Out of Date Filters?

[Lee Davis]

I recently bought a 1995 BMC 37 with a Cummins 300 engine. The seller
had a huge box of all kinds of filters, several of each, (oil, fuel,
etc) that he threw in. He hadn't used this coach in years so the
filters, although unused are pretty old. Someone told me they can go
bad over time (which as a chemist doesn't make sense to me), but I
thought I should ask.

Does anyone know of a shelf life on engine or generator filters?

Thanks,

Lee Davis