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Dear Desertnauts. It has taken a little longer than usual to post the drive's information, as I decided to do a recce drive today, to check the route. Having double checked the itinerary (which we had previously driven only with Advance and Intermediate) I have to say that it should be a challenging, but doable, Fewbie drive. The most difficult part will be at the beginning of the drive: a tight, technical area, which we'll need to cross before entering the long, higher dunes leading to Ganthoot. It will require some patience and perseverance, but we'll surely manage through it. After that, a sea of rolling sand, almost virgin, so few are the tracks on the light yellow dunes, alternating between a lower, open landscape, and deeper bowls strung along taller cordons of sand. Once reached Ganthoot, south-west of our entry point, we'll go north-east, on a terrain of long dines separated by numerous mud formations, toward the military compound which separates this area from Little Sweihan. We'll drive on a sabkha next to the fence, past which we'll move east, into a set of tall dunes much richer with low, grassy vegetation. Once crossed this area, we'll decide, based on the convoy's behavior and cumulative skills, and the time remaining, weather to go south toward Little Sweihan proper (a challenging line of tall dunes, with soft sand bowls), or proceed north toward Solar Park, crossing the last sabkhas and low, technical dunes. @N@ved, @varunmehndiratta, @Arda Yagcioglu, @Niki Patel, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, @AlexPol, @Thomas Varghese, @Jack Thomas, @Anand Nataraj, @Aravind Padmaraju, considering the planned length of the drive (which should take no less than 4 hours), please make sure that all is in order with the car, and that you have enough refreshments (solid and liquid) to stay well hydrated and nourished well into the day. We'll stop every hour or so, depending on how we'll be moving along, to take breaks and rest a bit. More news on Thursday. In the meantime, enjoy your week.

Congratulations @Vanessa8580 for becoming the first Lady Marshal in Carnity and realizing my dream for a long time. Behind every successful man is a woman. I am so happy for @Frederic to have found you, not only you complete him at home, but also in a sport and hobby that you both feel so passionate about. Your positive energy you bring to every drive, your enthusiasm to help all and be the first one to assist anybody in need even though you have a bad back is absolutely fantastic. We all love you and routing for you every step of the way.

@Alex Sidorov it started with me wanting a daily driver but also something that was capable to go for the occasional camping trip. I did look at a few other cars but have always liked Jeeps so settled for the JGC. When I joined Carnity in October 2018, I expected to do just a few drives to get a feel of the vehicle and see how it handles in this terrain. For a year, my drives were on and off mostly but I kept coming back for more as this grew on me. If you ask me if this is the best car for the desert, the answer is definitely a big NO for a few reasons. It is Jeeps luxury segment and has too many safety features that are excellent on tarmac but a pain when offroading. If you didn't know better, you would think turning it into sand mode kills the traction but the moment the 101 sensors find the wheels spinng or sliding, the system overwrites everything and kicks in and suddenly your traction control is back on and the only way around it is a kill switch. There are quite a few quirks like this to get around. Secondly, even if you do get around to living with the few flaws, there is always the lingering feeling that if something does go wrong, it's gonna cost an arm and a leg. To summarize it, I personally took it as a challenge to myself to find a way around most of the issues and it's been a fun ride so far. Would I buy a JGC again to do the same thing? Probably not. Get a cheaper toy that you will not worry about each time you enter the desert. There are a lot of options out there depending on what you really want to do in the desert and how far you want to push yourself, the most common being the wranglers and pajero's but the Xterra is also gaining ground of late. Here is a pic of my JGC, it's a 2017 Limited. The only mods I've added are a skid plate, 2 inch levelling kit from Rough country in the front, 1 inch wheel spacers all round to maintain the COG due to the lift on the front end.

Congratulations @Pancho for reaching the Expert Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. EXPERT - Carnity Exclusivity Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Full access to Carnity without any paid subscription Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Expert promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Navigating with or without GPS on the fly Trip planning, safety exits and recce skills Basic firefighting and first aid techniques Basic knowledge of car and overheating issues Minimal response to vehicle breakdown and accidents Skills required Resilient, calculative and rational thinker Self-reliance, positive attitude and forward thinking Kind, selfless and considerate to other’s concerns Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive with Marshal permission Inspect vehicle for safety before the off-road drive Support Marshal to learn 1:1 Desert Driving Course Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Hey @Foxtrot Oscar, @Niki Patel, @Chaitanya D, @sertac, @Emmanuel, @Mohamed Seidam, @topgear, @Srikumar, @Jefy, @GauravSoni, &@Gaurav. I’ve almost tried it all 😂 I hate, absolutely hate rattling and things moving around while off-roading. I’ve tried to tie down bags, nets, external bags on my spare tire, bags on my roof rack(not practical), and nothing has quite worked like the molle panels. They are great and can hold just about anything; provided you use good quality, to purpose tie-downs. Having said that, if you do decide to get some molle panels, go for good quality ones that will support the weight of equipment; including a 2 ton hydraulic jack 😀. Some panels in the market, are cheaply made and will bend and crackle when driving or under load. Some companies produce specific panels for your particular car, and I found those to be the best, since fit is perfect and they have installation instructions and support. In any event, even with a bit of a higher spend, it’s a once in a lifetime investment and worth every penny 😀 One last thing; there are literally hundreds of bags and holders that are designed for the molle panels, which is a great thing. This system is still being used by militaries around the world to this day. Here are some pics from the back of my FJC; everything is nice and tidy 😀

