Immersion heating wand for breakfast drink?

[Redlory]

Hello,

Someone posted that n immersion heater to make ourselves a morning drink to beat the long morning queues is a handy tip.

For those who have walked it, would you recommend it? Or is this really for the big crowds on the popular Spanish leg?

Thanks heaps

 

[Lindsay53]

Hi Redlory. Personally I think the extra weight would not be worth it. The albergues usually have a kettle or microwave and there are plenty of places on the more popular Caminos to get an early morning coffee if you need it.

 

[Redlory]

Hi Redlory. Personally I think the extra weight would not be worth it. The albergues usually have a kettle or microwave and there are plenty of places on the more popular Caminos to get an early morning coffee if you need it.

Good to know, thanks. I'm conscious of keeping it as light as possible. Did you have easy access to drinkable water all the way? Thanks heaps

 

[WalkingPadre]

I used an immersion water heater for instant coffee every morning and found it well worth carrying. My experience was that morning coffee before departure was often not available without the heater. For evening tea and an occasional ramen it also worked well. Lots of things I took last time I’ll leave at home next time—this is not one of them:

https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Immersion-Portable/dp/B001U0PA7M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PSOPC0MZCRBC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sTCH4mdqe0oTdV2zgaRqme2XOp9qiMC1MqaQx8rhe0borUNNFKmcTJNxNGfOGBsp0D31c0weIjYaT1zcCpqgSJmSM9Tup9YQ6uwduXvDWYrCOOmowQQrqejrPac5x63aFrtbzIasmSoJXdJS8ZZY-lDpq9QWrD21RKVEsvTTcnGR2x4b1bC8p4vjNh1LXYZi6WXXZahk6W52UJt_LX4jEaMws-CdvVqzM5zPqOS-T2IQAFCv0Lnub1Dt47T-eRbRef9ZHb2NDQWPqXhCXcuKqYm_A61bsSTQaloOy-ayL8o.w1E1H_gVA7vWPeDNfKyNajSgBvtVyW61pcvwJhvoNXA&dib_tag=se&keywords=immersion+water+heater+lewis&qid=1734139763&sprefix=immersion+water+heater+lewis%2Caps%2C309&sr=8-1

 

[peregrina2000]

Time to reintroduce the Electric Coil Club! See this thread. We are always happy to welcome new members. @Lindsay53, I am surprised to see that you are not a convert after your Levante, because that was the first Camino I ever carried it on, and I was oh so incredibly grateful!

I would not take a coil on the Francés or other well-traveled caminos, but if you walk untraveled caminos and if you crave a hot caffeinated drink in the morning, I would definitely bring one along.

 

[peregrina2000]

I used an immersion water heater for instant coffee every morning and found it well worth carrying. My experience was that morning coffee before departure was often not available without the heater. For evening tea and an occasional ramen it also worked well. Lots of things I took last time I’ll leave at home next time—this is not one of them:

https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Immersion-Portable/dp/B001U0PA7M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PSOPC0MZCRBC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sTCH4mdqe0oTdV2zgaRqme2XOp9qiMC1MqaQx8rhe0borUNNFKmcTJNxNGfOGBsp0D31c0weIjYaT1zcCpqgSJmSM9Tup9YQ6uwduXvDWYrCOOmowQQrqejrPac5x63aFrtbzIasmSoJXdJS8ZZY-lDpq9QWrD21RKVEsvTTcnGR2x4b1bC8p4vjNh1LXYZi6WXXZahk6W52UJt_LX4jEaMws-CdvVqzM5zPqOS-T2IQAFCv0Lnub1Dt47T-eRbRef9ZHb2NDQWPqXhCXcuKqYm_A61bsSTQaloOy-ayL8o.w1E1H_gVA7vWPeDNfKyNajSgBvtVyW61pcvwJhvoNXA&dib_tag=se&keywords=immersion+water+heater+lewis&qid=1734139763&sprefix=immersion+water+heater+lewis%2Caps%2C309&sr=8-1

Totally agree with you, WalkingPadre! Welcome to the Electric Coil Club.

I see that the coil you found on Amazon comes with an adaptor plug. I would recommend taping the adaptor to the coil’s US plug when you go to Spain. Many of us learned the hard way that adaptor plugs like to stay in the socket when you pull out your coil.

 

[alexwalker]

If you know you'll need it on your Camino, bring it with you.
If you think you'll need it on your Camino, leave it at home.

