We know what you are thinking about the name of this MSR Dragonfly stove. The name is weird and the reason behind the name is actually what you are thinking it to be. This MSR stove is shaped in a ‘dragonfly’ shape which is the reason for it’s exclusive name.
The company who produces this stove is MSR who has been there in the stove industry for more than a few years now. The product is priced well and it comes in one fixed size for everyone.
In this MSR Dragonfly Review article, we are going to go depth of this popular camp/backpack stove. Hope our discussion would help you to find out whether you should go for this backpack/camp stove or not. Let’s start.
Key Features of MSR Dragonfly Stove:
Pot Support – Greater Capacity:
Think about that scene. You need to cook/boil for more than one person. And, you are trying to cook food or boil water using a medium to large-size pot, but the stove seems unable to hold it firmly.
It can make the stove unstable and the pot can fall off from the stove due to the over-weight issue. This is where the pot support comes in handy. Thanks to the manufacturer for providing the pot support feature in MSR Dragonfly Stove model.
There are three separate pot-supports in three different corners of this MSR backpacking stove. The pot supports allow you to use a medium to a large-size pot for cooking food or boiling water.
And, this feature makes sure that your large (or any size) cooking pot won’t fall off from this stove, even in the unfavorable weather situation.
The pot-supports not only increases the pot-holding capacity of this MSR camp stove, but also makes it more interesting and fun to have.
Multiple Fuel Using Capability:
One of the best features of MSR DragonFly Backpacking Stove is it can run with diverse types of fuels, including kerosene, white gas, jet fuel, auto, unleaded gas, diesel, etc.
So, this MSR stove offers both auto fuel and manual fuel option so that you can decide what to go for based on your requirements and rush. The first advantage is these fuel-types costs less than proprietary propane or butane solutions.
And the second advantage is these fuels are easily-available. So, you can easily get these fuels on the way of your trail or camping, if you run short of fuel.
This assures that you go anywhere on this planet, you would get the chance to prepare yourself boiled water and/or hot meal after a tiresome day with a little effort.
Here goes a list of how different fuel works with this MSR DragonFly Backpack Stove:
MSR Dragonfly Specifications |
White Gas | Kerosene | Diesel |
Fuel Burning Time (per 600ml) |
126 minutes | 153 minutes |
136 minutes |
Water Boiling Time (1 liter) |
3.5 minutes | 3.9 minutes |
3.5 minutes |
Fuel Requirement to Boil Water (per 100 ml) | 5.3 liters | 5.7 liters |
5.7 liters |
Fuel Efficient:
Most of the liquid based stoves are efficient but this particular model takes that efficiency to a whole new level. MSR Dragonfly Camping Stove will save you a lot of money both in the short term and long term with the fuel efficiency that it has to offer.
As there are a lot of controlling options installed in this stove for you, you can also manually control the fuel and make sure that you can save the maximum amount of it while cooking.
For example, you obviously do not need high flame all the time while you are cooking and this stove has the option to dim it when required.
Read, Best Backpacking Stove Reviews 2019
Precise Flame – Heat Control:
If you are looking to go for a versatile stove for outdoor camping, MSR Dragonfly Stove is definitely something that you should consider. The model is so versatile that you would feel amazed at some points.
It can control the heating temperature precisely which means you are allowed to experiment with your food. It comes with a heat controller valve, which can control the flame.
So, you can increase the flame to create a high-level heating temperature. You can also lower the flame down to get the lowest-level simmer.
As mentioned before, you can decide whether to use more fuel or less with the help of those fuel valve controllers.
In short, you can actually open up a restaurant in the middle of nowhere with the help of this MSR backpack stove. This is certainly a great benefit to have and very few alternative models can offer you such flexibility.
Fast Heating Ability:
MSR Dragonfly Camp Stove makes sure that it works super fast all the time whenever you need it. We always emphasize the importance of working fast for camping type stoves. No camper wants to waste time in cooking.
Firstly, campers are not master chefs and most of them do not even like to cook. Secondly, even if they love cooking from the core of their hearts, they have better things to do at camping.
Combining these factors, it is important for a stove to be fast in producing results. The good news is that this product lives up to that potential.
Stable Structure – Safe Operation:
Just imagine! You are cooking after a tiring day in a weird position as camping is not always on tiles based ground. You are almost done with cooking and suddenly the stove turns down and the bowl falls off.
All your food is wasted within minutes and on the worst situation, it can create a fire. This may sound weird but it happens a lot with movable stoves. Thanks to the manufacturer, this MSR Stove Dragonfly is very stable in any and every condition.
It does perfectly alright even if you attach it to a gas station or fuel tank that is three times bigger than the main unit.
As mentioned earlier, this MSR stove includes a 3-stand support, which helps the whole structure to maintain it’s stable position. As the balance is there, it does not allow such mishaps.
We know how dangerous it can be if there is a stove related accident while you are camping out. The product makes sure that it does not happen. This is something that we should applaud because safety is a thing that should never be compromised.
Foldable Compact Size:
We won’t say that this is the most lightweight backpack stove available on the market. However, it can be folded into a compact shape, which would take smaller space inside your backpack.
Weighing around 1 pound, it bears a dimension of 7 x 7 x 7 inches. It comes with a nylon shack, which helps you to carry this unit safely.
MSR Dragonfly Stove Review: Video
Pros:
- It can use multiple type fuels, like diesel, white gas, auto, jet fuel, kerosene, unleaded gas, etc.
- It can work efficiently anywhere in any weather situation.
- It can safely hold a large size pot through it’s pot-support.
- It comes with heat controller valve offering precise flame/heat controlling ability.
- It offers simmering option.
- It bears fuel controller vales, which allows the user to control the amount of fuel usage upon necessity.
- It comes with handy accessories, including windshield, and nylon shack.
- The manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on this product.
Cons:
- It is not a lightweight stove. If you are a solo traveler, you may face hard times carrying this stove with fuel tank.
- It’s price may seem a bit up on the higher end compared to similar featured units from different brands.
- This stove doesn’t include fuel tank. So, you need to buy fuel canister separately.
- It is a noisy stove.
Final Verdict:
MSR Dragonfly Stove is efficient like the other product of MSR stove series. At the end of the day, it is a useful tool for the campers/hikers/backpackers.
Though the product is a bit heavier, this is still a great model to choose considering it’s range of advantages, such as, large-pan bearing capacity, precise flame-control feature, multiple fuel use, fast heating performance, fuel efficiency, handy accessories, sturdy built-up, stable structure, lifetime warranty, etc.
These features not only make this stove highly efficient but also make the outdoor trips much enjoyable. This unit can cook anything and everything from this planet. If you are a foodie, this is the one that you should go for. Thanks to the MSR company, who made this product a safe one to use.
Other Top Backpack Stoves:
- MSR Whisperlite Universal Stove Review.
- Biolite Woodburning Camp Stove Review.
- Biolite BaseCamp Stove Review.
- Coleman Powerhouse Dual Fuel Stove Review.
- Ecozoom Rocket Stove Versa Review.