GSI Outdoors 33-Ounce Java Press

Makes great coffee 25 times or so before it breaks apart. Cheap plastic construction is a fatal flaw. Avoid it.

We've been using the 10 oz. model for making coffee on our backpacking trips for several years now. It makes a great cup of coffee and we've had no problems with breakage or grinds getting into the coffee as others have reported.

Edit (11/12/08): On our latest backpacking trip the plunger broke where the rod meets the plastic. Though I said we used this for several years, that was just a handful of trips every year. After adding up the trips, it broke on the 11th day. Not acceptable. I'd downgrade my rating, but the system won't let me. So beware, this item works great for a short period of time, but I have to agree with those who complain about its durability.

Of all the items that are considered "must packs" when venturing into the wild for any trout fishing and camping expedition, a coffee press ranks in the top 10. I've owned quite a few, but this model is the best for the quantity and quality of the coffee it brews.

Before purchasing, I read a few reviews questioning the presses construction and durability, but I feel this may have been from individuals that were unfamiliar with the technique of "pressing". It is an art...

I wonder if they either had too fine a ground or were just man-handling the unit when it failed on them?

A course ground bean, even and steady pressure, and a thorough reading of the owner's manual in the event the unit "stops" moving mid-press is all that is needed to keep this GSI operational.

It brewed great coffee the more than ten times I used it. It did get "stuck" once or twice and a 1/2" retreat of the pressing shaft and then a return to downward force was all that was needed to clear the barrier created by grounds in the mesh filter.

I'm hoping that my positive experience continues with this press for years to come. Again, time will tell!

This is perfect for camping. I like it because there's no glass to break. It's not near as bad as some other reviews say. Maybe they were pumping the thing. Having said that, I just bought another to replace my first one. I broke it by applying too much force. I had used it heavily both at home and a LOT of camping for over a year. Just don't force that plunger down, and read those instructions.

I've been using this for my morning coffee over the past 3 weeks and I'm very happy with the results. However, there are some qualifiers. First I got this on sale for $10 not $20. Second, This pot as would be true of even the best press pots requires a course grind. YOU CAN NOT USE PRE-GROUND BEANS in this pot and there's NO REASON YOU SHOULD want too. Finally, though trial and error, I've found that this pot works best if you keep the plunger down near the beans as far as possible when filling with water. Then once the water is in, push the cover into place and pull the plunger up gently, next wait 4.5 min push the plunger down, pour steadily and enjoy. Using this method causes the beans to crust them selfs against the plunger and prevent the grind leak problem described in the other review. Though, even my method only works with the right size of bean grinds.