How do you get clean water when you’re camping? Is there a filtration system or other RV gadget that will let you turn the gross water into something you can legitimately drink? The answer to that question is ‘yes’ and we tested a highly portable battery-powered affordable water filtration system that does just that.

Getting clean water while camping and RV boondocking

Humans need water. But sometimes, the places we go, that water is. Well. Gross. A prime example of that is Quartzsite. Yuck.

There are a number of options for us including buying bottled water but filtering out the yuck is another option and one that I prefer.

Recently I got to test out the BKLES portable water filtration system and found this is going to stay in my camper.

What this is is a portable battery-powered water filtration system that could fit into the cup holder in the vehicle you’re heading to that hike in. The whole thing is made up of the main pump and then an external pre-filter. Included hoses connect the main pump to the external filter and a second hose is there to fill whatever you’re filling, or even yourself.

All of this can be contained in an included bag that has fittings to attach to a carabiner or to one’s belt.

Check out our article on getting water while RV boondocking.

Portability

I mentioned that this is portable and it really is. There are lots of water filtration options for we RVers but this one is the most portable one I’ve seen that is also convenient.

Essentially all you do is pull the thing out of the carrying bag, attach the pre-filter to one hose and then push a button on the top. The built-in pump sucks the water out of the source, runs it through the pre-filter and then spits it out the top. As mentioned, there’s a second hose you can fit to the top spigot.

As such you can use this to fill a larger container, if that’s your thing. In fact I used this to fill the Dometic GO Hydration Water Jug using water I sucked out of the Rio Grande. Seriously.

In some ways I feel like an aquatic version of George Carlin. A place for my water. I took this little filter and used it to fill a larger container.

What gets filtered out

Using the built-in five-stage filtration system, BKLES has independently certified that it filters out  99.999% of impurities and harmful substances.

The pre-filter on the hose is what you submerge into wherever you’re getting your water from. This removes the larger particles. It then goes through four more stages and comes out the top tasting good.

In fact I was surprised at how well this little thing did.

Powered

What makes this really convenient is that it’s a powered pump. I know there are manual water filtration systems out there but this is much more convenient.

For example, when filling that Dometic GO jug I just put the pre-filter into the river, pushed the little button on the top of this thing and goofed off while it did all the work. So you could have the water you need for drinking or making coffee or something like that without having to really attend to the filtration and retrieval process.

The company claims the pump will process about ten liters (338 ounces) of water in 20 minutes and the battery is good for about ten days of use providing water for a single individual. Okay.

If you are out and about what I used to charge this was the GoPower! DuraPack solar battery charger. This is another really handy off-grid gadget.

One more thing, this does have an LED light on it as well. This can be useful when illuminating wherever you’re getting water from.

My thoughts

I’m not a big fan of bottled water for a number of reasons. I do like this and it’s going to find a home in our new travel trailer. But I also have it for an off-grid camping rig that I’m planning.

It’s very portable, does a noticeably good job and seems well made. In fact the carrying case, hoses and all the pieces feel very well made. I can charge it with the portable solar panel I have or just plug it into the car when I’m driving around.

Funny thing, with all the off-grid gadgets I’ve been looking at and buying, quite frankly, I seem to have caught the attention of the gods of the Internet who have labeled me as a prepper. The end-of-times videos and other things I’m being served in my adverts is a bit sad and also unnerving, quite frankly.

I had mentioned an off-grid camper and I am putting together a second RV, of sorts, that I can take for short jaunts including into the back country away from “it all” whatever that is. My vision is to have just the right set-up so that I can spend a few days away without needing to utilize services when off the grid.

This water filtration system completes the gear I need for that camper. Now all I need is the camper itself although it’s not much more than the pickup and camper shell that I have now, but the present rig is only two-wheel-drive.

But, back to this filter, it’s a really useful device to get water when you’re away from it all but don’t want the water to taste like you’re away from it all.