Regardless of whether you are an occasional tent camper or a Big-Rig Full-Timer, I recommend that you always carry a cheap inline water filter with you, especially  if you are using a campground.

Our water systems in the US are great, as a whole, but when you are traveling you should be prepared for surprises. And the quality of the water could be one of those surprises.

Whether you are over-nighting at a park or if you are spending several days or more, in a campground, you have to accept the fact that the water just might not be the finest tasting or the cleanest, you have ever experienced.

And, even though the typical Camper or Motorhome may have its own fresh water treatment and filtration systems built into the Rig, I always carry a cheap inline fresh water filter to connect between my RV and the campground’s water system.

You see, I have often disconnected my inline filter, after several days of use,  and when I turned it upside down, there have been such things as; sand, twigs, insects, and other strange small objects fall from the filter.

This alone has been justification enough for me to use an inline filter. And, at times, I have poured a glass of water, that had a horrible smell or tasted so bad that I had to back-flush my Camper’s water system and use bottled water until I had moved to another campground that had acceptable water.

It turns out that water systems in many campgrounds are old and often grandfathered systems that operate to different standards than those written for cities and large population centers.  These systems often get liberal allowances as long as their water isn’t laden with certain deadly chemicals.

Again, I prefer to be prepared with my handy throw-away $12 filter to protect myself, and my camper’s water supply,than suffer through the other alternatives listed here.

by Don Bobbitt, May,2013

Copyright Don Bobbitt 2013, All Rights Reserved.