AeroPress Go Plus, Sea To Summit Pour Over, and Jetboil Flash 1.0 Bring Better Coffee to the Backcountry

We’re always looking for the latest camp coffee makers and accessories, and we recently found three new products worth looking at: the AeroPress Go Plus, Seat To Summit Frontier Ultralight Pour Over, and the Jetboil 1.0 Flash.

Each offers distinct advantages for camp coffee brewing, from car camping to ultralight backpacking. I’m fully caffeinated, so let’s get to it.

AeroPress Go Plus: Increased Capacity for Camp Coffee Enthusiasts

Field Testing the AeroPress Go Plus in Real-World Conditions

I’ve been an AeroPress Go user for years and used it in 13+ countries. It’s lightweight, compact, and makes a tasty brew. However, AeroPress recently came out with another version, the Go Plus.

It gives users all the coffee-making capacity of a standard-size AeroPress (10oz vs. the regular Go’s 8 oz ) and includes a double-walled vacuum-insulated stainless steel travel tumbler. Like the original Go, this portable coffee maker’s components nest inside the tumbler for compact camp kitchen storage.

The Go Plus includes a 16 oz. tumber, a splash-resistant lid with magnetic slider to open and close the lid’s opening, a built-in filter holder in the base with filters, a scoop and folding stirrer, and a clear AeroPress Go Plus coffee maker.

To use the Go Plus, put the paper filter into the filter basket and twist it onto the base. Place the chamber atop the tumbler, put in your fine-to-medium-grind coffee grounds, heat your water, and pour it in. Next stir, let it steep, then, take the plunger and press. Coffee goes right into the tumbler. It sounds involved, but it’s very easy.

After brewing several cups, the system works great and makes delicious, full-bodied java. The accessories work as advertised, and cleanup is a snap. After brewing, take the basket off, and press the plunger to eject the compressed coffee puck.

My only concern is the tumbler’s non-gasketed filter holder. You’ll want to remove it before washing or the paper filters will get wet. AeroPress says the tumbler is dishwasher safe, but just remember to remove those paper filters.

All of the Go Plus’ parts nest together, with the coffee maker going upside down into the tumbler. The tumbler’s lid fits snugly onto the coffee maker’s black basket. It isn’t latched or threaded on, rather just press fit, but it stays together well.

In addition to camping adventures, Go Plus would make a great at-home setup, and for those who commute, too. Fully packed, the AeroPress Go Plus weights 1.4 lbs., heavier than the standard all-plastic Go at 11.4 oz.

However, Go Plus keeps coffee very hot for a long time, is great for traveling/commuting, and packs as one nested unit when stowed. Plus, you get that smooth AeroPress coffee.

The AeroPress Go Plus includes the clear coffee maker; the tumbler comes in black, cream, or pink colors. MSRP: $89.95

Sea To Summit Frontier Pour Over: Ultralight Coffee Brewing for Backpackers

Minimalist Design Meets Maximum Portability

Sea To Summit recently released its lightweight, collapsible pour over maker called Frontier. This ultralight camp coffee solution weighs just ounces and compresses to half an inch thick—ideal for backpackers counting every gram.

It’s comprised of just two parts when in its stowed form. It’s just under 5.5” at its widest, about 4” tall, and a scant 0.5” thin. To use it, pull out the cone filter, and open it up. Then, place the gray plastic part over your cup, and insert the cone into the square opening.

The cone is made from food-grade heat-resistant silicone with built-in aluminum mesh filter material on all sides. The coffee maker is BPA-free and non-PFAS and holds 30g of grinds.

The Frontier is super easy to set up. I found using a medium-course grind worked best; anything finer can clog the super-fine stainless mesh and extend brewing times. Simply heat your water and slowly pour it over the coffee grinds—it doesn’t get simpler.

Sometimes a few coffee drips escaped out of the mesh sides and onto the gray plastic holder, but not enough to make a mess. Once brewing was complete, I squeezed the filter’s sides together to sparge more coffee out of the grinds.

There’s a fair bit of clean-up, however. With no paper filter to toss, you must clean the grinds from the silicone and aluminum cone, and that can be messy. But it’s nice not to have to carry paper filters.

I love Frontier’s minimal size, the fact it can be stored anywhere, and that it makes delicious, full-bodied coffee. It’s a bit more clean up than a pour-over with a paper filter, but its pros outweigh the clean-up cons. MSRP: $30.95

Jetboil Flash 1.0: Lightning-Fast Water Boiling for Backcountry Coffee

Why Fast Boil Times Matter for Camp Coffee

Fast water boiling is essential for quality camp coffee, especially in cold weather or high-altitude conditions. If you’re making coffee, you need hot water. Jetboil has been a top name for backcountry cooking for ages, and the new Flash 1.0 boils water in mere minutes.

The Flash 1.0 includes a 5,300 BTU/h stove with a rotary regulator and built-in ignitor for power. It also has rubberized grips. The stove uses JetPower fuel (not included), though I used a standard 8 oz. Kovea isobutane canister (a stand for the fuel canister is included with the Flash 1.0).

The “pot” is one-liter tall and made from anodized aluminum. It wears a neoprene cover with handle and color-changing heat indicator to let you know when the water’s ready. On top is a drink-through lid with pour spout and strainer. When not in use, there’s also a plastic cup with measuring marks.

Everything fits inside the one-liter pot. (If you opt for the 3.53 oz. Jetboil JetPower fuel, its smaller size will fit inside the cup, too.) When you’re ready to use it, everything simply screws onto itself—very convenient.

Real-World Performance and Ease of Use

Using this system couldn’t be easier: Assemble, ignite, fill the pot with water, and put it on the stove. Jetboil claims boil time is two minutes per half-liter. And while the pot has a one-liter capacity, the max fill line is at 0.5 liters. I was able to boil 0.5 liters in three minutes. Granted, I didn’t have a full fuel canister nor Jetboil’s JetPower fuel; but it’s still a very respectable time.

I was very impressed with this unit. Between the neoprene cover and rubberized bits on the stove, there’s no need to grab anything hot—that can’t be said with all compact stove systems. Pouring hot water was a cinch, and the experience was user-friendly and simple.

One note: If you remove the neoprene cover to wash the pot, make sure the small loop is at the top, not the bottom. If it’s at the base, it could be too close to the stove and melt.

This was my first experience using a Jetboil, and I now understand why it’s such a popular choice. They’re compact, fast, and simple. The Jetboil Flash 1.0’s neoprene cover comes in six designs including black. MSRP: $144.99

Solid Camp Coffee Solutions

Whether you prioritize brewing capacity, ultralight packability, or rapid boil times, these three camp coffee solutions represent the current state of outdoor coffee brewing technology. The AeroPress Go Plus excels for car campers and overlanders who want café-quality coffee, the Sea To Summit Frontier serves ultralight backpackers who count every ounce, and the Jetboil Flash 1.0 delivers unmatched speed for alpine starts and cold-weather camping. Each portable coffee maker earned its place in our field-tested camp kitchen recommendations.

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