Camping in the Fog – Veryan Camping and Caravan Club Site Cornwall
Camping in the Fog – Veryan Camping and Caravan Club Site Cornwall Read More »
Camping
Early morning at the camp site
it rained hard most of last night, so before getting up and seeing just how wet things are, it was time for tea.
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The view from our tents – Veryan Campsite
This is the view from our tents, where we are sitting out drinking tea, on the last weekend in October.
Veryan Camping and Caravan Club Site – Cornwall
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Camp tea
Last week the BBC weather forecast was predicting strong winds for this weekend – yesterday there was a breeze when we put the tents up. By the time we went to bed it was absolutely still. The same this morning my tent is not moving at all – no wind. It made it very easy to make my early morning tea. Unlike last year.
Tents up – Veryan Camping and Caravan Site
Set up – no rain – staff excellent here, they sorted out our favourite pitch. Now it is time for that tea my son promised me!
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REI Sierra cup and lid
I recently got an REI Sierra cup with a folding handle from the USA. It is a great, compact cup to take camping, but I was interested in getting a lid for it to add to the functionality and to keep the flies out of my tea.
I have had two lids made for me, one for my MSR titanium mug and the other for my Crusader mug.
I may get a custom lid made later, but for now I was looking for a purchased option.
The Sierra cup lid, because of the folding handle, needed to be an internal lid with no lip, or have a notch cut out of the lip for the handle. So what I needed was really just a metal disk with a hole for a handle drilled in it. On searching online I realised that the base from a cake tin with a removable base would be ideal, although I could not find one small enough in a UK shop. With that as a plan, I decided to visit some of the local kitchenware shops and in the second one, I went to, I found exactly what I needed.
This is the removable base from a 12cm cake tin, from The Range, with a hole for a wing nut and bolt.
REI Sierra Cup with a homemade lid
The lid sits neatly inside the cup rim as though it was made for it. Having a lid will make it more fuel efficient if I use the Sierra cup to boil water in. I am forward to testing it this weekend on a day walk on Sunday – I will boil the water for my tea break in it.
One small point: I had to use a file to smooth out a few sharp edges on the handle ends where the metal had been flattened to stop it pulling out.
This is not ultra lightweight backpacking kit but it is something I will be taking camping.
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Camp Coffee
How do I make camp coffee?
Camp coffee – I was asked last night, had I got a recommendation for a “camping gadget” for making fresh camp coffee when hiking or camping? I do have one, but my answer was unexpected. My friend was expecting me to recommend something from GSI or some other ultralight gear manufacturer. Instead I suggested a plastic tea strainer.
Here are some recent posts about camping coffee:
- Walking along the River Slea
- How to make camping coffee?
- Walking along the River Slea with lightweight gear
Here is a photo from a trip to Wales – fresh camp coffee whilst camping on the Welsh coast. I am dripping the coffee into some milk that I have already heated in my steel British Army Crusader mug.
The coffee filter
I use the tea strainer as a coffee filter. It is not as fine as commercial filters but it does a good job – but there will be a few grounds in the final brew.
It is very lightweight, simple to use and pack. It is also far cheaper than the commercial camp/backpacking coffee makers.
I chose a strainer with a plastic mesh because it is easier to pack, as it can be crushed, and it has a finer mesh than the metal models.
How I make camp coffee
I make my camp coffee in two ways:
Make in the pot method
I measure the grounds into cold water and then bring the mixture to almost the boil, stirring occasionally. I leave the coffee to stand for three or four minutes before gently pouring it into a mug through the strainer. I am careful not to stir up the grounds once they have settled. With this method I can make more than one serving of coffee and can make a stronger brew if I want.
Drip method
I pack the coffee into the strainer to cover the mesh and press it down firmly with the back of a spoon. I drip/slowly pour through, nearly boiling water. The strainer holds enough grounds to make one mug of coffee.
This method makes less washing up so is my favourite when wild camping.
Early morning coffee on the summit of The Old Man of Coniston – read the full story here.
My “coffee maker” is an essential part of my backpacking and camping cooking gear and I use it on most trips. I bought mine a few years ago and it cost 20p at the time. Asda and The Range sell suitable tea strainers, today, at about 50p. I’d recommend anyone to try one out before spending more money on a coffee gadget.
There are other coffee makers on the market!
Jeremy and I saw this portable coffee maker when we were in Truro last year. Click this link to read the blog post.
Fresh Coffee Update
To make packing easier I have cut the handle down on the tea strainer – see the story here.
Breakfast in bed – Scotland August 2016