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Drive Report Convoy 1 Well that was all kinds of fabulous!!! I understand today’s drive saw us cover 78km in some of Dubai’s best dunes! Well done you!! We started out gently, and had plenty of time to practice our ridge riding and criss-crossing on the more gentle dunes . It became apparent that @Tamas Hoffmann was having some issues with the Pajero so I pushed him further forward in the convoy which helped as the sand was less churned. As we entered a more technical area the convoy drove well and we didn’t have many issues. We finally reached the white sands and pristine long dunes that the area is famed for and here we got to really test our finesse on the glorious ridges. Unfortunately for @Tamas Hoffmann the problem with his Pajero persisted. I am incredibly grateful to the Queen of the Recovery @Desert Dweller who was totally selfless and led @Tamas Hoffmann safely out of the desert which allowed the rest of the convoy to continue to play in this little slice of heaven. Thank you, as I know how much you were enjoying @Pancho's jeep. It’s not every drive you lose both your sweep and centre forward but kudos to @Goutam who did a great job as sweep for the rest of the drive. We had a couple of sticky moments , most notably my own effort at a crested car, it was quite fantastic , but I do enjoy making men get down on their knees and shovel mwahahahaha Thank you gents! It was then @Mikhail Lukichev's turn for pay back as I was on my knees with a shovel in order to get him off a crest. Well done @Mikhail Lukichev you had a great drive. When @DANIEL NOGUEIRA suffered a similar fate we put the shovels to one side and got the rope out. 1,2,3 TUG! Haha @DANIEL NOGUEIRA you handled that big boy of yours very well in those dunes, Bravo! Recoveries are an essential element of an off-road drive. We all get stuck and at fewbie plus level we should all know where to shovel and also when to get the rope out! The drive continued at a very good pace and with the sun setting on the horizon we rode ridge after ridge after ridge. @Tariq Carrimjee ,the quiet man, let his driving do the talking and had a flawless day, likewise for @siddharth maheshwari who wasn’t slow to get the shovel out either. Well done guys, great driving, I really didn’t want to stop, I don’t think any of us did, but with the sun dropping and knowing we still had a technical patch to navigate we headed for the exit. We sped through those technical dunes with zero issues, encountering some stunning white oryx as we went before we reached the track which led us to Solar Park. One final word, I know he’s worth the watching, and is a right bad sort, but @Craig Finlayson does a helluva job at second lead. Granted I taught him everything he knows 😉 but he does a great job rerouting to ensure no one has to deal with nasty bumps and pockets that lay ahead. I suppose he's not that bad 🙄, Once again, thank you all for the great driving, your sense of team spirit and your fantastic humour. You were all on great form today. Until our next adventure

So again we meet for another drive in carnity @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader, @Danish Mohammad. We started off as absolute newbies together with @Frederic as lead and @sertac as sweep. As fewbies it will be our 1st drive together. @sertac was the perfect sweep for our 1st drive and now he is going to lead us to Big Red as Marshal. I'm very excited. It will be a pleasure to meet @N@ved, @imranaasghar81, @Anvar Sadath Bekal, @sri ganesh, @Arman, @Rizwan Waheed & @Arda Yagcioglu again for another drive. As the drive numbers progress so do the friends gathered here in @Carnity. Thanks to @Carnity I will be completing 10 drives since we started off as absolute newbies on Nov 27th, 2020 drive with @Frederic. Thanks to all the Marshalls who lead me@Frederic, @Gaurav, @Rahimdad, @Ale Vallecchi, @Chaitanya D & @Wrangeld In these desert drives I've learned some basics to drive on sand. 1. DEFLATE TIRE PRESSURE to around 14 psi, 2. DON'T FIGHT GRAVITY - use gravity to get out of tricky situations, 3. DON'T LOSE MOMENTUM - if lost try again (small secret - I applied this very valuable advice in my business too😅) 4.IN CASE THERE IS NO WAY OUT DURING A STUCK. ask for help from like minded friends and get yourself unstuck. Look forward to drive with all the marshals @Carnity and hone my skills more.

Thanks @Frederic for taking us to this beautiful terrain and it was awesome experience to follow you. @Gaurav Soni @Mus_hus78 @Kalahari @Christian Andras @Rizwanm2 @Gaurav it was pleasure to ride with you guys. See all you soon.

