MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

I had one of these stoves a few years back, but I lost it after owning it for just a few months. It was a great stove, I was sorry to see it go! Here's what I liked most about it:1. Controllability - you could REALLY dial in the exact heat control you wanted. I could dial it all the way down to a mere fraction of 1 candlepower!! I mean you could really crank this puppy down to the ultra-low simmer if needed. Conversely, if you needed quick heat then just open her up and it's a veritable blast furnace.2. Lightness - this is a light and compact stove, it breaks down to a pretty small unit for what it can do. Great for backpacking.3. Great cold weather performance. As with most pressurized liquid fuel stoves this one can put out all the heat you could want even when the temps dip below the 30 deg F mark (about 0 deg C). The butane/propane canister stoves will lose pressure (after their fuel cylinders frost over from decompressing during cooking) and hence lose their ability to hold a strong flame. (although coleman makes a model that runs the butane tank upside down that apparently helps with this issue)This stove won't do that, so it's a good quality to have.4. Fueling options - I only tried white gas and kero in my stove, and it worked perfectly with both (although kero is smelly). But it was nice to know I could load 'er up with just about anything flammable and use it if I had to. That's something you can't do with almost all other stoves - this stove's got 'em beat cold in this department. I was a few miles outside of Sequoia Forest in California a few months ago on a last minute trip to sleep amongst the giant trees. I had my little gaz butane stove with me, but no canisters (can't bring them on the flight). I stopped at all these little stores (no REI's or fancy outdoor supply stores around, as per usual in situations like that) and none of them had my gaz canisters, they just had the usual assortment of white gasoline, the standard heavy coleman propane bottles and maybe the coleman butane canisters which wouldn't fit my gaz stove (french made I believe). If I had a liquid stove I would have been dialed in instantly, and even if none of them carried white gas a quick squirt at the gas station would have gotten me by in no time. THAT'S why a liquid multi-fuel stove like this is good (I ended up roasting sausages over the fire that night btw)...but no hot coffee in the AM!5. Stability - This stove has a nice wide burner grill and it sits low to the ground. Very stable and capable of supporting surprisingly large/heavy pots and skillets - especially considering that it is a lightweight backpacking stove! Very well thought out in this regard.Here's what I didn't like about this stove:1. LOUD - Man this thing is like a 747 in takeoff mode at high power. Its burner is very loud, it really is difficult to carry on a convo with someone nearby. I have a Coleman exponent 442 multi-liquid stove (which is nice too) and it is very quiet at high power and outputs comparable heat too.2. $$$$$$ - This stove is expensive! It S*CKS that I lost it!! Need I say more???3. Complicated - Although this stove is easy to use once you get used to it, like all the MSR type liquid fuel stoves it's a bit complicated and cumbersome. You have to remove it from its bag, unfold the legs, plug in the tank, pump it up, go through the lighting procedure etc before you can finally use it. The when you're done reverse the procedure to pack it away again. It also has little bits, wrenches and spare parts that come with it that I could see easily losing somewhere along the line. If you've ever been backpacking for a few days or more, then you know keeping everything organized and "unlost" is easier said than done. Little bits and pieces like what comes with the stove can easily find their way to the land of the lost socks you occasionally see on the side of the road, especially in the dark and especially after you're plum exhausted from a long hike. In comparison I bought a coleman 442 stove (less than half the price of this unit), and it is an integrated stove that comes in one piece. There are no little bits or pieces or a separate tank to connect. It's just a little heavier and maybe just slightly bulkier, but all I do is pull it out, pump her up and away we go. No attaching tanks or losing bits and pieces amongst pebbles, leaves and ants in the middle of the night. Argghh.Anyway that's the long and short of it, overall great stove. It is loud and expensive, but if you've analyzed your needs and this stove fits the bill, then you wont be disappointed. Dragonfly = good stuff from MSR.

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

I love gas stoves in that if there is any left over fuel, it can be placed back into the tank.

The flame adjustment is great.

