Awhile back I bought a Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle, aka a 2 quart beast of a thermos. I’m attracted to Stanley products since I’ve got several durable and dependable items already in my camping gear, and they seem to hold up against abuse, which is what I tend to put things through. When I bought this I’ll confess it was just because of the prior comment and because it was on sale one day, I didn’t actually know what I’d use it for. Holding chicken soup or something, whatever. But that’s not what it does for me now.
I’m a coffee drinker, two cups minimum or the day does not start well. When camping this becomes a matter of boiling water in the morning and tossing in some instant coffee crystals. For the longest time I’d drag myself out of a tent in the cold, get some water going, and then coffee would happen. The time that takes verses camping in let us say 30 degree weather feels like an eternity.
So one evening I note it is going to rain in the morning, and I know it is going to be a giant pain to get hot water going. I opt to try boiling water before bed and fill the Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle with it so that in the morning hot water will hopefully be available. Up until that point I really hadn’t used the thermos, it was just something I guess I just coveted without a real need. Anyway morning rolls around and I open the bottle, the water is still blisteringly hot, and instant coffee can be had just a minute or two after getting out of the tent! This was a game changer for how I do mornings when camping.
Since I only put the water component into the Stanley, it stays pretty clean when out for days on end. I’m also frequently getting up, getting moving and finding myself on the edge of a mountain or by a waterfall with a scenic view pretty quick on my adventures, and sometimes I wish I had an additional cup of coffee to drink at these places, as if that somehow completes the vibe. With a little leftover hot water and tossing this in the car, anything that isn’t too far off can now be a coffee spot too. I know this is what these are for, but it was some sort of revelation to me who had just imagined soup.
