MSR Dragonfly Stove

Name: Dragonfly Stove
Brand: MSR
SKU: 709002
Price: 189.95 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.5 (438 reviews)

View the 438 reviews with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars

This product is not available. Good news: we have a newer version.

Offering precise flame control with large-pot stability, the MSR Dragonfly stove gives you gourmet simmering performance in a chassis that's built to handle a variety of liquid fuels and frequent use.

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Easily handles pots and pans up to 10 in. in diameter
Dual-valve design delivers the flame control you need for simmering sauces
2 control valves: one to regulate gas flow and another to dial in a precise flame
Burns white gas, kerosene, unleaded auto fuel, diesel and jet fuel
Shaker Jet™ technology and smart engineering allow complete cleaning and maintenance in the field
Folds to a third of its working size and fits in a 2-liter MSR pot for easy storage (pot not included)
Comes with fuel pump, windscreen, heat reflector, small-parts kit, instructions and stuff sack
This stove requires an MSR fuel bottle for operation (not included)
Fuel not included

Made in USA.

Runs on white gas, kerosene, jet fuel, unleaded automobile fuel and diesel. Please note: Automobile fuel will clog the stove much quicker than the other fuels and should only be used if other fuels are not available.

View all MSR Backpacking Stoves

Best Use	Backpacking
Fuel Type	Liquid
Fuel	Diesel Jet Kerosene White Gas Auto
Burn Time (Max Flame)	Per 20 oz. of white gas: 2 hrs. 6 min.; per 20 oz. of kerosene: 2 hrs. 33 min.
Number of Burners	1 Burner
Average Boil Time (1L)	3 min. 30 sec. (white gas) / 3 min. 54 sec. (kerosene)
Dimensions	6.3 x 5 x 3.5 inches
Weight	Stove and pump only: 14.1 oz.; packaged weight: 1 lb. 1 oz.

How to Choose a Backpacking Stove

Decide on the stove type you want

Backpacking stoves are categorized by the type of fuel they use and how the fuel is stored.

Canister stoves use canisters of isobutane or propane. They’re easy to use and low maintenance.

Integrated canister systems pair a canister with a burner and a built-in pot.

Liquid fuel stoves connect to refillable fuel bottles. They’re versatile because they burn many types of fuels like white gas, kerosene and unleaded auto fuel.

Alternative-fuel stoves run on fuel pellets, wood or other fuel.

The pros and cons of each type

Canister stoves. Pros: easy to use. Low maintenance. Boils quickly. Cons: flame can weaken in the cold.

Integrated canister systems. Pros: boil water extremely quickly. Cons: prone to tipping.

Liquid fuel stoves. Pros: work well in cold weather. Boil water quickly, even in cold weather. Cons: require priming and occasional maintenance.

Wood-Burning Stoves. Pros: often simple, lightweight. Cons: require finding dry wood. Fire bans may limit use.

Denatured Alcohol Stoves. Pros: simple, quiet, use cheap alcohol. Cons: slow to boil.

Select the right specs and features

Consider a stove’s weight, average time to boil one liter of water and whether it features a push-button spark igniter (found on some canister-fuel stoves).

Backpacking stoves and cooking pots on a log

Ratings Snapshot

Product Rating

4.6

View the reviews with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars438 Reviews

176 out of 201 (88%) reviewers recommend this product

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Average Customer Ratings

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use

Most Helpful Favorable Review

5 reviews with an average rating of 5.0 out of 5 stars

Read carefully before you buy

AdrenalineJunky

17 years ago

Received free product

It is big, it is loud, it is unique. Your satisfaction with this stove is DIRECTLY dependent on how well you identify your needs for a stove. What it lacks in qualities needed by a naturalist it has traded up for qualities needed by someone using a stove in between back-packing and almost tailgating. Those key features being its rock solid support legs for heavy group meals and finite flame control for fine simmering. This is what i set out to find and MSR had the quality product to answer my call. A few important notes specific to MSR products. If you own more than one MSR product, Dragonfly's pump is unique to ONLY IT and no other stove.