@Alex Sidorov I have JGC 2019 and I bought this vehicle for the same reasons as Brette has mentioned above. In my excitement I went to Maleha alone without any pre knowledge of dunes and even without deflating tires. i got stuck at first dune however was rescued. Later i joined Carnity and realized this is whole new world. I faced the same issues. I removed only front lower facia but was not aware of any fuse options at all. During my 3rd ride with Carnity while doing one arch maneuver i crossed two hidden humps with speed and as a result all inner fender lining rolled with wheel and fell down. Rear pumper was damaged but not fully broken and later while driving on road noticed a bent in excel as it was noisy while full right steering. My JGC is still under warranty therefore I went to Agency for repairs. Agency refused to fix these things without police report and was giving me estimate of 3500 AED. I know someone in Jeep Garage who told to fix it outside if do not want police report. After a little research I managed to fix these only in 700 AED. I bought genuine fender lining from Sajja scrap car market and fixed outside garage. Lesson Learnt!! This is Jeep luxury segment for 4×4 and it is an excellent vehicle for tarmac with all technology. It does a pretty nice job on sand as well in sand mode only if you are crossing some simple dunes but as you go advance in your ride this is not good as others like Jeep Wrangler or FJ etc. Secondly some mod available to lift the vehicle and kill switches etc. But again its everyone's personal choice and money matter. One should consider all risk associated with off-roading before taking expensive vehicles in sand. I decided to keep low for now and look for cheap options before it cost me a arm or leg😄

wow did not expect this but thanks for the confidence given. You guys and girls have given me great support and patience. I hope to be of help and give something back

What's your opinion of these molle storage panels? I'm wondering how secure things would be. Although the off-road community seem to think they're great

Congratulations @imranaasghar81 for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. Fewbie: Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Basic self-recovery techniques Advance side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives And Fewbie Plus, after 5 drives at Fewbie level only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Dear @Gaurav @Vanessa8580 @Rahimdad @Chaitanya D @Frederic @Wrangeld @Jeepie @Ale Vallecchi @Pancho @Srikumar @Desert Dweller @Emanuel @sertac I hope I didn't forget anyone Thank you for your mentoring and your support I will do my best and support others in their journey of mastering off roading

Congrats @Vanessa8580 and obviously to a proud husband @Frederic I started my 1st ever drive with you guys, and i always mention you wherever i brag about offroading I must quote here tht on my 1st ever drive, i noticed you went to every single car who were there, checked the tyre pressure and guiding everybody very patiently and with a big smile . Also you told me the best hack of removing the abs/traction plug from the hood . Thank you for THE CARE YOU DO, thank you for the drives you take us to. Thank you for being there. see you soon, on the dunes.. 😎 cheers.🍭🤘

Congratulations @Nabil Bishara for reaching the Advance Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. ADVANCE Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Advance promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Advance GPS and navigational skills Route planning, back tracking, safe exits Technical and extreme recoveries Learn to lead on medium to tall dunes How to avoid or lead through technical dunes Fast pace extreme desert driving (optional) Skills required Meticulous planning and preparation Ready for new challenges or unexpected situations Leadership skills to always put the team before yourself Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Learn to scale drive level as per convoy response Support in training offroaders at all levels Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

The car is out from garage and ready for the cue from @Ale Vallecchi to take me anywhere he leads to. Drove from garage in Dubai to my home at Ajman and its even better than before. What a price I had to pay for for forgetting to switch back from 4HI to 2W after the drive. Lighter by a couple of thousands but wiser than before. The question to what will happen if we forget to switch back to 2W is answered.

@Ahab Shamaa very well done and neat set up. I think a well kept car is always more joy to ride and I am sure you are enjoying it ,from the way it looks through the pictures you shared.👍👍

Its a lot of fun @Frederic will be able to tell you all about it he's seen it a few times now !

super exciting @Ale Vallecchi. Hopefully my car will come out from garage today after front axle & differential change.

BRAVA @Vanessa8580 !! Super deserved. You put in an enormous amount of passion (first of all) and hard work, to master your car, adapt to its characteristics, and extract the best out of it under any circumstance. You never gave up and always came back stronger from any setback, using even the smallest events to learn and improve. Plus, you are a pioneer: looking forward to seeing the first Carnity all girls convoy sinuously carving its path through the dunes (why not at...Pink Rock).

