A Water Jug and Coffee are Camping Essentials
This weekend was a trip to the Blue Mountain west of Hamburg, PA. We stayed in a cabin at the Appalachian RV Campground and hiked up the Blue Mountain to the Appalachian Trail.
Hiking near Hamburg has the added benefit of being close to Cabela’s. The first thing we did is stock up on some camping supplies. We bought two items of note. We purchased a water jug and some pour over coffee. One water jug purchase was a success and one was a failure.
Water jug for camping
The first item was a water jug. We have a large 10 gallon Igloo water jug at home, but it takes up too much room in the truck. It’s way more water than we need for a weekend trip. Cabela’s sells a 4 gallon Reliance jug that seemed like a good idea.
After Cabela’s, we stopped by Walmart and bought 4 gallons of water. The lid wouldn’t go back on straight and I couldn’t get the jug to stop leaking. Back to Walmart to buy a 2 gallon Igloo jug. You don’t have to be a math genius to figure out we now have more water than our new jug can hold. We held on to the 4 gallon jug for the weekend and returned it before our trip home on Sunday.
Jugs for Emergency Water
When we are at home, our water jugs become our emergency water supply. In the past, I have purchased cheaper water containers and that was a mistake. Over time, the water pressure caused the container to split at the molded seam and water leaked out all over the floor.
For better taste and to reduce the chance bacteria may have grown in the water, I change my emergency supply twice a year. I use the water in the garden in the fall and in the spring. I then sanitize the jugs with a tiny bit of diluted bleach before a thorough rinsing and refilling.
Camp Coffee
Coffee becomes a habit and addiction. You don’t want to stop drinking it just because you’re away from home and convenience stores. So while we were at Cabela’s we examined our coffee options. We have a percolator, but in my opinion, it doesn’t make a great cup of coffee. A few months back, I purchased an ultra-light drip coffee maker from REI. Maybe, I’m doing it wrong, but hot water poured right through the coffee without taking enough time to steep. The coffee was weak. A finer grind like espresso might have helped.
While searching for backpacking food at Cabela’s, we noticed the coffee. We purchased a pack of Kuju Coffee Pocket PourOver dark roast as a trial. The packets had little wings so it sat on top of a coffee cup like the ultra-light drip maker from REI, but the water didn’t pour right through. It took time to fill the cup… but it was worth it. The coffee was much tastier.
