A camping stove makes a great practical gift for an outdoor enthusiast. You can also make it a fun gift if you add a few inexpensive outdoor kitchen surprises to the package.

Selecting and Purchasing a Stove

Steps
1. Shop at a large, reputable outdoor gear store, a place where the sales staff is likely to be knowledgeable and helpful and that has a reasonable guarantee and return policy.

2. Find a stove with at least two burners - that way it can be used to heat or cook two things at once.

3. Ask a salesperson about the following features: ease of setup, ease of lighting and ease of cleaning. Go for simplicity.

4. Ask what kind of fuel the stove uses. White gas is the most widely available and is quite cheap. It also burns relatively cleanly

5. Check what form the fuel supply comes in. Avoid fuel canisters that have to be discarded when empty, since they create unnecessary waste.

6. Make sure the stove will work at high altitude if that's where the recipient is likely to be camping. For camping stove purposes, "high altitude" means anything over 10,000 feet.

7. Buy a stove with a warranty, and make sure it's returnable in case there are problems or the recipient needs to make adjustments.

Steps
8. Consider purchasing a few useful cookware items designed to go with camping stoves: a pot and matching skillet that doubles as a lid, a camp kettle for boiling water, and a matching set of plates and mugs.

9. Consider assembling all the ingredients for a delicious meal at camp, maybe one that follows a theme such as an Indian meal, an Italian meal or a grand-slam breakfast.

10. Buy the recipient a copy of "The Camper's Companion" by Rick Greenspan and Harold Kahn. This will tell the hedonist all that he or she needs to know about cooking delicious gourmet meals during an outdoor adventure.

11. Wrap the cookware and food items in separate stuff sacks of different sizes and colors. These are inexpensive and will be useful in packing up a camping kitchen.

Tips Outdoor gear stores carry a variety of dehydrated food packages, but don't let these limit your imagination - consider shopping for gourmet cans of soup, or imported bottles of pasta sauce. None of this is going on your back, after all..If you're shopping online, shop at the Web site of a reputable outdoor manufacturer, preferably one with a toll-free number so you can consult with a salesperson before making your purchase.