 

[Takahiwai]

I tried desperately to find one before my February camino this year, but struck out everywhere I looked. Eventually, on a money-changing run to San Sebastian (going off-piste) from the Via de Bayona, I found a tiny travel kettle in a back-street hardware shop. It was invaluable, though a bit awkward to jam into my backpack. I'll be searching for a coil again this coming February. Maybe I'll be luckier in Alicante!

 

[VNwalking]

I tried desperately to find one before my February camino this year,

I found mine at City Mart, surprisingly. The guy with a shp downstairs from my friend's flat in Yankin had one, too, it turned out. Times are more challenging now, but maybe check at home before setting out. Good luck!

 

[Takahiwai]

I found mine at City Mart, surprisingly. The guy with a shp downstairs from my friend's flat in Yankin had one, too, it turned out. Times are more challenging now, but maybe check at home before setting out. Good luck!

Ah, thanks so much. There's no City Mart in NPT, but I'll have a look when I go down to Yangon next time, probably en route to my camino!

 

[Lindsay53]

@Lindsay53, I am surprised to see that you are not a convert after your Levante, because that was the first Camino I ever carried it on, and I was oh so incredibly grateful!

I don't drink tea or coffee, or any hot drink except the occasional soup or hot chocolate. I did notice that even the most basic of albergues had some way of boiling water though.

 

[Lindsay53]

Good to know, thanks. I'm conscious of keeping it as light as possible. Did you have easy access to drinkable water all the way? Thanks heaps

While there are places on some Caminos where there is a fair distance between water points, on most water is readily available. The tap water in Spain and Portugal is clean and drinkable.

 

[VNwalking]

Ah, thanks so much. There's no City Mart in NPT, but I'll have a look when I go down to Yangon next time, probably en route to my camino!

The one in Yankin Center is where I got mine, not the flash one in Mm Plaza.

 

[Takahiwai]

OK, Yankin Centre - don't know it, but it's not far from my school HQ. MM Plaza - I think you must be talking about City Mart's posh sibling, Marketplace!

 

[duncanwhyte]

I use one. I've made stews and soups in hotel rooms, or busy or poorly equipped albergues kitchens. Thus avoiding ghastly package meals. Hard boiled eggs. Tea and coffee as and when.
But it needs a small pot for cooking, and suitable cleaning things. Very useful, but I'm willing to carry that bit extra for the added options.

 

[BarbaraW]

I was one who thought I couldn't manage without a coffee before setting off in the morning. It never occurred to me to take a heating coil and even if it had I wouldn't have taken it because it's important to me to keep weight and bulk down.
Guess what, one morning on the Frances I had to walk about 9 k before finding an open bar. The cravings were brief, and the cafe con leche all the more enjoyable when I got it. Last year one day my planned breakfast bar had closed down and I'd completed my days walk before getting a coffee. Breakfast was water and peanuts, no problem. You may surprise yourself.

 

[Glenshiro]

I take a heating coil and a lightweight titanium mug together with a supply of teabags and instant coffee and chocolate. I mainly stay in cheap hotels (not that there's any other kind in most of rural Spain) and can't really start the day without a shot of caffeine. And a hot chocolate is great after a cold, rainy day.

I also take it with me when travelling elsewhere in Europe. UK hotels all have a "hospitality tray" in the room with a kettle, teabags, instant coffee, UHT milk and biscuits. We Brits like a cup of tea first thing. Or coffee, if we're feeling cosmopolitan.

Incidentally, you don't need to take an adapter. (I, too, have accidentally donated many to my overnight accommodation, only to discover that hours later and miles away.) The coil I bought had a US plug, which I cut off and replaced with a European one, bought on eBay - a simple task for anyone who knows how to use a screwdriver.

 

[lt56ny]

Someone posted that n immersion heater to make ourselves a morning drink to beat the long morning queues is a handy tip.

I was just wondering what long morning lines you are talking about? Is it in the albergue or in cafes? I am assuming it is both on the CF during high pilgrim season. Correct?

 

[Dov of the Galilee]

I never saw a,queue for coffee that wasn't quickly dispatched, I remain thoroughly impressed .

I have one one of those electric heating contraptions and more that forty years of experience with it but they are dangerous for personal electrocution and possibly a fire hazard if the situation is right. I do love morning hot beverage and sometimes the wait of ten kilometers was the price i paid for the first cup.

 

[Shades of Narnia]

Hello,

Someone posted that n immersion heater to make ourselves a morning drink to beat the long morning queues is a handy tip.

For those who have walked it, would you recommend it? Or is this really for the big crowds on the popular Spanish leg?