The problems. As with all MSR white gas stoves it suffers from reliability. Especially the pump. It will break, so don't take it out on a multiday hike deep into the woods. Also, the pump is not compatible with other MSR stoves, even if someone has a spare, unless its specifically for a dragon it will not work. My pump broke in multiple areas.

Good news, MSR does sell a lot of repair kits for their stoves. They also sell spare pumps. A sign they their repair business may be doing well. Kind of like a Ford vehicle.

Other problems - many have reported, including myself, the wick portion of the stove broke off easily. My wick break off after only about 3 hours of use. I repaired it best I could.

Another problem is the noise. In a group the noise will definately annoy people. Its sounds like a small jet plane.

I still keep it in case I want to use it on day hikes and overnights, but I would be considerate enough not to take it on group trips.

Finally, the price, I am not sure what merits MSR stoves to be so expensive. Its just a simple stove and nothing exceptional in terms of quality and design.

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

I bought this years back as a backup stove and never used it. Last week I tried to fire it up and the pump plunger came out due to the fact the pump body broke. [...]! So, the first time I try to use it and it breaks and I am up the creek!

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

This stove is amazing and defiantly worth the extra money! I have used it several times most recently on a trip to the BWCAW on July 27th, 2008. It provided enough power and run time (on two 22oz/650ml bottles) for four of us for 5 days and a total of 13 hot meals. They were eggs, brats, pancakes, french toast, fish, and spaghetti. We never boiled large quantities of water on it (over 1/2 gallon) but I'm confident it could handle it. I use mainly white gas in it because of the clean burn. It seemed fairly accurate to the 134min run time per pint of white gas. The Ability to control the flame is outstanding. I borrowed a whisperlite previous to purchasing the dragonfly and it is definitely worth the extra money. I do pack minimalist on solo trips but when I go with friends, I outfit us with gourmet food and carry a little more weight. Cleaning it is very easy to do (would recommend you do it at home for the first time). However, MSR made the tools as small as possible so getting enough leverage to unscrew some nuts can be difficult. The windscreen and heat reflector work great and I recommend using the heat reflector all the time. The pump is made out of plastic yes, but after thinking about it I decided thats best because with all the small parts, if any water gets inside and not taken care of eventually rust would form even with stainless steel. So as long as you take care of your stove nothing should ever break it is very durable and a GREAT BUY!!!

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

I bought my first Dagonfly for a multi-month bike tour after spending 7 weeks touring in Spain using a Gaz cartridge stove. I ended up using it daily for most of that summer. I also took it on several three-day backpacking trips and on numerous car camping trips and day hikes. Not once did I have a problem with it. While a cartridge stove is easier to light, this stove is not hard to light. I don't consider unfolding, pumping and priming for a few minutes to be difficult or inconvenient. And what you get in return is well worth the extra, minimal effort. The stove is super-stable. The windscreen and heat reflector make it efficient. The flame control is unbelievably precise. As someone noted, this is a great stove if you are doing more than boiling water. But even for that, at full throttle you won't have to wait long. It's beyond dispute that, wide open, this stove is really loud. But I don't mind that small tradeoff. And once you get the water boiling you can turn it down significantly. You only need to take the package of extra pieces and tools if you plan to switch jets to burn different types of fuel or make repairs in the field. The fact that it's fully field maintainable is an asset. My original Dragonfly finally broke due to neglect on my part, and I had no compunction about buying another. As for having to carry a fuel bottle, if you are going to be on the road or trail for more than a long weekend and are using something like a Coleman Peak 1 or 442 you are going to need to carry a fuel bottle anyway since the tank capacity of those stoves is not that great. Match a Dragonfly with a 32 oz. MSR fuel bottle and you have the perfect long distance bike touring setup.

