, small, and GREAT coffee.

John Blatz, Kinderhook,NY

Boiling water in a cup + Foger Coffee Single [looks like a tea bag]. That will do until I can find a good place to eat my usual bacon & eggs, rye toast, a pancake or two, a small Danish and a good cup or two of fresh coffee! That's my idea of roughing it...

Larry Miller, Wallingford, VT

Love the French press myself but never have enough room traveling two up so I have adopted a different method. I take Folgers coffee singles in the teabags that you just dunk and brew. Then I bring a small container of Hazlenut creamer. It makes any cup of coffee taste like gourmet and the two items take next to nill room.

Bring plenty of the hazlenut creamer though because everyone will be clamoring for some once they smell your coffee.

Kent McDonald

"Man, dem bags do make good coffee..." Gary, Kaslo BC

Amen! My wife is an avid long distance hiker/camper and she introduced me to those little coffee/bag gems. Actually hiking/camping have lots of common ground. But you can't beat a really good restaurant breakfast when you're hungry. <BFG>

Larry

I don't do the grocery shopping so am not worldly and wise when it comes to knowing what's out there to buy. I've always bought instant, and never saw coffee bags until last fall in Utah when I met a very kind, generous fellow that was a Mormon. He was also an avid rockhound, and as it turned out we hit it off like a house afire. He took me over to his workshop and showed me his equipment, and gave me a bunch of beautiful stones and whatnot for keepsakes. He did a fair amount of camping out with his rockhounding, and while showing me his camping setup he said "You drink coffee right? You might as well take these (Folgers Coffee bags)." With most wonderous glee, and a twinkle in his eyes, he then said "If the wife catches me with these she'll skin me alive..."

Gary Weitz

<snip> but I've found that a dollop of blackberry brandy does wonders for your coffee and your psyche in the early morning.

Lee Freedman West Seneca, New York