Hi all, I have had a MSR Dragonfly stove for a while now, but haven't had the chance to light it until today. I was able to get a very nice Dragon Tamer II silent cap for Gary, (Bernie Dawg). Gary does such wonderful workmanship when making these caps. If you haven't gotten one yet I highly recommend it, or any of his other caps because you won't be sorry. It is very quiet compared to the roarer. I did try the lighting it with just using the burner plate and this stove is very loud. I adjusted the burner from the lowest setting possible to the highest. Just I little yellow at the lowest, but in the real world the stove would never be used like that, because when done cooking the stove gets turned off. I performed a boil test with 3 quarts of water and it was a rolling boil. The outside temp at time of test was 34 degrees F, and the test was done outside, in 13 minutes 18 seconds. Normally I prefer the older brass stoves, but this stove was such a good deal I just couldn't pass it up. Cheers, Norman
I was very happy with mine a few weekends ago too. First time to use the stove in the real world. I can now see what I missed since the DF came out 12 years ago. What is your #? I have DT44. Duane
I find I keep selecting my dragonfly when packing for a tramp as well. Mine is unadulterated roarer though. A good accessory for this stove is a handful of ear plugs. It has an exhaust note to make any boy racer proud.
The dragonfly is one of my go-to stoves for base camp stove on hikes (my other goto is a Svea 123). It's definitely not ultralite, but it's very nice to cook on and simmers really well, even with the roarer burner. Some of the aluminum can hikers look at me funny when I pull out the DF on the trail, but it's worth the power and reliability, especially with the latest DF pump. I guess I ought to make a DT cap one of these days. The noise is the only thing I don't like about the DF, unless I'm trying to wake my boys up in the morning at camp. sam
On another forum Im on we were talking about people that go up to local tramping huts to party up to all hours annoying other hut users. One other poster who did track cutting for a living said he got his own back by testing his chainsaw before starting work at 5AM in the hut. I commented I also have a weapon of mass awakenings in the dragonfly which is only a little louder. Not sure about the 5AM part though.
Hi geeves, You should get a Dragon Tamer from Bernie Dawg you won't regret it and you still have the option to use the stove as a roar just in case you have campers that are making your life unbearable. Cheers, Norman
Bernies caps are very good and I like the idea but Im too poor. By the time I got one to New Zealand it would of cost more than my stove plus bottle.
I hate my Dragonfly. The plastic pump has broken. The part of the pump assembly that screws to the bottle cracked, and today, yet another gasket failed-- where the stove plugs into the pump assembly. If you take this baby anywhere, make sure you have a repair kit. If it is an older model, I guess you are supposed to turn off the fuel at the bottle and let it burn out. Not trying to be a know-it-all: just wish somebody would have told me this when I needed to depend upon this stove. Very neat silent burner. No idea such a beast existed.
Buy a red pump and all your problems go away. Ive been using my second hand dragonfly for 3 years now as stove of choice I bought a repair kit which sits forlornly unopened in the bag. Its more than paid for itself. The oring in the pump where the hose goes in will last forever if you lubricate the brass end before inserting Licking is sufficiant. If you dont they do fail regularly but mine is over 100 uses and over 3 years old.
Had a chance to score a BD cap for the Dragonfly last summer, from BD in person!! It was a steal and a very gracious offer but didn't have the extra scratch on that trip. Should have found a way but wasn't in the cards. Was able to test drive it though and it was wonderful. Still a great stove with out. One day. 8) p.s. must have bought mine the year after they came out. who knew!
Hey Russ, I dont have the DT but I do own the proto midi cap in SS and the mini cap. They both are good, I just swap whatever stove fits on both caps without a hitch actually. Again BD caps are a welcome relief from roarers specially if you are up in the morning and would like to wake up the others by the aroma of fresh brew or smell of sausages which is much better that waking up to the roar of the DF. Ron
I would agree, the DF is a great stove, add in the DT cap, wow. So glad I finally picked up a slightly used one. Gary was great to work with in getting a cap. Duane
Just got a DF with a 'New' pump. The pump is a standard pump. That will not work with DF will it? I need to get a RED only pump? Ken P.S. I did searching, but no definitive answer, except what MSR site says.
I believe the dragonfly pump differed from the standard pump for whisperlite/international versions as the diameter of the dragonfly is either larger or smaller. You can try is by inserting stove to the pump. If its loose (or wont go in) then it is not the correct pump. It should just slide in with a slight push. Ron
You need the red pump. It is much better pump than the one used by the other msr stoves anyway. Only the DF pump has a sprung poppet in it that helps prevent leaks. In my opinion the DF pump is the only good pump MSR make.
Craig with SixyGear will have some caps soon for the DF and another make or two sometime. I believe they will be around $99. At least you won't have to be the winning bidder to get one. You can check out his website also. Duane