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

I am an outdoor leadership trainer and lead camping trips. Although not a chef, need to boil much water for various uses in the outdoors. Food prep, kill bacteria, melt snow, wash myself, hot water bottle, (okay, i'm wimpy) etc. Hot water, NOW, is part of survival in the outback. If the temp is below freezing, I want this stove. Period. This stove will easily handle a 3 liter pot and make hot chocolate for your group. Everyone on your winter camping trip will love you. Last liquid fuel stove was Optimus 8r (i'm a dinosaur, so?) - the Dragonfly is more stable, more powerful and easier to get fired up. Liquid Fuel stoves require a 'learning curve'; practice outdoors, and if you never used a (this goes for most) liquid fuel stove, get ready for a 'primative' experience. This stove requires a pot or cup of 4 inches in diameter or more, or the container will fall through the support. I used this stove about 30 times over the last two years with no trouble.

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

I recently thru-hiked the Colorado Trail, a 500 mile route through the Rockies from Denver to Durango. The vast majority of the trail is above 10,000 feet, with frequent climbs to 13,000 and over. My average camp elevation was about 10,500 feet, highest was 12,500, and lowest was 6,000. Temps ranged from 80F near Denver & Durango, down to below freezing, probably 25-30F, at some spots. Average temperature was probably 40-45 at night and 60-65 during the day. This trip took me a solid 34 days of hiking to finish. It was a great test of all my equipment, and I thought I would share this knowledge here for the benefit of those considering the same equipment.

The Dragonfly is not a light stove, but not that heavy either. It fit perfectly with my mostly ultra-light setup, as I was cooking 2 meals a day for 2 people. I chose it for the multi-fuel ability, as I didn't want to depend on availability of butane canisters along the trail, or for future trips abroad. I used the 20oz MSR bottle, which for 2 people with 2 hot meals a day plus hot beverages, lasted an average of 10 days per 20oz fill, which is great in my opinion.

First the positive:
The stove worked brilliantly at the highest elevations and coldest temperatures and windiest conditions (with the windscreen). Poking my arms out of my sleeping bag to start the stove, with frost covering the bag and tarp around us, I was always happily surprised when the stove primed with the same ease as in warmer conditions.

The Dragonfly is simple and rather rugged, I can't say I'm the kindest handler of equipment, and it survived for the most part (see below).

It simmered just fine, although my stainless steel pot did tend to burn rather easily, but I've never had much luck with stainless steel.

And the negative:
I had my first stove for a couple months, using it casually on weekend backpacking trips. One of the major perks with this stove design is it's field serviceability, and I hadn't yet serviced it. So before the Colorado Trail hike I thought I better take it apart and clean it up. Sadly, the fuel jet had fused or otherwise became impossibly stuck to the threads inside the stove. Trying to get it unscrewed with the included service tool, I only managed to strip it. This basically defeated the idea of field serviceability.

I returned it for a new one before the trip, checking when I got home that this one was actually serviceable. This worked fine for the first 2 weeks of the trip, but suddenly I was having issues pressurizing the bottle. I took the pump apart, managing to strip the plastic fittings with the steel service tool in the process. Nothing major, but in the battle between stuck plastic and steel, steel wins (even with finesse). After opening it up, I found the rubber plunger, aka the pump cup, had partly corroded into flakes of rubber. This is only after 2 weeks of use (albeit continuous). I was able to finish the trail, but from then on the pressure was low and I was constantly on edge that the pump was going to fail again, not good when you're 120 miles from you're next resupply. Why they didn't include a spare pump cup in the service kit (which includes 2 o-rings, a spare fuel filter, lube, etc) I haven't the foggiest.

Finally, there are major inconsistencies when using different fuel types. The boil-times are nowhere near as consistent as printed on the box. In addition, some fuels gunk up the jets much faster than others and require completely different priming methods. I used white gas, unleaded gas, kerosene, and diesel, and while they all "worked", there are major differences (none of which are really commented on in the manual). White gas was the most consistent and cleanest, followed by diesel, kerosene, and then unleaded gas. Unleaded gas was dirty as hell, took almost twice as long to get a boil, clogged the jet constantly, and flamed up a lot. I would not recommend using it unless you have no other option (which I didn't).

