GSI Glacier Stainless Percolator: The Camp Coffee Pot Explained

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There is a sound that tells you camp coffee is almost ready: a steady burble from a steel pot sitting over the flame. The percolator is one of the oldest ways to brew coffee outdoors, and the GSI Glacier Stainless Percolator is a modern, well made version of that old idea. It is a simple pot with a basket inside, and it works on a camp stove, a kitchen burner or the coals of a fire.

Who makes it

The Glacier Stainless Percolator comes from GSI Outdoors. The company was founded in 1985 by three siblings, Don, Ian and Kathy Scott, who grew up exploring the woods and waters of British Columbia. Their first products were blue enamel tableware, the speckled camp plates and mugs that still show up at campsites today. GSI is based in Spokane, Washington, and it describes itself as family owned and independent.

From that enamelware start, the brand built a wide range of outdoor kitchen gear, including cook sets, mugs and a long list of coffee makers. The Glacier Stainless line is its stainless steel family, made for people who want cookware that shrugs off rough handling.

What it is

A percolator is a pot with a vertical tube and a basket for ground coffee. As the water at the bottom heats, it is pushed up the tube and showers down over the grounds, then drains back into the pot to cycle again. The longer it runs, the stronger the coffee gets, so you are in control of the final cup.

GSI builds the Glacier version from heavy gauge 18/8 stainless steel. It is a three piece design, with the pot, an inner basket and a basket cover. On top sits a glass dome that GSI calls the PercView, so you can watch the color of the coffee as it cycles. The pour spout is shaped to cut down on drips, and the pot has both a stainless handle and a wire bail for hanging or lifting.

GSI makes the pot in several sizes. Here are the dimensions and weights listed by the maker:

• 8 Cup: 8.5 x 6.5 x 7.8 inches, 1 pound 14.4 ounces
• 14 Cup: 8.8 x 6.7 x 9 inches, 2 pounds 2 ounces
• 28 Cup: 10.5 x 8.1 x 9.8 inches, 2 pounds 13.5 ounces
• 36 Cup: 11 x 9.3 x 11.7 inches, 3 pounds 7 ounces

GSI also offers a compact 3 Cup version of the Glacier percolator with a silicone handle, a good fit for one or two people.

Why it is cool

Most coffee gear is delicate. Paper filters tear, glass carafes crack and plastic parts melt if they get too close to a fire. A stainless percolator has none of those weak points. You can set it on a grate over coals, knock it around in a truck bed and scrub it with sand, and it keeps going.

It also brews for a crowd. Pour over cones and stovetop espresso pots are great for one person, but when a whole campsite wants coffee at the same time, a big percolator is the easy answer. The 14 Cup size is a sweet spot for a family or a small group, while the 28 and 36 Cup pots are made for larger gatherings.

Then there is the ritual. Watching the coffee darken through the glass dome is part of the fun, and the smell drifting through camp does a better job of waking people up than any alarm.

How to use it

Fill the pot with water below the bottom of the basket. Add coarse ground coffee to the basket, set the cover on top and slide the basket assembly onto the stem. Put the lid on and place the pot over medium heat.

Once the water starts to cycle and you see coffee splashing into the glass dome, turn the heat down so it perks gently rather than boiling hard. A slow, steady perk for several minutes gives a fuller cup, while a hard boil can make it bitter. Check the color through the dome and pull the pot off the heat when it looks right to you.

Let it sit for a minute so the grounds settle, then lift out the basket before you pour. A coarse grind keeps grounds from slipping through the basket, and if you use a hand grinder, set it toward the coarse end of the range.

Care

Stainless steel is easy to look after. Rinse the pot, basket and stem after each use so coffee oils do not build up. Warm water and a little soap take care of most residue, and a soft brush helps with the stem. If the outside picks up soot from a campfire, a scrub with a nonabrasive pad brings it back. Dry everything before packing it away so water does not sit inside during the trip home.

Treat the glass dome with a bit of care. It is the only part that does not love being dropped, so pack it where it will not take a knock.

Who it is for

The Glacier Stainless Percolator is for car campers, cabin weekends, hunting camps and anyone who brews for more than one person at a time. It is not the lightest way to make coffee, so backpackers counting every ounce may prefer something smaller. For everyone else, it is a durable, low fuss pot that will probably outlast the rest of your camp kitchen.

Building out a camp kitchen? See our guide to the best camp coffee gear, our look at Snow Peak's classic camping gear, the compact Mountain Safety Research (MSR) PocketRocket 2 stove and the stovetop Bialetti Moka Express. For more picks, browse our buying guides.