Thanks for the question.  You can definitely compress it while you are taking it with you backpacking, camping, or traveling and you don't need to loft it up with a dryer while you are out on a trip.  It's just best to do that the first time you get it and to store it uncompressed as much as possible because it will keep your bag loftier for years to come.  So you when aren't using it and it's just at home, it's better to leave it uncompressed but it's perfectly fine to compress it when you are taking it out on a trip.  Hope that helps.  If you have any other questions just let me know.  Thanks for your time and have a great day!