New Self-Contained Coffee Maker

Coleman® has launched their own self-contained coffee maker - no fire to start, no jockeying for room on the camp stove – just light the internal burner and let it do it’s thing.

I remember when Brunton® introduced the BrewFire™ back in 2008 and thought it was a great concept, at the time. No fire to start, no jockeying for room on the camp stove – just light the internal burner and let it do it’s thing. Now Coleman® has launched their own self-contained coffee maker and it is a lot cheaper than Brunton’s (now Primus™).

Coleman propane coffee maker with stainless steel carafe

Coleman propane coffee maker with stainless steel carafe

The Coleman looks like an effective unit, with a nice wrap-around windscreen in the back, and a stainless steel carafe. My current Coleman stop-top coffee maker has a glass carafe, that I have somehow not broken in three or four years, but a metal carafe makes a lot of sense. Coleman also offers a model with a glass carafe for $10 less.

As much as I am attracted to this self-contained concept, I am not sure I am willing to part with $80 or $90 just for that convenience. I have gotten a lot of use out of my $40 Coleman (I see they are now $50) and other than the glass carafe, there is really nothing on it that can wear-out or break.

It would be nice to free-up some space on the stove, but I am getting by with getting up a little earlier than everyone else (easy to do with my family 🙂 ), brewing my coffee and pouring a few extra cups into a Thermos® to keep it hot.

What are you currently using for brewing coffee at the campsite? Does a self-contained unit interest you?

17 thoughts on “New Self-Contained Coffee Maker

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  2. I have been using my old stainless steel percolator for years. Occasionally we will mix in a coffee press. I find the percolator brews a decent cup of coffee, but what wouldn’t be decent coffee since everything tastes better while camping.

    I might give this one a shot if I thought it might brew a better cup off coffee. Maybe I can add it to my new gear list for the summer. I have a toddler and we have our second girl coming in a month. It is going to be a busy summer but I plan on getting our new born out in the woods.

    Hopefully the toddler will step up to the challenge of being a big sister.

  3. Two things I’d rather not rough it over is my morning coffee and using my phone. This coffee maker looks GREAT! Now if someone can find me a way to keep my phone signal and battery charge when I’m in the wild, I’d be a happy camper.

  4. We’re looking to upgrade several of our camping accessories this fall and this is one thing I can’t wait to get my hands on!

  5. I brew coffee camping with several different devices. My favorite is a stainless moka pot that we found in a thrift shop while camping on the Oregon coast. It’s kind of like a mini espresso maker because the coffe is forced through the filter via pressure. They are made in Italy and require no filters. The coffee is always hot. I already had two of them at home but never thought about using one for camping! I recently bought a stainless French press from Bodum and it also makes great coffee. It’s a combination French press brewer and coffee travel mug. I always dump the coffee into another mug because it will continue brewing.

  6. I still love my enamel coffee pot but we bought this for hubby and he’s a HUGE fan of it. The fight for stove space ended up in my getting a second stove; now we have a stove for coffee and a stove for everything else. Probably a bit extreme but now everyone’s happy.

  7. Hi, Roy – We just use a Melitta filter and make individual cups, which is fine for a couple of grownups and anyone who wanders over in the morning. For a larger group I would still use a Melitta but just have a larger container for the coffee to drip into. We have been known to use large, plastic tupperware for this, but I don’t think that photo would make it into any magazines! 🙂 Maggie

    • I have used the Melitta and my biggest complaint about it is that on cold mornings, the coffee does not brew as hot as I like it. I like the fact that it’s unbreakable and very inexpensive.

      I still like a device like a stainless steel French press or a moka pot that requires no filters.

  8. I think I have the same Coleman one you’ve got Roy and we love it. I’d never thought of keeping the coffee hot in a thermos though. Great idea! I also recently purchased a Jet Boil system for backpacking and it has the coffee press attachment which is awesome! I’ve also done the traditional percolator which isn’t bad either. Don’t think I’ll be buying this new one but it sounds great.

  9. I’ve used the Coleman like yours for 6 years. Got mine for $12.50 clearence at wally world. Takes up a bit of space but makes great coffee!!!! Worth what they cost now if you ask me.

  10. We use the old blue-speckled perk-type on the campstove. Took awhile to get the composition just right, but it’s delicious outdoors on an early morning… just have to watch the last gulp for grounds!