Thanks, everyone for showing great interest to do Extreme drive with me. Based on our Crew and Marshal feedback, from your previous Intermediate drives with Carnity, the below names have been approved for joining next week's Extreme drive. @Kalahari @Jorge Stepniak Felippe @Craig Finlayson @Rizwanm2 Others please join the IM drive to build your experience and boost your confidence, so that your trip lead can vote for you in the next Extreme drive. @Tero Vallas @Islam Soliman @Abu Muhammad @Shaaz Sha @Mukundan Nair

Last week when I was here at Al Faqaa, I got refusals almost on every turn. Got crested on the same dunes twice and dig myself in bowls whenever I stopped. And today Faqaa had nothing on me. Oh! except one time I got crested just because my companions asked me to stop on the crest so that they can have a good view of @Mikhail Lukichev's recovery. I think (though not as a norm) refusals sometimes are matter of dumb luck working against one; and on the day one faces refusals, irrespective of how well one is driving and other days it is in favor and one can get away with some silly mistakes. I had a lots and lots of practice riding on the ridge on Friday morning with @Pancho and today I put what I learnt to work. We were quite lucky initially - and all the refusals could be self recovered and we drove like magic. But on the 2nd leg of the day we went a bit sideways and had few crested cars mine included. It was a wonderful drive for me and had lots of fun driving in the afternoon into the evening sun. A big thanks to @Craig Finlayson for helping me. Also the customary thanks go to @Tamas Hoffmann and @Desert Dweller for officiating the drive. See you all again soon!

My epic crest!! Thank you for capturing the moment!! We all witnessed the power of the shovel, as well as left , right, left, right blip blip, and creating a track by going back and forth (no matter how minimal) to build some momentum to get unstuck.. What we are doing is dislodging sand, digging in one place to create a V and allowing gravity to do it's job. It was tough on my arms as well as yours but we got there!! Also note that no matter your vehicle's gadgetry you have to follow the steps. outlined above. In that situation yesterday the 'difflock' would not engaged (rarely does when you are crested as the sand is touching therefore conditions aren't 'perfect') Never rely on these things, there literally is no magic button. They can be handy, but you should never take it for granted that because your vehicle posses such things you won't have to follow the self recovery steps. You absolutely will. . We did the very same for @Mikhail Lukichev 's crest too when his vehicle's gadgetry would not engage either.

Oh it was an Awesome drive, Toreto was alone missing "Brian" @Ahab Shamaa and "the Rock" @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, they were afraid of "Cipher" @Foxtrot Oscardrive 🤣🤣😜😜 we drove in a very good pace, and it was very fun, sure that the gym shovel workout was necessary, but always fun, and learning where to dig as mentioned ... I got crested in a weird way, crisscrossing my tail just slipped out suddenly and I got 4 wheels hanging in the air... congrats to all drivers keeping up the pace. @Craig Finlayson and Angela with your weird jokes 😝😝, @Desert Dwellerand @Pancho in the silent sweep. @Tamas Hoffmann I hope your issue is a easy fix... see you in the sand.... *screenshot of drive details

@Foxtrot Oscar well done! You managed to stuck in a beautiful place! And thanks for freeing me from my crest 30 minutes later!

Congratulations @Gavin Hill 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

If you are going to use this vehicle mainly for off roading don't look any further than Patrol Super Safari. I guess i would go for Super Safari even for the daily drive. Get a nice plate number with it and put nice tint to the windows and enjoy being the King on the road. But this is me being me, Gaurav is right for the comfort level.

Hi Roy, welcome to Carnity and it seems you have made some very good research in finding clear winner. Also your specific need is super clear to guide you in the right direction, so that you can enjoy the UAE desert with safety and confidence. I would rate your choices as per below order: Toyota Land Cruiser - 5.7L, V8 (Powerful, comfy and super reliable) Toyota Land Cruiser - 4.6L, V8 (Reasonably powerful, comfy and super reliable) Other choices that I am not favoring with the reasons below: Toyota Land Cruiser - 4L, V6 (Slight underpower for sand considering the weight) Nissan Safari/ super safari - 4.8L V6 (Not as comfy as above LC or Y62 for family, but very capable). Nissan Patrol LE - 5.6L, V8 (Older shape till 2019 has some bumpers and electronic failing issue in sand when you needed the most like diff-lock, LO gear etc. @Lorenzo Candelpergher can comment more if he recommends 2020 shape as he drives one). @Probir Mukherjee @bassel el rafei @Nithin Vaidir can you share your experience with LC so far with regular desert drives?

@Arman @Mahmoud Asar @Rizwan Waheed @Danish Mohammad @Francois Germishuys @Szymon Stankiewicz @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader @Mobeen Anwar @Bernd Stucke @Shehab Alawadhi @Kailas Some pictures in the gallery

Thank you Angela @Foxtrot Oscar for another exciting drive . Looking forward to more adventure . Pleasure to drive with you all . Well done everyone!

