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Of all the components of an RV, perhaps the water hose remains the most underestimated. Considering fresh water comes from there, I think it’s worth putting time and care into purchasing a good hose. Keeping that in mind, what is the best motorhome water hose?
Here are my favorite RV water hoses:
- Cellfast PURE Drinking Water Hose
- Camco TastePURE Premium Drinking Water Hose
- Gilmour Marine and Recreation Drinking Water Safe Hose
- Teknor Apex Zero-G
- Valterra AquaFresh High Pressure
- Aqua Joe PRO
- Teknor Apex NeverKink
Ahead, I’ll go through and review each of these exceptional RV drinking water hoses and shed some light on how long of a hose you need, so make sure you don’t miss it. There’s lots of great information coming up!
The 7 Best RV Water Hoses
Here is a table of all the water hoses im going to talk about in this article with a summary of their qualities such as length, pricepoint, PSI rating, their review ratings on amazon, and what they could be best for.
| RV Drinking water hoses (Amazon Link): | Length | Price | Never Kink | PSI Rating | Ratings | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cellfast PURE | 65ft | $$ | Yes | 116 PSI | High | Europeans |
| Camco TastePURE Premium | 25-50ft | $$ | Yes | – | High | The Sure Thing |
| Gilmour Marine and Recreation | 25ft | $$ | No | – | Medium | – |
| Teknor Apex Zero-G | 50ft | $$$ | Yes | 600 PSI | High | Flexibility, Quality & High Pressure |
| Valterra Aquafresh High Pressure | 25-50ft | $ | No | 120 PSI | High | Budget |
| Aqua Joe PRO | 25-100ft | $ | Yes | 600 PSI | Medium+ | Longest option |
| Teknor Apex NeverKink | 25ft | $$$ | Yes | – | High | Quality |
1. Cellfast PURE Drinking Water Hose
Let’s start with my personal favorite and the water hose I’ve had attached to my motorhome for as long as I can remember, the Cellfast PURE. It was, for me in Europe, simply the cheapest, longest, and most affordable certified drinking water hose that I could get a hold of!
Altough if I would be in the US I would choose another one on the list as they are much better priced and have some more features than this one, but for any other European this was the best option for me when i bought it.
As a word of warning, the Amazon link above takes you to the Swedish version of the site. You can’t currently buy this version on the American version of Amazon.
But further, why do I love this RV water hose so much? It’s a triple-layered hose made of flexible and durable polyolefin elastomer or POE. To increase its longevity, the hose features a textile reinforcement layer.
That reinforcement layer does more than bolster the durability of this great hose but also allows for non-pressurized and pressurized drinking water transfers.
Free of lead, barium, cadmium, and phthalates, you don’t have to stress about the potability of the water that comes gushing out of the Cellfast PURE. Cellfast even has a PZH certificate proving the product is safe.
Designed for pressure at 8 bar and temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), the hydraulic-powered hose is hardy.
Cellfast designed the PURE hose with a transparent color so you can clearly see how clean the liquids or substances are as they travel through. Anti-Twist technology limits annoying collapsing, kinking, and twisting that can make it harder to use your hose.
I’ve had excellent results using the Cellfast PURE with the Gardena tap and hose connection and the FUNJEE garden hose connector. You’re free to forego these accessories if you wish, but I thought I’d mention them if you’re interested.
What I did to get the most out of this simple hose was to cut it at about 7 meters (23ft), so I got one 7-meter (23ft) hose, which is the length that I need most of the time, and another 13-meter (42ft) hose and bought a hose repair accessory so that I can use it as a 7, 13 or 20-meter (23, 42 or 65 feet) hose depending on my needs at the time!
These accessories could be useful not only with the Cellfast PURE hose but the other hoses I’ll talk about in today’s article.
2. Camco TastePURE Premium Drinking Water Hose
Next is a garden hose from a brand I’m sure will sound more familiar to my readers in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere: Camco.
The Camco TastePURE premium drinking water hose (Amazon link) extends 25 feet long. The hose weighs 3.35 pounds and measures 12.8 inches by 11.7 inches by 3.9 inches when packed up.