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AdrenalineJunky

74 people found this review helpful

Most Helpful Critical Review

5 reviews with an average rating of 2.0 out of 5 stars

Good stove, Very sub-standard pump

Rosamond

4 years ago

Received free product

I’ve been using MSR stoves since the 70s. I have at least 8 of them, mostly XGKs. The newer Dragonfly is an ok stove, but the pump is garbage; extremely fragile. MSR used to make the pump shaft out of aluminum. Their marketing/ planned obsolescence team clearly decided that the best way to sell more stoves is to have them break. Which is infuriating when on trail. If they made the pump handle out of something other than the most brittle plastic they could engineer, I’d give this stove either 4 or 5 stars.

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Rosamond

Truckee, ca

21 people found this review helpful

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AdrenalineJunky

Florida

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

17 years ago

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

Backpacking Fiend

Washington, USA

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

17 years ago

If you are the person who finds yourself at the summit one weekend and camping out of the back of your pickup truck the next weekend, this is your stove. I've used mine for boiling up a days supply of snow to water at 7000+ feet and also for cooking (not burning) gravy and sauces in the campground. This stove is efficient and versatile. To address the "jet engine" complaints... yes it sounds like a jet engine, but in the same regard that your live music cd at a reasonable volume sounds like a rock concert. So it burns with a rushing air sound, but I've heard people snore at about twice this volume so I don't even think twice about it.

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

jfnomad

Jackson, WY

Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

13 years ago

Summary This stove has terrific flexibility and is durable enough for tough treatment. I discovered its hidden potential when I started baking with it. Intro and Uses This was an unnecessary upgrade to my Whisperlite. I got it as a back-up and it turned out to be a replacement. It has a dual valve fuel control which makes for more specialized cooking and even baking. I used it throughout my 2 1/2 month hiking tour of the UK and have used it on numerous overnights and weekenders in the Tetons, Gros Ventres, and Winds as well as 6-7 night trips in the Ozarks and Winds (during both I also used campfires extensively). Durability This is a very solid stove that's seen a lot of use with only occassional cleaning. I've mostly used gasoline in it with very little carbon build up. It's fairly easy to take apart and I have replaced one of the pumps. I have an expedition service kit, but haven't needed to replace anything yet. There are more heavy duty stoves out there, but this one should be strong enough for pretty much anyone's needs. My only concern has been the plastic elements, specifically the pump, but I haven't had any serious issues yet. Efficiency It's boil time is sufficient. I'm not one of those people who cares about the difference between three minutes and five. If I cared about things like that, I'd stay home and busy myself about schedules and such. At the same time, when I'm hungry in the backcountry, I want to eat now. It gets the job done in a timely manner and as long as you don't view backcountry cuisine like fast food you should be happy. It's got some heft, that's for sure, but I carry this stove because of its gormet potential, its durability, and its flexibility. I don't mind carrying a 17 oz. stove for what I get out of it, as long as I have someone else to help tote the weight. I can boil 1 liter of tap water with 20 grams of gasoline at 6,200 ft., and that's without a fresh cleaning job. That means I can boil 30 liters with a 22 oz. fuel canister. I'm satisfied. Convenience It's a good stove for general boiling and cooking, but where it shines is its 'gormet' potential (relatively speaking). If you don't mind burning some fuel, you can also bake. I've baked apple and cherry pies, chocolate and german chocolate cakes, pizza and shephards pie with this stove and my oven kit. It does a great job. I've also made fudge and trail bars. If this little list doesn't suffice to convince everyone that this stove has definitely added to my backcountry and travel experience, then I have failed in this review. I am very happy with this stove and I highly recommend it.

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

Andy Whiteman

Raleigh, North Carolina

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

12 years ago

I bought my MSR Dragonfly 12 years ago. It broke on my last hiking trip, in June of this year. The burner cup became detached from the rod that connects it to the base. Despite the fact that the card that came with the stove clearly states that warranty period is five years, MSR's warranty/repair department cheerfully agreed to fix it for free. All I had to do was to ship it to Seattle. Needless to say, I am very happy with MSR. I like this stove a lot, and for most uses prefer it over the smaller butane cannister-type stoves for the reasons others have mentioned. I just wanted to share my experience with the warranty issue.

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

Harrison

California

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

5 years ago

This is a good product. I'll elaborate on the noise since everyone has asked about it. I measured the noise output at an average of 88 decibels at its highest flame setting. This puts it in category of a hair dryer on its high setting. The decibels will drop when lowering the flame output is also similar to a hair dryer going to medium and low. It's not as loud as a jet engine, those are much louder. If you have apprehension about this product being loud and waking everyone up, most cooking is done 50 feet to 200 feet away from tents. If a hair dryer is too loud for you at those distances, then your decision is clear.

