We'd just finished setting up camp along the Saugeen River. The kids were helping secure the awning, angling it appropriately because we knew rain was called for later in the evening. I was inside getting things ready for supper. When I opened the overhead kitchen cabinet for our cups, I knew right away:

I announced it sheepishly. Ashamed. THIS IS WHY A PACKING LIST IS SO IMPORTANT!

We had to drink our morning coffee from the campground office Kuerig machine. Ugh!

Never again.

I Googled "shatter-proof French press". Before, we'd always taken our press from home. But it's glass and I had horrifying visions of driving on a bumpy road, the cabinet popping open, the press smashing to the floor, and glass spreading into every little nook and cranny of our dear Pearl (and our poor bare feet).

I found the OXO Brew Venture Travel French Press with Shatterproof Tritan Carafe and it's exactly what we needed! More expensive than our glass Ikea version, but I believe it will stand the test of time — and should the bumpy-road-cabinet-pops-open event ever occur, I think it will come away without so much of a scratch.


The first time I used it, I treated it like my 10-cup press instead of the 8-cup it is. The coffee was so strong I could barely get it down. I mean, I powered through. And then I stayed up until 2 a.m. But now I know.

Happily, this beauty arrived before we leave on our trip to Nashville. Delicious morning coffee guaranteed!