---
title: "How to Make Tea While Camping: Loose Leaf, Bags and Gong Fu Outdoors"
description: "How to make tea while camping: boil water, steep in a mug or pot, and pour. Here's the gear, the best teas to pack and how to share tea at camp."
image: https://res.cloudinary.com/cekiuehr/image/upload/c_fill,ar_16:9,g_auto,w_1200/f_auto,q_auto/blog/how-to-make-tea-while-camping/mug-of-tea-on-autumn-leaves-by-a-stream.jpg
---
[Josh Caliguire](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/?hsLang=en)
[Blog](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog) [Tea](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog) [Friendship](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog) [About](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/about?hsLang=en)
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Tea
# How to Make Tea While Camping (From Simple Bags to Gong Fu Outdoors)
Josh Caliguire · Oct 30, 2026
*I research and test everything I recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission on purchases through my links. Your price stays the same, and I get to keep making tea in beautiful places. Win-win.*
To make tea while camping, **boil water on a stove or fire, steep your tea in a mug or small pot, and pour**. That's it. Tea bags make it nearly foolproof, and loose leaf only adds a strainer and a little trash bag for the used leaves. If you want hot tea all day, boil once in the morning and fill a Stanley.
I've made a lot of tea outdoors: over campfires, on a Jetboil, on whatever stove a friend brought, and with full gong fu sets on rocks and picnic tables. I've also burned myself plenty along the way. **Tea outdoors is always special**, and it's one of my favorite ways to take care of the people I'm camping with.
Here's everything you need to know, from the simplest setup to the full tea ceremony at camp.
## What You Need to Make Tea While Camping
- **A way to boil water:** camp stove, campfire kettle or chimney kettle
- **Tea:** bags, or loose leaf in a small airtight tin
- **Something to steep in:** a mug with an infuser basket, a small pot, or a travel tea set
- **Mugs:** insulated ones keep tea hot in the cold
- **A vacuum bottle** if you want hot water or tea later
- **A small trash bag** for used leaves and bags
Everything else is a nice-to-have.
## Step 1: Boil the Water
A canister stove system like a Jetboil is the fastest and easiest way, and it's what I reach for most. A kettle over campfire coals is slower and more fun. A chimney kettle like the Kelly Kettle boils water with nothing but twigs.
I compared every method, with gear picks for each, in [Blog: The Best Way to Boil Water While Camping](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-way-to-boil-water-camping?hsLang=en). If you're shopping for the kettle itself, start with [Blog: Best Camping Kettle for Tea](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-camping-kettle-for-tea?hsLang=en).
**Tip:** for green and white tea, pull the water off right as small bubbles form instead of waiting for a rolling boil, or let it sit with the lid off for a couple of minutes.
## Loose Leaf or Tea Bags at Camp?
**Tea bags** win on simplicity. No strainer, no leaves to deal with, and they weigh almost nothing. For a quick morning cup on a backpacking trip, they're hard to beat.
**Loose leaf** wins on flavor, and it isn't much harder. Portion it into a small tin or a few zip bags before you leave, bring a strainer, and you'll drink better tea than most people do at home. Tightly rolled oolongs and pu'er are especially packable.
My move: loose leaf for slow mornings at camp, a few bags in my pocket for the trail.
## Step 2: Four Ways to Brew Loose Leaf Outdoors
- **Mug and infuser basket.** Drop a mesh basket in your mug, add leaves, pour, lift it out. Simple and clean.
- **Steep in the pot.** Add leaves straight to your pot or kettle once the water's off the heat, wait, then pour through a small strainer.
- **Cold brew overnight.** Put leaves in a water bottle at night and strain in the morning. Great on hot trips, and no fuel needed.
- **Gong fu with a travel set.** Small gaiwan, short steeps, many rounds. The best way to share tea at camp (more on that below).
If you're not sure how long to steep, my [Blog: Why Is My Tea Bitter? It's Time and Temperature](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/time-and-temperature?hsLang=en) guide has a simple chart.
## Step 3: Keep It Hot
I love Stanley camping gear, and a good vacuum bottle changes how you drink tea outside. Boil once at breakfast, fill the bottle, and you have hot water (or a big batch of tea) for the hike, the afternoon and the fire that night.
### Stanley Classic Legendary Vacuum Bottle, 2 qt
The classic green bottle. Big enough to make tea for a group, tough enough to get knocked off a picnic table. [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FZX93U?tag=joshcaliguire-20).
### YETI Rambler 64 oz Bottle
The YETI alternative, with a wide mouth that's easier to clean if you're putting actual tea (not just water) inside. [Find the YETI Rambler 64 oz here](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098Z97297?tag=joshcaliguire-20).
## Set Up a Little Tea Table
A flat, stable surface makes outdoor tea safer and a lot more enjoyable. It's also where people naturally gather.
