So I tried my MSR Dragonfly on diesel. I found some 5 year old fuel from a tractor. It was better than expected but not all good. At full power it was blue flame with yellow tips. At simmering more of a yellow flame. 300ml fuel spent with hints of clogging of the jet, but the shaker needle fixed that. The Optimus Hiker plus was a lot worse. It creates a tiny smoke frome the small hole where the generator plate is hinged. It was a terrible diesel unburned fume. Then I added 20% gasoline to the old diesel and wow what a difference! Clear blue flame. Have tested with 500ml fuel now and shaken the needle just once. And it felt like it got a little stuck but then it was fine. Did not test the Optimus with the mix. Conclusion: I will never go on a winter trip with anything other than whitegas or kerosene, but in the warmer season like on caravan camping I might use the mix. Or just regular autogas. But it was a fun little project. Look at the picture, 20/80 gasoline/diesel looking good the dragonfly. But man this burner is loud!!!
Where I live high quality kerosene and white gas are both almost $9 per US gallon. One reason I can think of in favor of white gas in a multifuel stove is that any inevitable small spills cleanly evaporate and don’t stink up your pack. I can get a lower grade of kerosene at a gas station, labelled as k1 but is a bit yellow. In some stoves, like my Whisperlite Universal, gas primes much easier than kerosene.
I have previously seen that video. I am not anti kerosene and I burn lots of it. My Nova remains set up for kerosene and of course all my classic brassies and my Optimus 111 burn kerosene. But I have burned camping gas my whole life in Colemans and my 8R and I have no fear of it. The 123 burns gas as well. I won’t be lighting any stoves in the arctic and if I did try to light one of my stoves in extreme conditions I am not sure which stove or fuel I would try.
>>So I tried my MSR Dragonfly on diesel. I found some 5 year old fuel from a tractor. I would not consider this a valid test unless you at least had that fuel scrubbed of any microbial growth, and even then, it may have lost energy due to age and air exposure. I'd try to get a little fresh fuel and try again before deciding you need to add anything such as gasoline. If you know someone with a sailboat that has a diesel engine on board, they can explain this far better than I ever could.
It’s cultural. In the US, camp stoves (Coleman, AGM, Prentis Wabers) were made for auto camping, and therefore to burn automobile fuel. The various easy lighting systems all depend on the priming fuel being the same as the main fuel, and it being high volatility. I would bet that most of us who grew up here learned to light these stoves when we were children. I don’t understand fear of using white gas, any better than I understand fear of hitting your thumb when using a hammer. There’s just a certain amount of care you take. ….Arch edit: Having now listened to the expert (above), I also find him unconvincing. I’ve had the same seals in contact with white gas in some of my gasoline stoves for decades, and the seals are still functional. A “danger” of kerosene that he doesn’t mention is that spilled kerosene can wick into your clothing and not evaporate, making it a fire hazard long after the spill. At least white gas evaporates, rather than leaving a greasy mess. The point with any fuel is to be careful and don’t spill it.
He ... made ... some .... good .... points. I .... am .... also .... not .... convinced. It .... took ........... waaaaaaay .... toooo ..... long ..... to ..... make .... a .... few ..... points. Sorry for the humor. I suspect all white gas advocates will be US residents due to our easy access and long history with such.
