Camping Caravel (Lever)

galumay

I had an early VAM/Caravel that was pretty rough and not really worthy of a restoration, i played around with the idea of converting it to gas for a camping setup, but luckily thought I would try chucking a saucepan of boiling water in the kettle and dropping the thermocouple from my PID on my kitchen Caravel into it to see what temp it settled at.

To my surprise it settled at 90deg which is damn near spot on for pulling shots from the Caravel anyway!

I found that by warming the kettle first with a bit of hot water it settled at a couple of degrees warmer which gave time to pull a couple of shots in a row before getting too cool.

So I pulled all the electrics out of it, swapped in an aftermarket drip tray to salvage a good one for another machine, the element ended up in a restorer that had a blown one and I ended up with the perfect camping accessory!

Paired with the Lido its a fairly compact and robust setup for travelling and or camping.

I cant see why the same wouldnt work with other similar kettle style manual levers.

Kelsey

Awesome! Now I just need a caravel with a blown element....

martinb

Thanks for the tip.  Looking for a good camping option myself.  Just after a one or two cup unit that works well and very lightweight.  Plus i want to be able to use it at home

borat123

Sounds great. I might have to pick one up to replace the aero press for camping duty...  It would be nice to have an espresso for breakfast when out in the desert.

UNM

It is a bit bigger than an aeropress. Weight about 4kg so not really suitable for camping if you are carrying your own gear. If you have a vehicle though and means to heat water, it is an excellent option. Fill with boiling water to preheat, run some through the group. Refill with fresh boiling water and pull shot.  Works well for me too. I don't think I will be taking mine camping though just in case it gets damaged. For serious lightweight camping espresso, the airspresso is the go. Mycuppa sells them last time I checked.

derrilex

on 1379843913:

Sounds great. I might have to pick one up to replace the aero press for camping duty...  It would be nice to have an espresso for breakfast when out in the desert.

Get yourself an Atomic for camping. Either a classic and restore or a new version from Jack. http://www.sorrentinacoffee.com/

Brett H

on 1379894379:

Get yourself an Atomic for camping. Either a classic and restore or a new version from Jack. http://www.sorrentinacoffee.com/

Or you could have a spare BZ99 and a really long extension lead :P  :rofl:

borat123

on 1379894069:

It is a bit bigger than an aeropress. Weight about 4kg so not really suitable for camping if you are carrying your own gear. If you have a vehicle though and means to heat water, it is an excellent option.

We drag a camper trailer into the desert and park up in the flat somewhere to use as a base for quad biking for a few days. So weight is not really an issue, and boiling up some hot water on the gas is pretty quick also. The aero press makes a nice cup, but I'd kill for an espresso when crawling out of the sack just before dawn. The unbearable heat over here is just now starting to drop off, so I think it should only be a couple more weeks and sleeping outdoors will be an option again.

UNM

A caravel without heater element should suit you fine then. Watch out for one on eBay. I am no expert, but can already pull really nice shots even using a spice jar as a tamper

derrilex

on 1379909638:

Or you could have a spare BZ99 and a really long extension lead :P  :rofl:

I have both but the lead makes it glamping  :rofl:

Brett H

on 1379928934:

I have both but the lead makes it glamping  :rofl:

My wife and I went camping this weekend at Pepper's Resort at Magnetic Island.  It was a bit rough, the bar was closed between 11pm and 10am  :stir

Ol Grumpy

Well if we're going to introduce alternatives... Surely one cannot ignore the Portapresso System... With the Rossa Air and the Rosco Mini Grinder you've arguably got the most compact full featured, top shelf Espresso system available... Just add hot water and you can profile to your hearts content... Not to mention it's home grown Aussie designed and built...