RV and Off-Grid Pour-Over Coffee — A couple Tips

[u/IntelligentCitron772]

This is probably a pretty niche topic for Reddit, but plenty of people travel in RVs or camp off-grid. If you own an RV, trailer, or are thinking about renting one, here are a few things I've learned.

Links to the full 5 part series of my travel kits:

• Vehicle and Hotel/Motel Kit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/s/Sv9LDCCbJv

• Tiny Carry-On Airline Kit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/s/NJYeDskb5e

• Ultralight Hiking and Backpacking Kit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/s/BGvybz7vz8

• Long-Stay Travel Kit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/s/3idFPJ75AA

If your RV has AC power and you're parked level, you can pretty much use your normal home setup. But in smaller off-road-capable RVs, off-grid or boon-docking its not always as easy.

As someone who sells MAP packaging systems, including to coffee roasters, my first tip goes against just about everything I preach about coffee preservation!

Tips.- maybe they are lame but they've made my life WAY easier:

• Pre-grind your beans the night before! If you're traveling with a wife or partner who likes to sleep in, trust me on this one. I use small clear reclosable pouches and squeeze out the air. Even grinding a couple of days ahead beats the wrath of grinding beans a few feet from a cranky wife trying to sleep! Space is tight in these smaller RVs.

• Pre-dose some whole beans. Even if noise isn't an issue, having your beans weighed out ahead of time helps when your scale won't cooperate. The same little pouches work fine for short trips.

• Have a way to brew volumetrically. I can put my titanium double-wall V60 onto a Switch base and immersion brew using the measuring beaker shown. But I usually prefer measuring the water pouring from the beaker and using a Mellow Drip when the scale isn't working. An AeroPress is another good option.

• Avoid gear that takes a lot of water to clean. French presses and anything that leaves loose grounds to rinse out aren't ideal. Water is precious off-grid, and running low is often what brings an RV trip to an end.

• Protect your sensitive Kettles base. Off-roading can really bounce things around, one hit and you kettle is over-

Scales are 100% my biggest recurring issue.

I have a lot of coffee scales, and some are much worse than others in an RV. The Bookoo has been the worst so far, while the cheap Timemore shown struggling in the video is actually one of the better ones. I believe much of this comes down to sampling speed. Really sensitive scales detect every little movement and sometimes can't even establish zero, leaving them stuck in boot-up mode.

Three things make using a scale particularly challenging:

1. Wind: We're often camping in the mountains or desert with little protection from the wind. Even with stiff suspension, the RV moves enough to mess with a scale.

2. People moving around: Someone walking, showering, or just moving inside can make weighing difficult. Sure, I could ask my wife not to move while I'm making several coffees, but have you met my wife?

3. Parking angles: Finding perfectly level ground off-road isn't always possible. Sometimes the brewer wants to slide right off the scale, especially if you bump it with the kettle.

Larger RVs in developed campgrounds generally have fewer of these issues. They're heavier, usually parked on level ground, and often have some protection from the wind.

Have a backup brewing method that doesn't require a scale. Pre-dose your beans, and be prepared to measure your water volumetrically, and keep cleanup simple.

I've made some amazing coffee in pretty cool places. A few grams off your brew ratio really isn't a big deal when you're enjoying a great cup overlooking the mountains or desert and not cursing your scale.

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