Fire Dragon Fuel
- Thread starter Jack Metickler
- Start date
I have used the gel blocks in the BCB fire dragon cookers i the past. As mentioned they do gunk up whatever you are using them in! Sometimes the residue lifts out in a one. Other times I have struggled to get it out of the cooker. Performance wise they are poor, you will struggle to 500ml water to boil with one gel tablet. But I have no experience with the gel
Find all the new fire dragon stuff not as good as hexi. So if I can’t get hexi it’s a gas stove only
They're crud in my experience. Easier to light than hexi though. I use them in my crusader and that silver folding thingy that also takes the crusader cup. Strictly heat the retort meal and make a brew with the water stuff.
My experience is the opposite. Less residue than hexi, less smell than esbit and less chance of contamination than meths.
Are they the best thing since slides bread. No. But they do work for what I need.
Please skip the waffle below, it’s just a break down of how I’ve used them.
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I usually use the bit block in the BCD stove that stores three blocks. It boils a full mini Trangia mess tin or lidded USGI mug full of water. Worst conditions I tried it in was windy enough that I could not hear someone sitting next to me speak. Although that was my wife so no change there!
Yes there is a whitish crusty residue in the base of the tray. If the tray is already grubby it sticks to it more. A bit a foil inside that you can lift out and wipe/scrape off and reuse sorts this.
I also burn it in a Swedish mess kit or USGI cup stove. It’s okay, struggles with a full can of water in the M40 compared to the issued spirit burner. I’ve manage bacon an eggs in the M40 lid in good weather using a single block, but I have dropped a second one in if needed.
Test from when I first used them:
Boil time on a 3/4 full mini mess tin was just under 8 minutes. On a clear but not warm day. Block expired after around 10 minutes 30. Volume of water was more than enough to fill a big “foldacup” or a Swedish courser with a bit left over.
I’ve not measured it but seems a bit better with a canteen cup with a better windshield, as you would expect.
I’ve just tried the mini BCB fuel tabs last night. One tab got a USGI mug full warm but not too hot to put a finger in. I think the intended use is to warm up a precooked field ration? They are tiny self contained and easy to ignite. Small enough to squirrel away anywhere so I’ll likely keep a few in a pocket as kinder.
Are they the best thing since slides bread. No. But they do work for what I need.
Please skip the waffle below, it’s just a break down of how I’ve used them.
****
I usually use the bit block in the BCD stove that stores three blocks. It boils a full mini Trangia mess tin or lidded USGI mug full of water. Worst conditions I tried it in was windy enough that I could not hear someone sitting next to me speak. Although that was my wife so no change there!
Yes there is a whitish crusty residue in the base of the tray. If the tray is already grubby it sticks to it more. A bit a foil inside that you can lift out and wipe/scrape off and reuse sorts this.
I also burn it in a Swedish mess kit or USGI cup stove. It’s okay, struggles with a full can of water in the M40 compared to the issued spirit burner. I’ve manage bacon an eggs in the M40 lid in good weather using a single block, but I have dropped a second one in if needed.
Test from when I first used them:
Boil time on a 3/4 full mini mess tin was just under 8 minutes. On a clear but not warm day. Block expired after around 10 minutes 30. Volume of water was more than enough to fill a big “foldacup” or a Swedish courser with a bit left over.
I’ve not measured it but seems a bit better with a canteen cup with a better windshield, as you would expect.
I’ve just tried the mini BCB fuel tabs last night. One tab got a USGI mug full warm but not too hot to put a finger in. I think the intended use is to warm up a precooked field ration? They are tiny self contained and easy to ignite. Small enough to squirrel away anywhere so I’ll likely keep a few in a pocket as kinder.
I have used it on Esbit stove, my wood burner and for campfires etc.
It is very good and you can use it as hand sanatizer too.
It is very good and you can use it as hand sanatizer too.
Hi i use bio ethanol in my stove that stuff burns very hot and you get a nice flame i found the best way to use it in the stove was pour in a fair amount i let is sit this was from new i left it 24 hours to make sure the wick in the wall was well soaked , i then poured the extra back out and lite the stove and it lit fast and got very hot , i have had no gumming up on the holes and if i did i recon i could poke the hole with a twig or just a nail , i was tempted to keep a nail with the stove in case i got a blocked hole , i use the standard bio ethanol that is used in fires and again it is far betterthan paraffin
This'll be interesting, I've picked up a folding stove and the Fire Dragon gel.
My son is doing his DoE soon, and I am doing the whole "personal administration in the field" lesson for him. He's happy using a MSR gas burner, so we'll be trying out the fire dragon.
Quite looking forward to this, as a veteran of Hexi-telly and not seen how these things perform. Seems a bit of a mixed bag on what people post here.
My son is doing his DoE soon, and I am doing the whole "personal administration in the field" lesson for him. He's happy using a MSR gas burner, so we'll be trying out the fire dragon.
Quite looking forward to this, as a veteran of Hexi-telly and not seen how these things perform. Seems a bit of a mixed bag on what people post here.
There are better things to cook on depending what situation of course. Gas is fast, petrol for the nutters, wood can be a pleasure in itself, hexi and meths are just glorified substance abuse problems.
