Camping Gear and Essentials

[Frederic]

Below a starter list for everyone who wants to explore the joy of camping:

* A tent: when buying one, always buy one size bigger as what you need, as a tent that is labeled as 3 person tent will be very very tight and cramped for three adults. Look for a tent with adequate ventilation that can be kept open  with a mosquito net during the warmer periods, and closed off during the cold nights. If you only plan to stay one night, then the Decathlon (Quechua) and Coleman Pop-up tents are great. Quick to set up, not too expensive, and will last forever.

The Coleman Instant tents with the outer poles (see pic) are very popular and have really good ventilation.

https://thedesertdiva.com/2016/01/24/review-coleman-instant-tents/

The poles are telescopic and have a bit of a tendency to get stuck once sand gets into them. Just a thing to look after.

You will need to pay specific attention to the tent spikes. Most tents just give you those 8inch tiny metal spikes that only work in soil, not in sand or rocks. It took me some trial and error to found out that i needed:

These ones for 80% of the locations i went. They can be hammered in hard sandy areas and work also in some medium softer areas.

 

These ones for very soft areas:

They are called beach umbrella anchors, meant to fix your umbrella in the sand. They make very good tent stakes if you want to camp in the dunes.

If you want to travel light with a family, you could also get 2 small pop-up tents instead of choosing 1 big family tent. 

 

* BBQ: Not an essential item, but makes the camping more fun of course. A small table-top BBQ will do.

* Electronics: Headlights, torches, powerbanks, two way radios, table lights, etc... etc... etc... Most people have enough laying around the house.

* Gas Stove: One of my favorite things to have handy: A small  gas stove where you can boil an egg on, or make yourself a coffee in the early hours. Most work on the small gas cartridge cylinders that you can order via Amazon. (Decathlon did not have them last time, as they need a license to sell gas).

* Sleeping bags: The desert can get very very cold in the winters, so some sleeping bags will be needed during those periods. 

* Air mattress: Many types are available, from the classic air mattresses that require a foot pump or air bed compressor, to the very thin sleeping pads which hardly require any inflation. Depends on your own comfort and experience. I like the classic air beds but I'm a bit fed up with the small punctures and leaks that appears out of nowhere. The sleeping pads look like a better option, but they cost a bit more. You could also buy a bit of HVAC insulation foam, fold it double, and voila, you have a foam mat that you can sleep on !

Utensils: I am not fond of the disposable plates and cups, so we have plastic ones that we can wash and re-use.

Folding Chairs and Tables: My first pair of gas-station chairs did not last very long, and later I got better ones  at the Park and Shop DIP for 100AED (Director Studio Chair model) You can go all the way to the OZTRAIL 350AED models if your butt requires royal softness. @Rahimdad his reclining chair is probably the pinnacle of camping chairs  

Recovery gear: As with every person that ventures off-road, you should have a compressor, pressure gauge, deflator, and recovery rope with soft shackles with you, and also a wooden board, floor jack or bottle jack in case you need to replace a tyre. Don’t forget that a recovery rope is NOT a gas station tow rope. 

Medical Kit: Truly essential, as a small or big accident is never far away. 

Water: Absolutely ESSENTIAL. Always carry water with you, camping and offroading drains your energy and you will need to top-up your internal fluids regularly. 

Cooler: You have the 12V powered coolers, but i am not impressed with them. Just go for a slightly bigger one, and pass by the petrol station to chuck it full of ice. Cheap and works great. 

Clothing: Venturing offroad is fun wearing shorts and slippers, but better go for light breathing hiking pants, and closed shoes, for your own safety. Wear a cap and protect yourself from the harsh elements.

Trash bags: make sense..

Duffle bags: Not essential, but i bought a few and i highly recommend them to put your stuff in. They are strong yet light.

Compass and Maps: Most people now go for a Smartphone with an Offroad GPS maps. Mobile coverage is weak in some areas so it makes sense to download the area where you camp on your phone. GaiaGPS, MotionX, Google Maps, and many others will work great.

Toilet paper / Wet wipes: Extremely useful. No further details to add....

Firewood: Available from petrol stations. 

Axe: Always handy to cut your firewood if you are not in a protected area.

Your Positive Attitude: Most important of all. Camping for multiple days is exhausting, and you will definitely need to recover after your trip. But i love it and it gets us closer to nature. The times that we have shared stories at the bonfire and watched the sky full of stars makes everything allright. 

 

WHERE TO BUY ALL THIS STUFF ?????

This is like most hobbies something that eats a bit of your budget, so i would recommend buying the essentials and having a look a Dubizzle as there are many expats leaving and selling camping gear for bottom prices. Every now and then you can add something to your collection. 

Carrefour and Lulu have good basic stuff to start off with, they also sell Coleman which is a well known bang for the buck brand.

Decathlon is a shop that specializes in Outdoor activities, so you will feel like being in Wonderland with all the stuff you will find there.  Prices are a bit higher than Carrefour, but the quality is better. When you happen to travel to Europe, go to a Decathlon over there as i've seen much lower prices in EU compared with UAE. They have really good tents, clothing, and accessories, and if you take care of them they will last forever.

The more high end shops like AdventureHQ and others have fantastic gear. The more frequent you camp, the more you will start to see differences in gear and equipment. Then it's up to you how far your budgets stretches and where your priorities are. One of my friends used a 50dhs tent that worked fine initially, but lacked any ventilation, and the assembly sticks broke after only one camping trip. It went to the garbage that same day.

 

[Gaurav]

Well done @Frederic for listing almost every possible thing require for camping in one place.

This will def help a lot of people who think buy a camp - is just enough to start camping.

It took me 2 weeks prep for researching, buying, stacking things for my first salalah trip.

[Frederic]

With the camping season starting, let's revisit this topic and add essentials. Let's hear your experiences !

[Alexander Alcala]

Something most people forget are the lamps.  Headlamps, torches, camping lights, etc.  And with lamps, batteries are also very important.

[Janarthan]

Trust me @Frederic i have camped twice this season and you have literally covered everything, like 100 percent. This is my checklist post before every-time we head out for camping. Still I am a beginner, but would love to hear some from experts here for some beautiful spots. Last time we camped near the love lake, where the long range dunes start. 

[Frederic]

13 minutes ago, Janarthan said:

Trust me @Frederic i have camped twice this season and you have literally covered everything, like 100 percent. This is my checklist post before every-time we head out for camping. Still I am a beginner, but would love to hear some from experts here for some beautiful spots. Last time we camped near the love lake, where the long range dunes start. 

Thanks @Janarthan there are lots of beautiful spots to camp in UAE. I would not share them but keep the best ones for yourself and close friends. As we are driving in the desert on a weekly basis, you can mark on your GPS a waypoint where you find an interesting spot:

- Not too very far from a dirt track / exit point, especially if you have friends joining with less offroading experience.

- Not on a typical route where most clubs drive. I saw a guy camping on the base of Fossil Rock last week. I don't think he slept much that night.

- Not too close to a camel farm, as this can get a bit smelly.

- Not in a wadi (too dangerous for flash floods).

- Not nearby water (mosquitos).

 

[Mario Cornejo]

Adding to the list of places where to buy camping stuff there are two quite interesting shops I've visited: Al Bawadi in Dragonmart 2 and "Al Ghafaa Picnic Accesories" (https://www.instagram.com/alghafaa/) located near to Maliha in Sharjah-Kalba road.

As to equipment, an item you might find useful (especially if you go with children or just for the day) is a gazebo or "sports shade", I got this one "CORE EQUIPMENT 8x8 Instant Sport Shade" from AdventureHQ.

Happy camping everyone!