Gear

AeroPress Go for Camp and Travel Coffee: A Beginner's Guide

By Caleb Wolf · 2026-10-16

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I'm addicted to my morning coffee, so it comes with me. I bought my AeroPress Go for backpacking when it first came out in 2019. I take it everywhere: motorcycle trips, car road trips, and short overnights. It's small, lightweight, and worth it. This guide covers what an AeroPress is, how the models compare, how to brew a simple cup at camp, how to pack it, and how to deal with the grounds afterward. Prices were checked on Oct 16, 2026 on aeropress.com and can change.

My take

This is my personal experience, not a test result. My Go has been along for backpacking, motorcycle trips, car road trips, and short overnights. For me it's small, lightweight, and worth it. Whether it's right for you depends on how you travel and how much you care about your coffee.

What an AeroPress is

An AeroPress is a small plunger-style coffee press. You put coffee and hot water in the chamber, then press it through a filter straight into your mug. REI says the Go brews in about 2 minutes once your water has boiled, and both REI and CleverHiker rate it the easiest camp method to clean: push out the puck of grounds, then rinse. In REI's blind taste tests, the AeroPress Go was the top pick. CleverHiker reports years of being knocked around with no problems.

The AeroPress Go is the travel version. It packs into its own polypropylene mug. AeroPress says it "debuted in 2019."

The models compared

Prices are from aeropress.com. Weights are AeroPress's own figures where it publishes them. "Not published" means AeroPress doesn't list a weight.

Model	Price	Capacity	Size (H × W)	Materials	Weight
AeroPress Go	$49.95	8 oz, 1 cup	4.5" × 3.6"	Polypropylene, silicone lid; packs into a mug	11.4 oz (323 g), packed with mug and 20 filters
AeroPress Go Plus	$89.95	10 oz brew (tumbler holds 16 oz)	7.3" × 4.2"	Tritan press, 18/8 vacuum steel tumbler	1 lb 4 oz (0.56 kg)
AeroPress Original	$39.95	10 oz, 1–2 cups	5.25" × 4.2"	Polypropylene	Not published
AeroPress Clear / Clear Colors	$49.95	10 oz	5.25" × 4.2"	Tritan, shatterproof	Not published
AeroPress XL	$79.95	20 oz, 2–4 cups	7.6" × 4.6"	Polypropylene plus Tritan carafe	Not published

AeroPress also sells the Clear XL ($89.95), Steel ($169.95), Premium ($199.95) and Premium Walnut ($249.95). The Premium is made of glass, steel and aluminum, so it's fragile for travel and a poor fit for motorcycle trips.

Go: the lightest published option, and it packs into its own mug. The filter holder carries 20 filters.
Go Plus: launched June 3, 2024. It brews more and packs into an insulated steel tumbler, and its filter holder carries 25 filters. Its tumbler can't hold an Original, Go or Clear.
Original and Clear: they brew up to 10 oz but don't come with a travel mug.

Check price: AeroPress Go Check price: AeroPress Go Plus Check price: AeroPress Original

How it compares to other camp coffee methods

From REI's and CleverHiker's camp coffee tests:

Pour-over (for example, the GSI Ultralight Java Drip): very light at 0.3–0.4 oz, and it packs away wet. Coffee is smooth, but technique matters. CleverHiker says the GSI is "not the most durable."
French press: full-bodied with some grit, a 3–5 minute steep, and messier cleanup with sediment. Weights run from about 10 oz to well over a pound.
Moka pot (Bialetti Moka Express, 13.1 oz): the strongest cup, and it brews right on the stove with no separate kettle. It has to cool before you clean it, and the gasket needs replacing.
Instant: the lightest and simplest option, but it generally sacrifices flavor. (That's general guidance, not test data.)

How to brew a simple cup at camp

Grind at home. REI recommends a fine or medium-fine grind carried in an airtight container. Grind a little extra.
Heat your water. AeroPress suggests 175°F for dark roasts and 185°F for medium and light roasts, so let boiled water cool a little. (REI cites a hotter 200–210°F range from the Specialty Coffee Association. This guide follows AeroPress's own recommendation for its press.)
Set up the press. Put a filter in the cap, attach it, and set the press on your mug. Add coffee, following the instructions that came with your press for the amount.
Add water and wait. REI puts the whole brew at about 2 minutes once the water has boiled.
Press slowly down into your mug.
Clean up: push the puck of grounds straight into a zip bag to pack out, then rinse.

Skip the inverted method. Some people brew with the press upside down. CleverHiker likes it, but AeroPress "strongly discourage[s]" it because of the burn risk. For a longer steep, AeroPress suggests setting the plunger seal about ½" into the chamber instead.

At altitude: water boils at 212°F at sea level, 203°F at 5,000 ft and 193°F at 10,000 ft (Colorado State University Extension). In the mountains, boiling water is still hot enough for AeroPress's recommended range. REI notes that lower boiling points can under-extract, so grind finer or steep longer.

No stove? Try cold brew. AeroPress's cold brew recipe: 1 rounded scoop of coffee, cold or room-temperature water to the (2) mark, stir for 1 minute, press, then top up to 8 oz. No stove or fuel needed.

Packing tips

Use the mug. The Go packs into its own mug, which keeps the kit together in a pack, on a motorcycle, or in a car.
Carry filters in the press. The Go's filter holder takes 20 filters, and the Go Plus holds 25. A metal filter means no paper waste.
Pre-ground coffee in an airtight container, with a little extra.
Bring a zip bag for the used puck.
Leave the glass at home. The Premium's glass is fragile for travel.

Leave No Trace: pack out your grounds

Don't bury coffee grounds or dump them. Pack them out. NPS Denali puts it plainly: "Coffee grounds may not be dumped into sump holes and must be carried out." The Appalachian Trail Conservancy says to pack out all food scraps, "even those that are biodegradable," because buried food still attracts wildlife.

Leave No Trace's principle is "Pack it in, pack it out." Buried or half-burned garbage still attracts animals. For dishwater, strain it, scatter it 200 ft from water, and pack out whatever's left in the strainer. (LNT's page doesn't name coffee grounds specifically, but NPS and REI do.) With an AeroPress this part is easy: push the puck into a zip bag and carry it out.

Where to start

Sources

Facts in this article come from our research and the sources below. The personal notes above are my own experience. Prices were checked on Oct 16, 2026 on aeropress.com and change often, so check before buying.

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