The fire dragon stuff is very easy to light even when sodden on a windy day, comes packaged in individual portions and you can pretty much leave it in a pocket until needed. Ideal backup.
The fire dragon stuff is very easy to light even when sodden on a windy day, comes packaged in individual portions and you can pretty much leave it in a pocket until needed. Ideal backup.
Two fire dragon blocks, matches and industrial foil as a burner (although the case from Mr Kipplings works to) fit in my canteen side pocket. Canteen, lid, stand and windshield in main pouch. Very compact for a brew up.
I have both the BCB fire dragon stoves and I prefer the fold up Tommy cooker style as one it’s more stable and fits well in a Trangia mini mess tin.
The mini cooker is okay and sits in a Bergen pocket with two blocks in case the gas can runs dry.
I have a couple 7g blocks in a ziplock as fire lighters. Yes they do seem to smell, more so than the big blocks. However the 7g have always lit when I've opened them, not sure how long they lasted as I use them to get other material going in the wet.
Rubbish stuff and why have packaging you can’t burn. Can’t believe didn’t think of that. Maybe next time
Because they were designed to be long term storage and dished out by the logistics train. As an emergency fuel the blocks work well they light in rain with a spark. I've managed to do a cooked breakfast with them but not my go to option. 
For a brew up a lot of people recommend using half a block. You can cut it in the packet and then stick the left over in a ziploc. In high wind I've had to use two boil a small mess tin, I had partially buried it as I had no wind shield, it was windy enough to push any pot you didn't hold over. Still lit just the flame was sideways.
For a brew up a lot of people recommend using half a block. You can cut it in the packet and then stick the left over in a ziploc. In high wind I've had to use two boil a small mess tin, I had partially buried it as I had no wind shield, it was windy enough to push any pot you didn't hold over. Still lit just the flame was sideways.
Got mine as part of a BCB French ration heater kit, and that comes with a strip of aquatabs so the kit as a whole would expire.
Would try the 14g blocks but don't seem readily available anywhere.
I've been using the 27g Firedragon fuel for quite a while, primarily for boiling 500ml of water for a wee brew. Recently, I switched to a smaller 300ml pot and noticed that the 27g pod boiled the water with less than half of it unused. Consequently, I started cutting them in half as Ozmundo mentioned. I decided to try the 7g pods, which apparently were part of the French Army MREs as well as the Polish at one point, and designed for heating 300ml of water. The one's I ended up sourcing has french translation on them so seems to ring true.
Over the weekend, I tested them when I was out, and I found that one 7g pod was barely able to heat 300ml to room temperature, I was just hoping it was the conditions outside for the day. Returning to the warmth of my kitchen, I try them out again in way better conditions with different setups. One 7g pod, using both the standard BCB cooker and the BCB mini cooker, with a titanium 300ml pot (firemaple) and a crusader cup could only achieve lukewarm results with 300ml of water, at best.
According to the technical sheet for Firedragon fuel, these pods are designed to raise the temperature from 0°C to 55°C in 3 minutes, even after 5 mins when finished the water was still just warm though. I wish I had something to take a temperature reading with but to give an example on how it was, I could easily dip my fingers in the pot without issue.
It could be the fuel I have has been sitting around for a long time before making it's way too me and had its oomph taken out of it, or maybe it preforms better with the ration heater instead of the two I tried.
Seems like the 14g might be ideal to boil 300ml but I have had zero luck trying to source these as of yet. I contacted BCB about the 7g version, while they do still produce them, they have a large Minimum Order Quantity on them and only sell them via there 3rd party suppliers, I suspect the 14g are the same.
Over the weekend, I tested them when I was out, and I found that one 7g pod was barely able to heat 300ml to room temperature, I was just hoping it was the conditions outside for the day. Returning to the warmth of my kitchen, I try them out again in way better conditions with different setups. One 7g pod, using both the standard BCB cooker and the BCB mini cooker, with a titanium 300ml pot (firemaple) and a crusader cup could only achieve lukewarm results with 300ml of water, at best.
According to the technical sheet for Firedragon fuel, these pods are designed to raise the temperature from 0°C to 55°C in 3 minutes, even after 5 mins when finished the water was still just warm though. I wish I had something to take a temperature reading with but to give an example on how it was, I could easily dip my fingers in the pot without issue.
It could be the fuel I have has been sitting around for a long time before making it's way too me and had its oomph taken out of it, or maybe it preforms better with the ration heater instead of the two I tried.
Seems like the 14g might be ideal to boil 300ml but I have had zero luck trying to source these as of yet. I contacted BCB about the 7g version, while they do still produce them, they have a large Minimum Order Quantity on them and only sell them via there 3rd party suppliers, I suspect the 14g are the same.
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Yeah, tried some 7g blocks from ration heater kits, figured only good for as a firestarter.
https://www.thebathbushcraftshop.com is/was (site seems down atm) one of the few places seen sell 7g blocks.
Never seen the 14g blocks anywhere.
https://www.thebathbushcraftshop.com is/was (site seems down atm) one of the few places seen sell 7g blocks.
Never seen the 14g blocks anywhere.
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