### Helinox Table One
Packs down small, sets up in a minute, and is just the right size for a kettle, a few cups and a tea set.
**Price range:** about $140 to $175. [Check for current prices](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGRFVB3B?tag=joshcaliguire-20).
### Snow Peak Titanium Double Wall Mug
Light, insulated, and the handles fold flat. Tea stays hot and the rim doesn't burn your lip like single-wall metal. [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AR2OUC?tag=joshcaliguire-20).
### Sea to Summit X-Pot Collapsible Kettle and Mug Set
A 1.3 liter kettle and two mugs that collapse flat. Great for small packs. Use it on a stove, not in the fire: the sides are silicone. [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093KBV7YR?tag=joshcaliguire-20).
## Gong Fu Tea at Camp
Some of my favorite tea memories are gong fu sessions outside. A small gaiwan, a handful of cups, a bag of good oolong and an hour with nowhere to be. Outdoors, the ritual slows everyone down in the best way.
This portable set is the one I use. It packs a gaiwan, six cups, a pitcher, a strainer and a small tray into one case. [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D49DGWYS?tag=joshcaliguire-20). I wrote more about it in [Blog: Best Ceremony Tea Set for Travel](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-portable-tea-set?hsLang=en), and if gong fu is new to you, start with [Blog: Gong Fu Cha: The Chinese Tea Ceremony](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/gong-fu-cha-the-chinese-tea-ceremony-that-will-slow-you-down?hsLang=en).
## Best Teas to Bring Camping
- **Black tea:** forgiving, strong, great with a splash of milk powder.
- **Rolled oolong:** packs small, steeps many times, perfect for gong fu.
- **Pu'er:** earthy and warming on a cold night, nearly impossible to ruin.
- **Masala chai:** simmer it in a pot with milk for the coziest camp drink there is.
- **Herbal (mint, rooibos, chamomile):** caffeine-free for the evening fire.
Green tea works too. Just watch the water temperature, since boiling water turns it bitter fast. Store everything in an airtight tin; my [Blog: Best Tea Storage](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/tea-storage?hsLang=en) post covers the basics.
## Making Tea for a Group
This is the part I love most. **Making drinks for friends is hospitality**, and camp is one of the easiest places to practice it.
- Brew one big pot and fill the Stanley so anyone can pour a cup whenever they want.
- Bring a few extra mugs. Someone always forgets theirs.
- Offer a caffeine-free option at night.
- Do one slow gong fu session and invite whoever wanders over.
If you love this kind of thing at home too, read [Blog: Inviting People Over for Tea](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/inviting-people-over-for-tea-hospitality-community?hsLang=en).
## Leave No Trace With Tea
Used tea leaves feel natural, but Leave No Trace treats them like any food scrap: **pack them out**. Shake them into a small zip bag with your other trash. Don't rinse pots directly in streams or lakes; carry water at least 200 feet away and scatter the strained rinse water.
## Quick Questions
**How do you make tea while camping?**
Boil water on a camp stove or over the fire, steep the tea in a mug with an infuser basket (or a small pot with a strainer), then pour. Tea bags are the simplest; loose leaf just needs a strainer and a spot to pack out the used leaves.
**What is the best tea to bring camping?**
Black tea, rolled oolong and pu'er hold up best. They forgive water that's a little too hot, survive being stuffed in a pack, and still taste good on the second and third steep.
**Can you make loose leaf tea without a teapot?**
Yes. Use a mug with a mesh infuser basket, steep straight in a small pot and pour through a strainer, or cold brew the leaves in a water bottle overnight.
**How do you keep tea hot while camping?**
Pour it into a vacuum bottle like the Stanley Classic 2 qt. Preheat the bottle with a splash of hot water first and the tea stays hot for hours.
**What do you do with used tea leaves when camping?**
Pack them out with the rest of your trash. Leave No Trace guidelines treat used tea leaves like any food scrap, so they shouldn't be scattered or buried.
## Keep Going
- [Blog: The Best Way to Boil Water While Camping](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-way-to-boil-water-camping?hsLang=en)
- [Blog: Best Camping Kettle for Tea](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-camping-kettle-for-tea?hsLang=en)
- [Blog: Can a Portable Power Station Run an Electric Kettle?](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/can-a-power-station-run-an-electric-kettle?hsLang=en)
- [Blog: Best Ceremony Tea Set for Travel](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-portable-tea-set?hsLang=en)
- [Blog: Best Thermos for Drinking Yerba Mate All Day: The Stanley Classic](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/best-thermos-for-yerba-mate?hsLang=en)
About Josh Caliguire
Writer, friend, and community builder splitting time between Mazatlán, Boulder, and Alberta. I write about tea, friendship, and the deliberate small choices that make life richer.
[Subscribe to the newsletter →](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/contact#newsletter)
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