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DRIVE REPORT - Convoy 1 Dear Desert Wanderers, There is nothing better than driving across completely virgin dunes and today was certainly one of those occasions where the sand couldn't get any better. Everyone made it to the meeting point by 5 am, with no misunderstandings about which of the two Carnity Convoys to join. A missing bolt held @Russ from fixing his flag, which took a bit of time to sort out, so we could finally hit the sand by 5.30am. As we started our move into Mahafiz Desert, heading East, we could enjoy the sun slowly rising from behind the skyline of Fossil Rock, always an inspiring view. The terrain was very tricky due to the multiple bushes scattered all over the place. We nevertheless made our way in, reaching the first two playgrounds in no time: the two nice and tall bowls offered the convoy a great opportunity to safely practice some serious side sloping. We then continued to move east and, after I got suck on a crest in a moment of hesitation (thanks to @GauravSoni, @Dodi Syahdarand @Lawrence_Chehimi for the shoveling), just before reaching the 3rd big playground bowl, we had the first serious setback for the day, an unexpected and unfortunate pop-out by @GauravSoni, which however turned out to be a nice learning experience for all those who had never seen one and even less witnessed how to repair it. This little delay accumulated with this pop-out unfortunately made it impossible to respect the plan hatched with @Anish S which was supposed to have the two convoys reconvening at designated meeting points / times during the drive. Convoy 2 ended up always being ahead of us, very often in visual distance, but never close enough to be reached. As soon as we could move again after fixing the pop-out, we made our way to the 3rd playground bowl of the day and then to the Long Dune, which the convoy exploited sidesloping from North East to South West with great fun and then admired in its majestic beauty while driving by in the opposite direction. From there we quickly found our way to the Pylon Track and immediately started the epic ascent to Fossil Rock. Unlike most of the other times, the sand on the way up on the West side was not too badly churned up and the sand cover on the East side was thick enough to allow us to attempt a breath-taking descent, brilliantly executed in 4LO 1st gear by the whole convoy. As we made our move again from the bottom of the rock, the second half of the drive, the most exciting and challenging one, in Faya, started. Progressing on our way to the massive dunes of Faya, we drove along a spine of rocks emerging from the sand and perfectly aligned, connecting Fossil Rock to Camel Rock and The Sphynx. The terrain was just fantastic compact sand with no tracks: we couldn't have asked for anything better. As we got closer to Faya, refusals became a bit more frequent, and we decided to move @Antoz in 2nd position so he could benefit from following directly my line across the most demanding stint of the drive. Unfortunately, both my son Michelangelo and @Antoz's passenger started to feel some motion sickness at this point, so we took a short break to allow them to get some fresh air. As we happened to be, at that point, right in the middle of Faya's complex dunes, we had no immediate easy exit, so we proceeded south to reach the famous Faya bowls and, eventually Faya Big Dune, close to the exit point. When we reached the top of the big dune from the back, we could see once more Convoy 2 playing around with @Ranjan Das and @Darren Brooke in the middle of their attempts to make it to the top, under the vigilant eyes of @Anish Sand @Islam Soliman. As we descended to the bottom of the dune, Convoy 2 was making its exit, so we had the whole place for us: the convoy spent some good 20 mins climbing Faya Big Dune from all sides, with many successful attempts (I can remember those by @Lawrence_Chehimi, @Dodi Syahdar, @Kenneth Bollhardt, @JeromeFJ, @Batuhan Kulac, the others who made it to the top will forgive me if I won't mention them). In the end we exited by 9:30, after driving for 45.6km in 4h 03', at an average moving speed of 16.9km. We covered an overall ascent of +476/-430m, which means we really climbed and descended a lot. Everyone did very well today: @Lawrence_Chehimi@Russ, @Antoz, @Magellan, @Dodi Syahdar, @Kenneth Bollhardt, @JeromeFJ, @Batuhan Kulac,@topgear@GauravSoni, congratulations for a very good drive and special thanks to @Dodi Syahdar and @GauravSoni for their precious support. See you next time in the sand!

PCR test came negative for all of us. Normal fever only, nothing to worry.