Age:35–44

Yes , I recommend this product

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use

Helpful?

QiBeing

All over

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

14 years ago

I've done the math. Take a Soto at 2.6 oz and 1 full 227G can at 12.7 oz and one half full at 7.7 oz total 23OZ. My set up with the Dragonfly is 32 OZ including wind screens at 2 OZ. Now buy a Simmerlite and save 5.5 OZ or net savings Soto 2.5 OZ savings max, Now start adding additional 4.7 OZ for additional empty cans VS larger cans for these stoves and the trade off completely disappears. Regardless this is a true bug out stove and for the minimal extra carry of 3 1/2 oz between 2 people I'll take the simmer benefits and multiple fuel options any day, these are great stoves and if you can't light one easy you should not be playing with matches!

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

LostBoy

Houston, TX

Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

13 years ago

I have owned this stove for several years (5+) and have had to perform only minimal maintenance on it. It is reliable, easy to light (once you learn to prime it), fairly light weight for such a stable package, and heats water to a boil in no time. The down sides I see really aren't that bad. Yes, it sounds like a jet engine. This is part of the reason it boils water quickly. You have to pump it (well it's liquid fuel so you should have realized this before the purchase was made) but regardless it's not a big deal. I have also not experienced any issues with the pump system. It's a great product from MSR and it has served me for 100's of nights of backpacking!

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

JustBill

Berkeley, CA

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

15 years ago

We finally tried the Dragonfly in the field. I cook for three, using it to cook pasta, boil water, fry potatoes and eggs. The lighting procedure requires a little practice, but not too challenging. The priming fire requires a little more fuel than what the instructions imply. Yes...it is loud, but tolerable. Temperature control is excellent. Once the water came to a boil, I was able to back off on the fuel to maintain a gentle boil. I was able to get the perfect temperature for cooking scrambled eggs. The stove seemed really stable, even with a fairly large pot of water sitting on top. The fuel consumption (Coleman fuel, in my case) seemed quite reasonable.

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

OutdoorShutter

Milwaukee, WI

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

12 years ago

I've had my Dragonfly for about four years and I have used it for hiking trips when I photograph wildlife. Typically I will run the stove with white gasoline but have also used kerosene on occasion. It's nice to be able to have hot chocolate on brisk morning or a cup of tea near the evening hours. A lot of the reviews here complain about the noise from this stove. And rightfully so. It is loud. Forget being able to have any sort of conversation with anyone - you will have to talk louder than the stove which mean you are on the bottom cusp of shouting. The flame control on this stove is amazing. Anything from melting butter without burning to boiling water or even melting snow this stove can handle it. It runs liquid fuel only and does not accept canister gas, but to me gas canisters are a pain. They do not contain the same amount of energy as white gas or kerosene and they are not always available when you get to your destination which you wont find out till you get there! So much easier to locate white gas or kerosene and in a pinch you could use unleaded gas or diesel fuel but I would not recommend those fuel unless you were desperate. Those fuels are extremely harsh on a stove (any stove). Back to the noise. I picked up an aftermarket burner called quietstove and it magically makes the sound disappear and flame control is even better believe it or not. It's not cheap but worth every penny in my opinion. There are plenty of videos of it in action on youtube. If you are looking for more information about the dragonfly I would recommend visiting REI. The staff is always helpful and knows their stuff.

Yes , I recommend this product

Helpful?

ChefPax

Des Moines, IA

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

4 years ago

I have used my original Dragonfly for 20 years on the trail and thought I should write a review now. Great stove for groups who agree to share meals. It has been invaluable on BSA trips and family backpack trips. Very powerful and reliable. I have considered switching to a lightweight canister stove, but feel I'd give up too much versatility and utility for the minor weight savings. It's more complex to use than a canister stove, but not overwhelmingly so. Because of the controlability, it definitely allows you to upgrade the quality of your meals far beyond dehydrated pouches. It'a going with us again this week to the Badlands. I plan to use it for another 20 years.

Age:55–64

Yes , I recommend this product

Ease of Use

Difficult to useVery easy to use

Helpful?

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MSR Dragonfly Stove

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