Best Coffee Makers for RV Living

The Capresso Mini Drip is the entry point for anyone who wants a real coffee maker without spending real money. At around $40, it brews less than a minute per cup, has a 24-hour programmable timer so you can wake up to fresh coffee, and includes a permanent GoldTone filter so you're not buying paper filters. The footprint is tiny — about 8 by 6 inches — which makes it ideal for small kitchens, dorm rooms, or offices. It's not going to compete with SCA-certified machines on extraction quality, but for the price and size, it punches way above its weight.

The KRUPS is built for one or two people and very little power: KRUPS rates it at 650 watts, well under a full-size machine, which leaves room on a shared hookup and suits a modest inverter. There's one button, a top-fill tank and a permanent filter, so there's nothing to program and no paper to pack. Pull the glass carafe mid-brew and the drip stops; leave it on the plate and it keeps the pot warm for up to 30 minutes. The stainless body wipes clean, and the carafe and filter go in the dishwasher.

The K-Mini Plus is the K-Mini with the two things it was missing. A strong button brews a more intense cup, and a pod holder that stores nine K-Cups fits in the brewer itself, so the pods don't need their own spot on the counter. It is still under five inches wide and still filled one cup at a time, now from a reservoir that lifts out for filling and cleaning. Cup size runs from 6 to 12oz, the drip tray comes out for a travel mug up to 7 inches tall, the cord stores in the back, and it switches itself off 90 seconds after the last brew.

Okay, the AeroPress isn't technically a French press — it's an immersion brewer that uses air pressure and paper micro-filters instead of a metal mesh. But if you're shopping for a French press, there's a very good chance you'd actually love this more. It brews a clean, grit-free, full-flavored cup in under two minutes with zero bitterness. The paper filters catch all sediment and most oils, giving you a cup that's somewhere between French press richness and pour-over clarity. It's also virtually indestructible, weighs almost nothing, and is the ultimate travel coffee maker. Cleanup takes literally ten seconds — pop out the puck, rinse, done. If you're on the fence between French press and something else, the AeroPress is the "something else" worth trying.