Guess was adequately caffeinated and awake to land at the correct location and tune to the correct channel 😀; last thing I noticed before turning off the lights yesterday was that I had been earmarked as CF for the convoy 2. Was mentally prepared to lot of shoveling (think I even dreamt of it 😉) and if luck could have it would get a chance to inaugurate my rope and shackles. But alas, the august company I had today, led by @Anish S, made sure that I wasn’t lucky today☺️…..we stopped more for fixing flags than for refusals, I counted only two minor ones and no stucks. Thank you @Anish Sfor the drive, it was indeed a pleasure. Thanks @Islam Soliman for the support and rest of the gang for driving and having fun the way we did today. what a wonderful way to drive into the holidays…

Some last pointers: Please don't forget to bring along your camera gear with tripod. I would also like to ask you to bring your offroad gears and radio and tune in to Channel 1: 446.00625 Mhz as soon as you arrive at the meeting point. It might be that we do not have to deflate as i am checking for an easy entry point. @Niki @Nivin @Veedooshee @Darren Brooke @Brette @Jorge Stepniak Felippe @Gaurav @JeromeFJ @Yousef Alimadadi @Ranjan Das@Mikhail Lukichev See you guys and gals tonight 7PM sharp !

Convoy 2: big thanks to @Anish S for the lead today! Thoroughly enjoyed the different terrains and especially these big dunes. thanks to @Islam Soliman as well, second drive with you and always a pleasure👍🏼

Convoy2- An awesome day that could have been better if only we met Convoy1, but, @Lorenzo Candelpergher, cars on Convoy2 just refused to refuse😅 No shovels, no seniors out of their cars... We've had a lucky day indeed. My wife joined me today for the first time since Newbie drives and she was surprised how we managed the whole trip with such ease. Gr8 job all Special thank you @Anish S, @Islam Soliman, and @Ranjan Dasfor the lead and support. You guided us through the annoying bushes, all the way to the playing areas, climbing and descending fossil rock, and eventually the beautiful bowls on our way to Faya big dune @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil @Darren Brooke @Chris Wing @luis manteconalways a pleasure driving with you pals.@Chinthaka Ruwanhope nothing is serious with your ride man and hell of a job on Al Faya showing the true power or Nissan beasts 🤪🤪 see you all again soon🤙🤙

Thank you @Anish S @Islam Soliman @Ranjan Das for the beautiful track and the advices and support. Fossil Rock is an amazing place and the dunes you took us to today were a lot of fun. As a new fewbie, i got to push myself (and my car) a bit further and i found this challenge pretty satisfying. I enjoyed seeing everyone expressing their own style of driving it's a good way to learn. And as usual, the company was great... see you soon !

Hi All, The convoy positions for the twilight drive. We will use radio channel #1. @Thomas Varghese @Xavier Treasurer @Matt.T @Lakshmi Narasimhan @Watteau @JeromeFJ @Batuhan Kulac @Gok Krish @Jeandre Bezuidenhout @Jeepie It's a nice mix of experienced Fewbies and Intermediates which should let us have some fun running through one of the areas great possibilities for fun. As night approaches, we will decide where we go, based on the convoy. For anyone that did not yet drive at night, street lights will be OK if you are following. What we did find quite useful recently is an LED on your flagpole. Other than that (and posting the start point, which I will do shortly), looking forward to a great drive. See you soon in the sand.

Many thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher for the drive this morning! Beautiful selection of dunes, bowls and play areas, always carefully explained. Thanks @Dodi Syahdarand @GauravSoni for the support. Convoy 1, check the gallery for some action pictures, and a view from the top of Faya Big Dune

Thanks @Anish S for the wonderful drive and your guidance. I really appreciate your advices. Thanks @Islam Soliman and @Ranjan Das for your great work at sweep and CF. This was my fist drive as a Fewbie and it was amazing. Got a chance to push further. Honestly I have improved my driving skills a lot compared to my very first newbie drive to the same location two months ago. @Rawad Bahsas great drive buddy always love to see your Nissan Beast. You are handling it beautifully. One of wheel nut is broken in my front wheel. I think I have to put a new spacer. Thanks all for the great drive. See you all again.

Thanks @Anish S @Islam Solimanand @Ranjan Das for another wonderful drive, I have enjoyed the drive a lot as always, but today we have had the opportunity to ride incredible big dunes pushing our machines and ourselves, improving with each attempt thanks your teaching and also learning from other mates, what a level !! @Chris Wing @Rawad Bahsasit is alway a pleasure driving with you guys And @Alain Canivet-Abikhalilthanks a lot for lending me your spare radio, you saved my life today, it is great seeing you driving your beauty with such a technic and determination, well done, I hope to drive with you many times. Thank you all the rest to for another epic morning !!! See you on the dunes !

