First thing to mention is that I have two really serious addictions. Coffee and caravanning. They may not fit well according to some, but they really can. Getting excellent coffee from freshly ground beans is not that hard when you are on the road. It can be a bit harder when you are off-grid.

How do you get good coffee when you are on the road is one of the main questions asked on the Owners Group pages. Luckily, I am here to help. May I just point out that all the photos of coffee making equipment were taken in our place. I did say I had a serious addiction!

Let’s look at the different ways of doing coffee

1. Buy from a shop: Well that’s okay, if there is one, but they were in short daily supply on the Gibb.
2. Use instant coffee: Ah, sorry but no.
3. Espresso machine: We have tried two different ones in the van, and they are fine but take up space, add weight and need power. Plus, we got fed up with bringing it out each morning and putting it away again when we headed off.
4. Plunger: Yes, okay, but still not that espresso with creme outcome.
5. Dripolator: We haven’t tried this in our van, but good friends, Bruce and Marg Gow – Baby Boomers on the Road, have one in their van and love it. So, it works.
6. Pod machine: We have used one once, but the coffee in the pod was dreadful. I know that has improved and you can get the pods refilled. Friends do have pod machines in their vans, but we still say no to pods.

Now, let’s start looking at smaller, power conscious alternatives

7. Coffee sock: Don’t laugh, this is a super easy way to make coffee. You get the sock, which is more like a fishing net with much finer holes, hang it in the mug, put the coffee in and pour on the hot water. Let it settle and remove the sock. You have coffee.
8. Turkish coffee: My late Mum got this Turkish coffee pourer when she had a holiday in Turkey. I still have it, but will admit that I haven’t used it but if you like Turkish coffee, I can make you one.
9. Vietnamese coffee: I love the coffee in Vietnam, so we got some of their coffee makers. Put the coffee in, cover it, pour the water on and let it seep into the mugs. Add condensed milk for true Vietnamese coffee or your milk of choice. If you want Singaporean coffee the really super delicious ones use a mix of condensed and evaporated milk.
10. On-stove percolator: We have a couple of different versions of these, but this is the one that gets the most use by our daughter who wants just one cup of coffee a day. Water in the bottom, coffee in the middle and the water percs up through the grounds to make coffee. Her Tigger mug takes 500mls.
11. Aeropress: Put the coffee in the top, add hot water, and press the top down into the base to push the coffee out. Great for a long black.Our coffee maker of choice in the vanWe have added a 12V grinder, but it’s not all that great. We also have a milk frother for the cooktop should we want frothy milk.
12. MiniPresso and NanoPresso: There is a difference in design. The black one is the MiniPresso (single shot) and the red one is the NanoPresso (double shot). There are three main parts, put coffee in the grounds holder (scoop and damper provided), screw into place. Put hot water in the top (obviously placing it flat on the bench) screw the rest into place on the hot water holder, flick the button out and pump the hot water through the coffee to your mug. Hey presto–MiniPresso espresso with creme.
13. One last use: Any leftover coffee (usually from the percolator) is kept and makes a great espresso martini!