User Review: MSR DragonFly

MSR DragonFly
Above: The current DragonFly, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed December 1, 2006 by LBA7895

Rating:
Price Paid: $80

I am a novice camper; I wanted a small stove for boiling water and similar basic campground cooking activities. My wife has an ancient Optimus that looks too tiny for even a small cooking pot, so I was attracted to the wide, wire pot supports of the Dragonfly.

Learning to start the Dragonfly requires one or two "test runs" in your backyard, before venturing off to camp; but once you get the hang of it, it's a snap. As other reviewers have said, the almost infinite flame adjustment is terrific, and it can really heat a pot of water or coffeepot fast. It IS noisy at high flame but just hisses at lower settings. My only trepidation with this stove is the small "fireball" to prime the flame cup. If you are trying to make coffee in a tent vestibule, this could represent a risk. I haven't had the problem yet, but I am extra watchful. I wish this stove had an instant-on, to avoid that "fireball". So as not to freak anyone out, the "fireball" is usually the size of a golfball and never larger than the size of, say, a baseball, so it's not too big of a risk.

Otherwise, I love the stove and can fit it into a 1.5 qt farberware pot I use for everything from coffee in the AM to MREs in the evening. Get one!