PVC construction makes this hose free of phthalates and BPAs. You could drink straight from this hose without coming away with that awful, plastic-y garden hose taste. I’m sure you know the one!
The reinforced base of the hose prevents kinking, while UV stabilization stops color fading and hose cracking and rotting.
The blue color does prevent any kind of looks into the contents of the hose like the Cellfast PURE, but the low price and high ratings mean this hose must be on the list.
Although it’s made for obtaining fresh water in your day-to-day RV life, Camco says the TastePURE also comes in handy for washing and watering around the house, gardening, and camping.
3. Gilmour Marine and Recreation Drinking Water Safe Hose
Another high-end RV water hose from a reputable brand is Gilmour’s marine and recreation hose (Amazon link). This drinking water hose also measures 25 inches long, just like Camco’s hose.
This white Gilmour hose has a 5/8-inch opening. While it’s designed for durability and many full-time RVers have reported getting years of use out of it, I should note that the Gilmour freshwater hose doesn’t have any kink prevention technology.
So what does that mean? Well, the hose could kink up, of course! Then you’d have to manually untangle it, which I think any of us would find quite annoying!
4. Teknor Apex Zero-G
Next on my list is one of two Teknor Apex RV water hoses. I’ll start with the Zero-G (Amazon Link).While there’s a different version of the Zero-G hose that’s 50 feet long, the one I linked you to is designed for marine and RV use, so I’d recommend it. It’s shorter at 25 feet.
When creating the Zero-G hose, Teknor Apex designed it to weigh less than the average commercial vinyl hose. The Zero-G is 40 percent lighter, which is just incredible!
Lead-safe, the Zero-G is another hose that you could drink straight from if you wanted to.
The high degree of kink resistance makes using this hose a delight every time. You won’t struggle to unfurl or curl it back up to stash it in your RV. The flexibility of the hose also helps in that department.
Teknor Apex says the Zero-G hose is puncture, leak, and abrasion-resistant.
5. Valterra AquaFresh High Pressure
For a low-cost RV water hose, I quite like the Valterra AquaFresh (Amazon Link). This high-pressure drinking hose hooks up to any water source on your travels to send pure H2O to your motorhome.
You can select the diameter of the hose to connect to all sorts of hookups. You’re also free to choose the standard length of 25 feet or go even longer!
Your options are ½ inches by four feet, ½ inches by 10 feet, ½ inches by 25 feet, ½ inches by 50 feet, 5/8 inches by 25 feet, and 5/8 inches by 50 feet.
All the materials used to make this hose pass state and federal laws for safe drinking water hoses and fixtures. The peace of mind you’ll enjoy using this Valterra hose in your RV is unparalleled.
Valterra includes a hose gripper with your purchase, so you can easily connect the AquaFresh hose to your motorhome. Despite that additional feature, the price of this hose is quite reasonable, which is awesome.
The 25-foot and 50-foot versions of the bright blue Valterra hose can handle up to 120 PSI.
6. Aqua Joe PRO
You also can’t go wrong with the Aqua Joe PRO (Amazon Link), a camper, marine, and RV hose known for its very lightweight quality.
Once again, you can select your hose length, with your options 25 feet, 50 feet, or 100 feet. If you need an extra-long hose because of some unconventional motorhome setup, the Aqua Joe PRO is right up your alley.
The hose features a diameter of 5/8 inches, no matter the length you choose, so it should easily connect to most water hookups at parks and campsites.
Aqua Joe designed its hose with mildew resistance, so even if you store it while it’s still damp, it won’t get funky sitting in your motorhome. The leak-resistant connections are all built from sturdy aluminum and include an adjustable control valve for setting the flow rate.
The fabric fiber jacket exterior makes the base of this hose soft to the touch and easy to lug around onto or off your RV. The flexibility also lends this hose easy maneuverability, and the hose is kink-free and tangle-free.
Aqua Joe promises the hose is 50 percent more lightweight than other hoses you’ve had your eye on, and it’s also free of phthalates, lead, and BPA.