Thanks heaps

I owned it for a few years before deciding last minute, to take it on Camino Via Jacobi 4 in Switzerland 2 years ago...I loved having it! Made freeze dried coffee many times. Even made soup with it one night. It became part of my light weight gear again last September on the Norte...with coffee straws bought locally. Buen Camino.

 

[Lunchmeat337]

Hello,

Someone posted that n immersion heater to make ourselves a morning drink to beat the long morning queues is a handy tip.

For those who have walked it, would you recommend it? Or is this really for the big crowds on the popular Spanish leg?

Thanks heaps

I recommend it as I have used it on 5 Caminos. Collapsible cup, immersion heater, and Starbucks instant coffee packets do not make much of a difference in total weight. Also, as we mostly stay in pensions it is really nice to have a cup of coffee in your room before heading out. In addition, the coffee jolt gets things moving in the morning.

 

[Dov of the Galilee]

Seventeen dollars on Amazon, one dollar on AliExpress

I just found this on AliExpress:
₪33.77 | Mini Electric Water Heater 600W 220V Boiler Hot Water Coffee Immersion Travel Portable instant hot water Heaters EU UK Plug

https://a.aliexpress.com/_oD2Ckq7

 

[Marbe2]

I

I would not take a coil on the Francés or other well-traveled caminos, but if you walk untraveled caminos and if you crave a hot caffeinated drink in the morning, I would definitely bring one along.

We always take an immersion heater with us on the CF and had it on the Portuguese Camino as well. It is, for us, not a question about services on route, but where we are staying. Occasionally, in private rooms, especially between the larger towns, there are not bars or stores around and not always kitchens or kettles available. In addition, when, is a factor as well.Many bars and stores do not open that early. An example, even in high season, when we leave early in the morning and slow walk from Sarria to Portomarin, the first open place winds up being around Morgade. So being able to make a cup of tea in my room at 4:30 am, is a welcome luxury. Convenience/ flexibility is also a factor. We can wake up at 10pm and decide to have tea and cookies and not worry that it’s rainy or snowing out, is it safe to go out in the dark now, will any place still be open, etc.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

This last trip (Norte/Frances/Vdlp), after years of bringing my trusty European plugged heating coil, I decided to leave mine at home to save weight... big mistake.

I had gotten used to cold instant coffee in the morning from another trip and actually enjoyed the experience, so I figured I didn't need it...

I forgot about how I like to drink Chamomile tea at night on Caminos! Like a liter of it. I usually stay at private accommodation, and they rarely have kettles or microwaves to heat water, so I was forced to ask local establishments (bars) for hot water... they always say yes... but it was not so easy given I wanted a liter of the stuff...

So in every town I visited, I scanned the windows at "Electro Domestico" stores, went in when they were open (which is like rare), searched the Chinese Bazaars... to no avail! They don't have those things anymore! (Probably because they are death traps apparently)...

Lesson learned. May the coil club forgive me for my temporary hiatus. I will never leave home for Spain without it again...

 

[unadara]

I'm also a Tea at night pilgrim. This year I bought a cheap thermos in a Bazaar, I used it for water and other drinks but when I could in a Bar I asked for a fill of Hot water, however I'm hoping to walk a "few" more Caminos and have just bought a German made Coil online. I will report back here or on the other dedicated thread. My friend Judy always made a Saucepan of Tea when facilities were available and so many pilgrims loved to accept a hot drink, especially at night. I try to stay in Albergues if they are open. I always carry the Sleeping bag too but don't always have to use it.

 

[Freewalker]

I love my electric coil and a proud member of the Electric Coil Club. I never leave home without it on a Camino ! Not only do I use it for my mandatory first coffee of the day but also for heating water for homemade ultralight dehydrated meals. Yes I bring between 5-10 dehydrated dinners depending on how remote the Camino is which I usually prefer to walk. It provides more reliability at dinnertime..

 

[Juspassinthru]

Hello,

Someone posted that n immersion heater to make ourselves a morning drink to beat the long morning queues is a handy tip.

For those who have walked it, would you recommend it? Or is this really for the big crowds on the popular Spanish leg?

Thanks heaps

I took one on my first Camino and I never used it. It’s now somewhere taking up space but it’s not taking space in my pack.

 

[Marbe2]

Be attentive when using immersion coils.

To preserve it from burning out sooner than usual, leave it in the water for an additional 30 seconds after you pull the plug out so it doesn’t start melting down.

Don’t get distracted when you are using it. In Prague last year a family member of mine decided to boil water with a coil, and suddenly our electricity went down. It appears the coil boiled the water too much and melted the coil, resulting in the circuit breaker going off. The saying “ A watched pot never boils” does not apply to boiling water with an immersion heater!