Sound good for me @Brette I have joined the Quadra fewbie this weekend. you are also leading there right ?

Since most of our drives requires us to drive through this particular highway, I thought it would be worth sharing it here to give a heads-up to all the members.

Thank you for sharing @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader. Really helpful.

@ZakWarah @Umar Kamal @Alex Sidorov@Ashy @VipinShetty if you guys and any other JGC owners are interested, we can meet after the Friday morning drive and go over any questions or concerns you may have. If time permits, can also drive around for an hour or so.

Congratulations @Vanessa8580, more than deserved, well done!

Congratulations @Pancho !! Now you really need to get your own shovel

Congratulations.....! @Vanessa8580 👏

Congratulations @Tamas Hoffmann for reaching the Advance Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. ADVANCE Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Advance promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Advance GPS and navigational skills Route planning, back tracking, safe exits Technical and extreme recoveries Learn to lead on medium to tall dunes How to avoid or lead through technical dunes Fast pace extreme desert driving (optional) Skills required Meticulous planning and preparation Ready for new challenges or unexpected situations Leadership skills to always put the team before yourself Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Learn to scale drive level as per convoy response Support in training offroaders at all levels Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congratulations @marks for reaching the Advance Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. ADVANCE Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Advance promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Advance GPS and navigational skills Route planning, back tracking, safe exits Technical and extreme recoveries Learn to lead on medium to tall dunes How to avoid or lead through technical dunes Fast pace extreme desert driving (optional) Skills required Meticulous planning and preparation Ready for new challenges or unexpected situations Leadership skills to always put the team before yourself Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Learn to scale drive level as per convoy response Support in training offroaders at all levels Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@Nabil Bishara the silent master, you need to break your silence now 🤣😜. Congratulations

@imranaasghar81 congratulations

Congratulations @imranaasghar81👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Congratulations @imranaasghar81. Looking forward to more 360 degree videos from you.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Woohoo! Thanks a lot @Ale Vallecchi! I’m so looking forward to the drive, and to seeing you all on Friday morning 😀

@Ahab Shamaa I have added you to the drive to close the convoy at 14 cars on total. @Islam Soliman, @Aus Alzubaidi and @Denizzalbayrak you are now respectively #1, 2 and #3 in the WL. Thanks to all.

Congratulations @Pancho

Congratulations @Pancho

Well done Pancho! It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance on my first absolute newbie drive two weeks ago

Congrats @Pancho. Looking forward to drive together.

I think the nearest gas station will be 981 on truck road which is just off the road about .... let me see if I can send a pricise location. .https://goo.gl/maps/Qa2jJ5bUiPTBboVx5

Congratulations @Vanessa8580! You deserve it.

I have always loved this lovely beast regardless of all of the pain in the dessert. And @Brette I respect your perspective that along with your beauty you reached that far cause at end of the day it’s finally the one who is behind the wheel 👍🙏🏻

This concepts should work well as long as they are properly bolted on to a steel frame. I am looking for something similar for my XJ

Congratulations @Pancho. Well deserved

Well done @Pancho ! Looking forward to be in your support soon !!

Such a good story

Hmmm the anri glare in the 5000 would make it worth the extra bucks. One of the things I hate about the stock screen is the glare, you can't see a thing at times.

I agree with Sony now, initially I thought it was Sony AX3000 but later changed mind to 5000. Here is the comparison. Reddit - CarPlay - Sony XAV-AX3000 vs XAV-AX5000

All in check... see you on friday with the TANK!

Okay so here is what I have found. Firstly we need something like the pic below , which is available online and can be installed by any decent audio place (or yourself if you are handy) Then the dilemma really begins. There are aftermarket units that have CarPlay (for IOS lovers)and I've been recommended both Sony and Pioneer. The choice is very much dependent on your own needs. I personally want an upgrade to the stock system for better screen clarity and primarily for Gaia GPS. Therefore, screen quality(resolution) and ease/response of the touchscreen, is important and I still want all the features of the current system. With the units I have seen you simply attach your phone via usb and the device will mirror the phone. Therefore Gaia etc will work. I did look at some aftermarket navigation receivers but they don't appear to allow you to add maps. I'm all for Waze and Google but not when I'm up to my neck in sand in the middle of Lisalli, Therefore that option would appear to be obsolete. (please anyone correct me if I am wrong) Below are 2 units that other Xterra owners have recommended Sony-XAV-AX5000-Stereo-Receiver Pioneer-AVH-210EX

@Vanessa8580, my sincere congratulations. I’m sure you deserve this promotion! I always enjoy to be in the Team lead by you. It is all the time very interesting, sometimes challenging and always fun. Interesting routes in beautiful places. Looking forward for the new drives together. Congrats!

Congratulation @Vanessa8580, although didn't join you earlier, but heard about you from one of the members, who really enjoyed the drive under your leadership. I have booked the drive with you next Friday. Look forward. All the best.