Liquid Fuel - MSR DragonFly

Advantages

• Liquid fuel
• Fine grain adjustable flame
• Efficient

Disadvantages

• Weight penalty for adjustable flame
• Noise level (not quiet)

Notes

• Multi-fuel is: White gas, unleaded auto fuel, kerosene, diesel, jet fuel
• Pack weight: 16.8 oz. (475g)

There are two things to note about almost all liquid fuel stoves with an external fuel bottle. I say "almost" because I know of a few stoves that solve either one, or both items. Inverted canister stoves share these same issues to some extent.

First, external liquid fuel bottles stoves are basically designed to boil water. These stoves lack the fine grain flame control required to simmer. Which I discovered on a trip, when I tried to make pancakes. My only excuse was that it was my first extended trip and only my second trip ever with the stove and I just did not think about "simmer" since I usually only boil water for dehydrated food.

With the fuel bottle some distance away from the stove, and the valve controlling fuel flow located at the bottle you can begin to understand the issue. With the valve open, the liquid fuel with pressure from the bottle pushes down the fuel line, then spews through the jet, where it ignites and burns to boil your water. If you close the valve to decrease the flame, less fuel is delivered down the fuel line, and less pressure pushes it. What I am trying to say is that the flame begins to sputter. It does not go out, but it no longer burns at a constant level.

While you can simmer, the stove really functions best at higher flame output.

The MSR DragonFly addresses the flame adjustment issue, and does so very well. The DragonFly adds a second valve at the stove just before the jet. This allows you to leave the fuel valve open to deliver fuel at pressure to the stove, then restrict the amount of fuel delivered through jet controlling the flame. The only penalty you pay, is the slight increase in weight caused by the hardware of the second valve. I measured the weight difference of my WhisperLite International to the DragonFly at 2 oz. (~55g). Note that the stove utilize different burner technologies so the weight difference cannot all be attributed to the second valve.

One other thing to note is that the DragonFly burner technology, shared by many liquid fuel stoves from various vendors, is rather noisy in operation. The WhisperLite uses a different burner technology and is quieter in operation.

Second, when finished using the stove, and you have closed the fuel valve. The fuel line remains full of fuel. While the fuel in the line is a very small amount, it will still seep out. I you immediately pack the stove after use (and cooling) then you may get fuel on something in your pack. You will definitely have a fuel smell in your pack. This is not a major issue, just something to be aware of. There are a couple of stoves that address this issue, and I will discuss them in the future.

My use and testing show that the stove boils 2 cups (~500 ml) of water using a MSR Titan Kettle in 3 1/2 minutes using 2/5 oz. (by weight) of white gas.