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Off-roader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above When: 5 February 2021, Friday Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Starting Point: Big Red https://goo.gl/maps/31fZ8MXh5YzbYF3K8 finish point up to convoy response. If everything goes perfectly we might reach to the Faya. Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL END THE DRIVE AT A POINT WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 Fewbies and above drivers. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list. Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.

Congratulations @DANIEL NOGUEIRA for reaching the Intermediate 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. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback) What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable 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. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@Christian Andras I added you as I think that you already have done 5 IM drives, and we know that you’re fit to this drive. @Ilya Golubinsky since you have only 2 drives at intermediate level with Carnity, I prefer to invite you to join an intermediate drive for this time. Besides, after a lift, you need to get used to your 4x4’s new gravity points.

@sertac I have joined another drive so kindly remove me from the waitlist. Thanks

Please add me to the wait list

Hi sertac please add me to the wait-list.

Kindly add me to the waiting list @sertac

Please add me to the waitlist

Please add me to wait list @sertac

Sometimes it is luck, but mostly it is driver error. My stuck came about due to indecision, I saw the ridge rising, was going to criss cross left, slowed down too much, lost momentum (due to the rising crest) and voila, stuck! I should have been more decisive but that's the joy of leading. Analysing the refusal/stuck is also part of the learning process.

@Alex Sidorov the skid plate can cost you anywhere between AED 1000 - 2000, the 2 inch rough country levelling kit cost me AED 600, 1 inch wheel spacers AED 1000, Cooper tires AED 3000 and rims can vary depending on what you want. If you look around you can get a second hand set for around AED 1200. I have heard that wrangler 18 inch rims fit perfect on the JGC but never tried it my self. You can't go lower than 18 due to the HD brakes at the back. Except for the wheel spacers, nothing I did could touch my warranty but the dealers always try their luck and tell you otherwise. It all depends on how you handle them. The skid plate is absolutely no problem, it is just an underbody protection and should be the first thing you do. Regarding the cracks on the wheels, I agree with what Vipin said, I drove on the 20 inch rims and continental tires for almost a year before I changed them to the Cooper's and the desert drives did nothing to them. The minor cracks you see is normal wear and tear.

@Jeepie thank you for the fun drive, glad i got to drive with you as lead, also thx for getting me stuck! @Francois Germishuys its always great to see another pickup off roader (especially a f150 driver ) and thx for the help when I got crested! @Kailas you're welcome, that the perk of being behind a 2.5 tone V8, you learn how to go around my tracks, so I guess great experience for you 🤣 same goes to you, thx for the help in getting unstuck! And last but not least @Arman great job at being second lead, although I was very far away from you I felt happiness seeing you in 2nd position instead of behind or in front of me *one tear drops from my eye* you make me proud to be your cousin thank you everyone else for coming along for the drive and having some good fun!

You are most welcome. It was great to see you guys out there today. Thanks for stepping in to ensure everyone who wanted to drive today had the opportunity to do so.

1000 Thanks @Wrangeld & @Jeepie for volunteering to lead and support this 2nd convoy and delivering a wonderful Saturday drive that will keep everyone excited for tomorrow’s 7:00pm marathon to catch a place on next weekend’s drives.. thanks everyone for driving so well and being good company .. looking forward for seeing you all soon

Another amazing drive by @Jeepie We covered around 60 Kms, great stuff guys👍 Sand was really soft in some areas, but everyone managed well. We really didn't have much of a hold up anywhere, pop out fix was relatively quick and some crusted situations quickly managed by shoveling. @Arman ,well done as SL @Francois Germishuys, thanks for you support in recoveries. @Shehab Alawadhi, thanks for giving me the soup sand challenge 😉 See you soon!!

Yeah....learned that the hard way yesterday getting stuck on those criss crosses, only one way to improve though Thanks to everyone who came to help dig me out of the sand and thanks @Jeepie for the diverse terrain you let us experience. Oh nooo a boo boo, i'll have to bring a set of gardening gloves for the next person that comes to help me dig my car out.

