oldjohnt Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Can anyone recommend a good 12 Volt say 3 or 4 cup Coffee Maker for dry camping use?? I've been using my big household maker ran off my Inverter (or at times the Generator) and sure, it works, but figure a smaller 12 Volt powered unit might be more efficient. I've read some BAD reviews but those may be from people who didn't run a good heavy hard wired 30 amp circuit to the coffee maker like I would. I sometimes use my old camp fire percolator over the stove but the wife says its too much trouble lol John T Currently "homeless" (if RV living don't count lol) having sold our home and farm after 39 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss owens Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Don't know if this will really help or not but we use single cup brewers and a tea pot. My DW did not care at all for the hassle of percolated coffee. When dry camping, we heat a water kettle on the stove and use these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PXLZTV6?psc=1 with #2 cone filters and really like the coffee. When plugged in to shore power, we use an electric kettle to heat the water and still make a cup at a time. We also use these at S&B instead of making pots of brewed coffee. Stan - So jealous right now. We have a few years to go before hitting the road full time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reed and elaine Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 The Aeropress coffee maker is an excellent way to make a couple of cups of coffee.https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/aeropress-coffee-maker Reed and Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbertalotto Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I use the Kureg Hotel Room coffee maker and run it off a 1000w inverter. Love it! Makes at least 6 cups of coffee a morning if my wife is with me. Uses only 750w. Takes 3 minutes a cup. Nothing to clean and each person get the type and brand coffee they like. Article here: http://rvbprecision.com/rv-projects/rv-coffee.html Quote RoyB South of Boston 2021 Dodge 2500 - 6.4L Forest River 19RR Toy Hauler Roofnest Falcon Rooftop Tent www.rvbprecision.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuneElliot Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Why not just use a French Press? Efficient and makes for better coffee too Quote 2007 Keystone Springdale 245 FWRLL-S (modified) 2000 F-250 7.3L SRW Cody and Kye, border collie extraordinaires Latest departure date: 10/1/2017 Find us at www.nomadicpawprints.wordpress.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I've looked at those from time to time. I've seen a lot of roadpro's in use and the power hunt is supposed to be one of the best single cup drippers (comes with battery cables as well) and puts out a cup in about 3 mintues. They take quite a bit of juice though. Probably not even close to what your house dripper pulls, but IIRC the roadpro runs at 15amps for 15min per 16oz pot of go juice. So... 3.75ah per pot. The power hunt runs at 25amps for 3min per 8oz cuppa. All in all it puts you ahead of the nuker or a S&B dripper and might work for a quickie no hassle cuppa, but I took a pass on them both. I dont' know about you and the Mrs., but a single hit 8oz cuppa just doesn't cut it for me. I figure if you're gonna make coffee MAKE coffee. My "go to" is a thermos vacuum insulated press. It'll make 34oz's and keeps it hot n'fresh for a good couple of hours so you can take your time of it. They really aren't that much work considering what you're getting out of it. Dump, rinse, repeat and if you don't want to grind your own beans a lot of grocery's that sell beans have grinders. I actually keep a little bag of store ground in the freezer for those times I'm just not feeling the grinder action. Be prepared though. The grocery grinders aren't always very consistent (aka. muddy coffee) and they get a lot of different types of beans put through them so the flavor can be a bit "off" from what you're actually buying. For short mornings and "on the go" I use this mug press. Most road side places have hot water available next to the coffee machines so you can just load your grounds, grab some free hot water and you're good to go. For cheap, convenient, energy efficient, on demand and not too choosy about your coffee... I think Reed has the right idea. Aeropress deal w/350 filters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 2 minutes ago, DuneElliot said: Why not just use a French Press? Efficient and makes for better coffee too Amen, sister! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuneElliot Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Just now, Yarome said: Amen, sister! The ironic thing is I don't actually care that much for coffee, but I still have a French Press since my parents had one, it takes up very little room and is light...and other people like coffee so I thought it was worth keeping. I wouldn't have kept a proper coffee pot. Quote 2007 Keystone Springdale 245 FWRLL-S (modified) 2000 F-250 7.3L SRW Cody and Kye, border collie extraordinaires Latest departure date: 10/1/2017 Find us at www.nomadicpawprints.wordpress.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I drink a pretty good amount of coffee every day, and don't like to go without it. We use a plain old $12 Mr Coffee 12-cup drip machine that has no bells and whistles, just an "On/Off" switch. When we're boondocking and/or don't want to run the generator or suck down the batteries, I just set the Mr Coffee up as usual, and then pour a pan of hot water from the LP stove into the top through the grounds basket. After it's done dripping, we store the coffee in an insulated "Airpot" that keeps it hot for hours. It's very low tech and easy to do, with no additional equipment needed. We do have a Melitta setup stowed away as an emergency spare, but the last time I saw it was when we moved everything from our old coach to our current coach. Years ago, we had a "Roadpro" 12-volt drip coffee maker in our Class C, and it brewed so slow that we almost needed to start it at bedtime so it would finish by morning. I donated it to Goodwill and bought the Mr Coffee at Walmart. Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat & Pete Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 20 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said: I drink a pretty good amount of coffee every day, and don't like to go without it. We use a plain old $12 Mr Coffee 12-cup drip machine that has no bells and whistles, just an "On/Off" switch. When we're boondocking and/or don't want to run the generator or suck down the batteries, I just set the Mr Coffee up as usual, and then pour a pan of hot water from the LP stove into the top through the grounds basket. After it's done dripping, we store the coffee in an insulated "Airpot" that keeps it hot for hours. It's very low tech and easy to do, with no additional equipment needed. We do have a Melitta setup stowed away as an emergency spare, but the last time I saw it was when we moved everything from our old coach to our current coach. Years ago, we had a "Roadpro" 12-volt drip coffee maker in our Class C, and it brewed so slow that we almost needed to start it at bedtime so it would finish by morning. I donated it to Goodwill and bought the Mr Coffee at Walmart. We have and do the same . Keep it simple . Life's to short . Quote Goes around , comes around . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Schneider Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 The problem with the 12 volt coffeemakers is there isn't enough energy available at 12 volts to get the water boiling ... only 1/10th as much heat as an equivalent amount of current at 120 volts. Three way refrigerators had the same problem, it took too much current at 12 volts to generate the amount of heat needed to run the absorption system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzwiss Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 X2. Or is it 3, for the Aeropress. IMHO there is no comparison between Aeropress and drip or pour over. Quote 2019 Airstream Flying Cloud 27FB 2011 Ford F350 CC SRW "Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." Will Rogers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemsteadc Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 Any sort of heating takes a lot of power, and the loss due to 'inefficiency' is negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted October 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 THANKS ALL those were a few options I wasn't aware of. The big 10 cup home coffee maker works off my 3 KW PSW Inverter but after running my extra 120 VAC fridge 24/7 and the CPAP and some furnace use at night I'm just looking for energy saving where possible in the AM till the sun shines. John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 I use a Bialetti Venus 6 (expresso) cup stovetop moka pot. I don't know anything about expresso. I use it to make 1 mug of FAH* coffee in 3 minutes on propane fire. Simple to clean and set up cup 2. Wants a fine grind but not fussy. Brews pretty much any grind you use. How a moka pot works If I have company my go to is French press, coarse grind 4 minutes brew time. More involved and needs more water to clean up for next round than the moka pot. Makes a little more fancy brew. I read a coffee snob blog where you get a better brew stirring with chopsticks cause they aren't stainless steel like the spoon I use. Neither needs electricity. * Floats a horseshoe Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemsteadc Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) 2 hours ago, noteven said: I use a Bialetti Venus 6 (expresso) cup stovetop moka pot. I don't know anything about expresso. LOL Edited October 18, 2017 by hemsteadc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockylarson Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 This is my go to coffee maker when electric is not available: Coleman Stove Top Drip Coffee maker Quote Jan and Rocky Larson, Volunteers, USFWS , 9,300 hours each. 29 refuges since 2006. 2 new each year. 2004 Allegro 30DA, Workhorse 8.1, Banks, 2012 Jeep Liberty, Blue Ox Aladdin, 300 watts solar, 5 Optima group 31 AGM's, 2000w PSW inverter Philippians 4:11-13 KJV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted October 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 1 hour ago, rockylarson said: This is my go to coffee maker when electric is not available: Coleman Stove Top Drip Coffee maker Rocky, I had already ordered one it arrives Friday..............NO ELECTRICITY, The wife thinks its easier then our old campfire percolator and she likes how it works same as our household unit (add coffee and water and set it on stove) and besides it will add a bit of heat to help take the chill off in the mornings. After reading the great responses above I arrived at the same conclusion here and the reviews that 12 volt units are slowwww and suck up a lot of battery power............ THANKS TO EVERYONE John T (Currently still in Indiana but headed to Texas) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Where in Texas are you going, John? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Mntom, It will mostly be in Austin where our daughter lives. Where will you be ??? John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Right now I am in Big Spring, possibly headed south to the Big Bend area for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 On 10/18/2017 at 11:04 AM, oldjohnt said: already ordered one it arrives Friday..............NO ELECTRICITY Ain't THAT spiffy! I've never seen one of those. You'll have to do a full review once you get your java on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sehc Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I have a Mr Coffee 4 cup. The newer ones I see now are 5 cup.? But, I run it on my inverter and transfer the coffee into a pint size Thermos. The Mr C, and the inverter are only on the few minutes for dripping. If I feel active, I boil some water on the butane, to really heat the Thermos. Also my diner cup. I tried those one cup thingies. Tooooo much time and work. I do need more than one mug full, and they only make less than a cup of proper strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV_Fan44 Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 Happy brewing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 On 10/18/2017 at 10:02 AM, rockylarson said: This is my go to coffee maker when electric is not available: Coleman Stove Top Drip Coffee maker I can tell you these are a great choice! We had one for years before we moved up to the 5th wheel. We gave it to our son who hardly ever does any camping but dry camping. He uses it all the time still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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