It is for me, but I suppose you have to choose the right tool for the job. I do a lot of camping in the middle of nowhere on my tours and it's especially useful for that purpose.

Last summer I biked up the bruce peninsula with my friend, 6 days riding, 7 days camping and we hydrated exclusively from the lifesaver, filling up our bike bottles opportunistically. The year before that we did the waterfront trail around lake Ontario and didn't even carry any water, we just stopped and drank the lake whenever needed.
Really great if you're trying to go the ultralight route.

While I've got your ear, you should check out my other secret weapon: http://www.junglehammock.com/

This pretty much the ultimate tool for bike camping, since its about the size and weight of a rolled up pair of pants and there's no poles and eliminates the need to carry a sleeping pad as well. I see a lot of tourist with huge tents strapped to their back rack platforms... I just dump my clark in my pannier.

And if you really like spending money, get one of these and complete the trifecta. http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/gr...ng-system.html