As we are submitting our homework it seems.. do let me know if I missed anything also (I reduced the brightness of the screen after taking this pic)

Exciting to catch up a little bit with the two legends @Wrangeld and @Jeepie. First met on AB Newbie and now meeting again finally at Fewbie+. I miss looking at that Jeep in the rear view. Best looking Jeep on all of Carnity 😎. Nice to be in a position surrounded by familiar faces around too. @Lakshmi Narasimhan @Watteau @JeromeFJ and @Gok Krish. See you all on the sand and stay safe!

@Mario Cornejo, This route would be close to 100 km. I will be planning this drive some other time. Cheers!

Hope she is doing fine man

Thanks everybody! You all did really great! Hope that some people liked night photography and will enjoy it in the wild on their own. There are lot of places for such meditation in the UAE. Meanwhile, I just want to show you my snaps and comparison of RAW and edited photos. As I mentioned, taking the photo is only half of the process. The second half is editing. I swear, I have not drawn the stars 😃 Thanks!

Thanks @Mikhail Lukichev@Fredericfor organising this session and sharing some key tips with all of us. This was my first shot at using the camera in manual mode after having it for almost 10 years.

Hello, I drive a 2010 xterra and I have the factory tie down hooks and no off-road flag, I’ve been to the desert plenty of times before but never as part of an organized group or convoy i have a radio, deflator, small compressor, extra gas cans and some tools and a shovel. I hope it’s appropriate for the drive. See you guys in the sand.

Copy that @Francois Germishuys. See you tomorrow.

Beautiful shots @JeromeFJ!

Dear @FARAZ MOHAMMED these are fine. See you on Friday. Dear soon to be Desertnauts. Welcome to Carnity! As you are aware of, this is a drive strictly for who has never been off road with Carnity. In preparation for it, it is important that you inform us if: you have any prior off-road experience; your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets, just like the ones that @FARAZ MOHAMMED has shown above. Before joining the drive on Friday morning, you will need to have viewed the introductory videos (links above). Please also make sure you are equipped with you a tire deflator and a tire pressure gauge (sometimes they are all in one tool). You will need these. If you have an off-road flag as well that would he great. In case you do not have a flag mount on your car, you may look for a flag with suction cups, which can be easily placed on one of the rear windows. Even if the drive should end near a gas station, where they have an air compressor, if you have your own please bring it along, as it may be quicker than waiting in line. So, to recap, useful tools to carry would be: tire deflator tire pressure gauge off-road flag air compressor All these items should be available at any ACE or Speedex store, as well as at Dragon Mart. Regarding the area of the drive, we will access the desert from a less used entry point, along the road going from Qudra Parking (where you can use the ADNOC gas station to fill up your tank), toward the Bab al Shams Resort. Follow carefully the Google Maps directions: once you turn off the tarmac road (after circling a roundabout next to a mosque), you will cross an opening through roadworks being done along the bike track. Still following Google Maps' directions, you will go through an open fence, on a dirt track, for a few kilometers, until you'll reach the meeting and deflation point. I will also ask the other Senior member driving with the group ( @Chaitanya D ) to wait at the turn-off from the tarmac, just next to the bike track, and direct you in the proper direction. Once arrived at the meeting point, we'll conduct a final inspection of your cars (sufficient clearance and accessible tow points are a must, without which you'll be turned back). Following a detailed technical briefing, we'll be ready to enter the dunes, and start your off-roading adventure. This area is rarely used by other clubs, and the sand is much cleaner ad smoother, so this is an ideal ground to move your first steps in the desert. @FARAZ MOHAMMED, @Suhaib Shaikh, @Midhun Ravindranath, and any other enthusiast willing to join the Carnity family, please contact me on this thread for any preparatory question. In the meantime, Eid Mubarak, and have a great week.

@Kailas looking forward to this drive in future. Wanted to signup for this one however being 1st day of the eid break… had to choose to either drive and be in the desert for the next 5 days 😂or do the morning drive!