One last complaint is that there was always fuel left in the pump coupling and hose, which inevitably leaked onto the bottle, my hands, the stove, or other outlying regions. After a month of this, my pack and everything the bottle and the stove touched ended up reeking of diesel and kerosene. It's enough to offend everyone that passes you with your 10-day unwashed body odor, but to add diesel fumes in with the mix, that's just wrong.

PS. Don't even think of having a quiet conversation while burning this stove. Like most that use this design, it's really loud. The sound might be comforting for those of you that work with jet engines.

I've sinced returned the stove and ordered the Optimus Nova, also from REI (online only). The Nova uses a similar design but opted for a rugged aluminum pump. The cheap pump is the ultimate reason I returned the stove and gave it 2 stars instead of maybe 3. If that cheap plastic (or rubber pump cup) breaks in the field, you're not going to be able to service it.

Service and delivery comments:

Customer service was excellent, as I've come to expect from REI after so many years of it. If I can find it at REI, even if it's cheaper elsewhere I go with REI.

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

This is a No Brainer - If you want a stove that will do it all - Anywhere - burning Anything - just get it! I've used this stove from the FL Keys to the Pacific Northwet, and it has never failed me once. Extra stable, perfect flame control, and will burn anything. I have even used biodiesel one time. Its self cleaning and in 2 years I have never had a single problem. I cook for large groups. One note: Customize your windscreen to fit your pots and pans and use it. (I cut notches in mine so that my pot holder will easily fit all my pan sizes) Using the windscreen - will save fuel and reduce the noise considerably. When cooking with my gram-winnie buddies, they are always jealous of my meals. In fact, usually on our next trip together - they ditch their meal plans and we divide up the packing of fresh ingredients and we all eat like Kings. This stove has also saved our tails from hypothermia on more occasions than I care to remember. (With the windscreen and large legs, you can dry out a substantial amount of wood in a hurry) The performance and versatility of this stove truly makes it a No Brainer !!!

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

This is a great multi fuel stove. I moved up to the DragonFly after years of using an MSR Pocket Rocket canister stove. I got tired of buying (and packing) wasteful canisters, so I opted for a liquid fuel stove. While I do agree that it's a bit loud when you're trying to run it full blast (boiling water usually), it's not too bad when it's set to a simmer. It is a bit big and cumbersome for solo adventures, but great for two or more people. This stove is a bit bulky but it fits perfectly into my large MSR Blacklite Classic cook-pot, which honestly doesn't take up any more volume than my old pocket rocket and a cookpot or even a Jetboil PCS. About the only extra thing that takes up space is the fuel, and I carry my fuel bottle tucked into one of the external pockets on my pack, so it's not a huge deal to me. It's only a small sacrifice to make if you're switching from canisters to liquid fuel. I haven't found it difficult to light per-se, but it takes a few minutes to get it going. Once the jet is preheated, then it really gets to going quite well. It will do it all from boil water in just a couple minutes, to simmer a pot of soup. All in all, it's a great stove that I will definitely be keeping for quite a while.

Comments about MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove:

My Dragonfly is my go-to stove on high altitude trips where temperature drops to sub 10 degrees Celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). I left my canister stove at home. My stove has been on the two of the highest and coldest mountains in the Philippines, Mt. Apo and Mt. Pulag.

This stove is a lifesaver to our group of 12, including four guides, during our Mt. Apo expedition when the other stove got leak on its fuel line. We have to wait a little more but we didn't sleep starving because of my Dragonfly.

This is a great large group stove. Its noise has advantages. You know that you're stove is still ON and you can estimate its flame setting by simply hearing it. Rice is the staple food in the Philippines so simmering is necessary.

Don't leave without the windscreen/heat reflector at home especially during windy trip. This will definitely increase fuel efficiency and decrease boil time.

On the downside, it's relatively heavy and bulky but it fits perfectly in my pack alongside with my clothings. No built-in igniter so you must bring a lighter or a match. I prefer to bring waterproof match.