After driving a lot further along the track due to having a lot of Carnity convoys starting from the same area, most of you managed to be there on time, and those who where a little late managed to get ready real quick. After a short briefing we lined up the convoy and were on our way. With a couple of new fewbies it is always a bit of a gamble to see what level of drive to start with, but as we were all doing fine, we could push a little more. I did try to find some challenges in the technical area's as well as finding place to do a little of criss crossing and ridge riding. I hope the lesson, while we were waiting during the fix of the pop out and the practicing while Rizwan adjusted his tyre pressure, meant the waiting was also enjoyable. @Arman as a second lead you did a good job, just remember to keep a bit more distance, so you won't get in trouble when I do😜 @Kailas and @Francois Germishuys you did a fantastic job with recoveries and directions to keep everyone safe. @Shehab Alawadhi glad I managed to get you stuck, @Danish Mohammad @Bernd Stucke @Rizwan Waheed @Mahmoud Asar @Mobeen Anwar @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader @Szymon Stankiewicz a couple of refusals, self recoveries and a few stucks between us, I think you all did a great job and showed good teamwork, it was a pleasure to drive with you. See you all soon

Hi guys. I'm new to off roading and need some advice for you'll. I want to buy a 4X4 for some casual offroading especially in the desert. Definitely want to drive in the dunes on soft sand and want to have a vehicle that has good safety and has good technology to come out of being stuck. Safety is important as I'll be going with the family. My choices are as per follows: 1. Toyota Land Cruiser - 4L, V6 2. Toyota Land Cruiser - 4.6L, V8 3. Toyota Land Cruiser - 5.7L, V8 4. Nissan Patrol LE - 5.6L, V8 5. Nissan Safari/ super safari - 4.8L V6 ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE 2020 models may be even 2021 model. Please give me your professional advice. Will a V6 be enough or do I need a V8. I have also heard the toyotas come with crawl mode. What does Nissan have thats similar to that? Look forward to hearing back from you'll. Cheers Roy

Congrats @Gavin Hill! Well done mate.

Please place me on waitlist 2nd Drive

Thank you bro, we are just starting to play... so much yet to come... hahaha now we are back together...

@Trekado I will be going on Saturday to Lisali.....

Congratulations @DANIEL NOGUEIRA!

Please add me in waiting list @Rahimdad

Pls add me to WL

Please add me to wait list...first drive

Please place me in the waitlist for a 2nd drive.

Congratulations @DANIEL NOGUEIRA. Well done

I totally echo this approach. It is relatively headache free to keep the family/school run car separate from the hobby/fun car. I adopt the same approach and there is so much more flexibility. I may not even clean out the sand if I know I will go again the following week.

I am in no way as credible as the folks above - however if you have the option, do consider a plan B - purchase 2 cars? One comfy family cruiser that can take you to a beach or gentle camping spots (casual drives as you mention) and then a smaller more agile desert toy. The price range between a V6 LC and V8 5.7 is near 80K AED (that could get you a very capable offroad car and one that would not leave you driving with hesitation). I owned a single LR4 from new and never took it to the desert even though i always wanted to commit to the hobby - it was our sole car and i always had to ensure it was ready for a school drop etc.. recently i picked up a FJ Cruiser (in no way endorsing that as its hardly a family car ,,, thought the family do love it) - knowing i have it as the desert toy (hobby) i drive with a sense of freedom/ease/comfort. just my 2 cents worth - feel free to ignore and look forward to welcoming you to the community on an actual ride. Good luck and there are a LOT of wise, experienced and trust worthy folks here giving advice that you may struggle to get elsewhere (independent and unbiased) ..

Thank you @Jeepie for the drive, I learnt some new things while having a lot of fun. Thanks to @Kailas and @Francois Germishuys for the help during the whole drive. I was able to take a few pictures that I added to the gallery, hope to capture more next time! Can't wait to go again with everyone.

@Aravind Padmaraju could you please post the videos that you took on the drive. Just want to see and learn what went well and what went wrong. Thanks.

Thank you for organizing a great drive at a great place @Frederic! Absolutely stunning vistas and massive dunes to push our vehicles. I was pleasantly surprised to see how good the fewbies did on this drive - well done to @Mus_hus78 and @Gaurav Soni for overcoming those deep bowels. Thank you to @Asif Hussainand @Gaurav for the convoy support - hope to be back in that area soon!

@VipinShetty Thank you Vipin. Tires are 3 years old, made 50k on them. Indeed. Only superficial small (1mm and less) cracks on contact surface. Nothing on sidewalls. i thought it might have been the result of temperature due to moving sand around, etc.

Thanks for a good drive @Jeepie i got 1 blister on my left hand from all the shoveling, I really need those Dhs50’s collected for my excellent digging efforts 😎 Thanks for adding me to the drive last minute, all the new fewbies did n good job, as always with more drives their experience will improve. See you all next time.