@Ale Vallecchiis there still a spot open for me? Add me please. Thanks

dear Oscar, is there any chance to extend the convoy? I would really like to be part of your group... thanks

Comprehensive check with Tasjeel is good for 5 years or less old cars tbh. Don't waste money on that instead drive to a "trusted" mechanic and ask them to check all mechanical points properly. Your number 1 goal has to eliminate previously off-road driven xterra so that you can get some usable life out of it. Any sign of sand, bigger tires, snorkel, custom bash plate, off-road lights means mostly they are done with off-road life. Pricing seem steep, but u can double check or wait for others to comment as I'm not well aware of going market rate for Xterra. If you can wait till June, when school finishes and mercury rises, you might find a sweet deal from many ppl leaving country or selling in hotter months, such off-road friendly 4x4 doesn't fetch too much premium in summer. Last but not least, try to aim for off-road version if you can stretch, as if its your off-road toy then you will appreciate that lot more for having better suspension, underbody protection and rear diff-lock. All are very good and needed mods that you will be needing soon within 3-6 months time.

@Ale Vallecchi you know the art of making something interesting even better.....following a Ram on long range Qudra dunes, I am looking forward for the fun...😀

Dear Desertnauts. Last info for tomorrow's PM drive. Meeting point: the actual meeting and deflation point is, strangely, marked wrongly on Google Maps. That's why you should follow Google Map's directions to reach the first link posted, which is just off the first roundabout after Qudra's Last Exit, on the road to Bab al Shams. Only after exiting the roundabout you can reach the actual meeting point (second map's link), through a dirt track just to the right of the track leading to the "villa"'s guarded gate. Deflation: please deflate between 10 and 11 PSI's, or as much as your tires will allow, as the hot PM's temperatures will make the sand quite soft and shifty, especially early on in the drive. Convoy order: @Thomas Varghese in SL @imranaasghar81 at #3 @Arda Yagcioglu will be #4 @N@ved #5 @Yousef Alimadadi will be Center Forward @GauravSoni at #7 @amir amiri in place #8 @varunmehndiratta at #9, and @Mario Cornejo will Sweep. As mentioned, at this IM and above level, I'd like each driver to be responsible for assisting in recoveries the car either immediately in front or behind (depending on which driver will be better positioned). This will ensure that everybody is exposed to recovery techniques. Bring a full tank, water to drink, snacks to enjoy, and your determination to safely practice criss-crossing. See you tomorrow, and Eid Mubarak to all.

Hey Thomas … with mirrorless full frame coming down to the size of an older APS-C like my Nikon D3300 could this be the ideal platform to upgrade to? You and others convinced me to not burn money and enjoy my older camera … it produces great pics… but now I have that itch again! 🤦🏽‍♂️ Especially seeing all the full frame cameras turning up this evening 😂

@Mikhail Lukichev please check the homework and advise if I'm missing something.

Dear @Ale Vallecchi, As tomorrow is expected to be 1st day of Eid, there will be a family event which I forgot before. Apologies for that but I have drop out this time. Thanks for understanding and Eid Mubarak to everyone.

@Ale Vallecchi yea im in! Thanks

@JeepieI'll not be able to come for this drive. There is an issue in my vehicle after todays drive and I'll not be able to fix it till Sunday. I'll remove my RSVP. sorry about that. Hope to join next week.

@Clau Co, you have done a Masterclass with Ale, but have not done any other drives yet. So you can sign up for a Newbie drive, but this is a Fewbie drive, so I am deleting your RSVP. I hope you will be able to join a Newbie drive and , once you get promoted am looking forward to seeing you on Fewbie drives soon

Full frame cameras have lot of admirers due to its ability to record less noise and the bokeh it creates. APS-C cameras are best for daily rugged use. EFS lenses are cheaper than EF and lighter too. Regarding crop factor and max, min aperture you can multiply the crop factor and get the equivalent. Overall if you are shooting in a controlled environment full frames are better but APS -C's are best for daily use as they are lighter by more than 200 to 300 gms from the camera body itself. Best is to keep both format cameras in your camera bag. You never know what you will get to shoot and when.

Sorry to hear that @Mario Cornejo.See you soon in one of our drives ! @Yousef Alimadadiwould you be able to make it ? If so let me know so i can add you. PS which camera are you bringing ?

I tried a few different cheap brands which all died after 14-15 months right about after warranty period. One of them even after 9 months but was able to get it replaced. I have heard good things about Energizer too (longer warranty but higher prices). From what i recollect since i started offroading is that this discussion passed by few times and Amaron kept coming out as a winner in price vs quality. It also depends where the battery is located (inside the boot or in the engine bay). Heat kills them as in my BMW it was installed in the back of the car and lasted 4 years.