The Aqua Joe PRO hose can handle pressure up to 600 PSI and temperatures down to zero degrees. The hose weighs 1.9 pounds.
7. Teknor Apex NeverKink
The last RV hose I want to talk about is another pick from Teknor Apex, the NeverKink hose (Amazon Link).
The 25-foot hose has a ½-inch diameter and weighs 2.7 pounds. It measures 10.75 inches by 20.5 inches by 16 inches when rolled up. Constructed according to FDA rules, Teknor Apex only uses materials that make the NeverKink hose drinking water-safe.
The hose is sheathed in a soft, flexible sleeve that prevents kinking, but that’s not all. With a name like NeverKink, Teknor Apex uses its best anti-kink technology on this hose, so you won’t have to stress tangles and twists.
Lead-free, the NeverKink hose passes Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act protocols.
The hose also features a leak-proof coupling, so when you attach it to a hookup, you don’t lose valuable fresh water.
Can’t I Use a Garden Hose Instead of an RV Hose?
A hose is just a hose, right? At the end of the day, does it matter if your use an RV hose or a garden hose to get fresh water to your motorhome? It does, indeed, so I didn’t recommend any garden hoses on my list above.
Here are some differences between RV and garden hoses that I hope will convince you!
Garden Hoses Might Not Be Wide Enough for RV Site Hookups
The reason I honed in so much on hose diameters in the reviews above is that they’re hugely important.
If your hose doesn’t fit on the hookups at a national park or campsite, guess what? Your motorhome doesn’t get any fresh water.
You could always borrow a fellow RVer’s hose, but there’s no guarantee they’d let you use it. Even if they did, you don’t know how clean the hose is. By purchasing an RV hose from the get-go, you won’t have to stress about these kinds of scenarios.
Garden Hoses Can’t Handle as Much Pressure
The pressure of the water you work with from an RV hookup can be tremendous, which is why all the hoses I discussed have different but sturdy pressure ratings.
If your garden hose can’t handle pressure to nearly the same degree, then some things will happen.
The hose can rip right at the source, or it could be blown off the attachment. Using lower pressure also means slower-flowing water, and who wants that?
Garden Hoses Are Likelier to Leech Chemicals and Unwanted Flavors
I saved what’s arguably the biggest reason for last to forego garden hoses.
Freshwater RV hoses meet specific standards and ratings for water potability. Garden hoses, by comparison, do not.
Normal garden hoses usually contain lead, along with other chemicals that make it outright dangerous to drink the water frame of a normal garden hose; I have actually written an article where I go more in-depth on that topic here.
You can’t guarantee the same degree of portability when using a gardening hose versus an RV hose. The water that flows into your caravan might have a bad taste, or it may not, but either way, that water could leach chemicals!
How Long of a Freshwater Hose Does Your RV Need?
The best length to have for an RV water hose is 2×25 feet; in most cases, a 25 feet-long water hose will be sufficient, but 20% of the time, you will need a 50 feet hose; when that time comes, you can connect the two to make a 50 feet water hose, this way you avoid handling a full 50 feet hose the other 80% of the time.
What’s one thing all seven of the RV hoses I reviewed have in common? That’s right, an average length of 25 feet. That’s not an accident. This standard length for RV water hoses is enough to funnel fresh drinking water into your RV at campsites with hookups.
But sometimes, especially if you do a lot of boondocking, you will find that you won’t reach with a 25 feet water hose as some water taps you want to use maybe aren’t specifically made for refilling RVs and then to have an extra 25 feet hose that you can connect is great!
Or if you know before that you will need a longer 50-foot hose at all times due to where you are set up, you can buy a 50-footer right from the start.
If you are starting and are not sure what kind of situation you will be in, you can start with one 25-foot, and when you notice the need of having a longer one, you could struggle through that occasion and then order another one at that time.
Conclusion
There’s no one best RV water hose, but rather, a smattering of options suitable for most motorhomes. I hope you can find a great hose from this list, no matter your budget!
