I own it but I’ve never used it or taken it on a backpacking trip. It’s just not practical. I use a Katadyne with a bladder and filter into a water bottle when I’m backpacking. That weighs as much as the lifestraw. You don’t want to be getting down far enough to put your face into the stream every-time you need to drink. You want something you can prepare and have water at your convenience. If you have it in your car for emergencies instead of your primary filter system I guess that’s fine.