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Very good topic. We have done 5-10 Full Day Drives in the last years, which can be considered light overlanding drives and where we can bring family along. We did coast to coast, sand to mountain, etc.. and these are indeed a good alternative to the shorter "bashing" drives. For me personally, real overlanding is more fun in Oman, but that would require sorting visas, and setting up multiple smaller convoys (you don't want to be on the highway covering long distances with more than 5-6 cars). In Oman you can cover the wadis, and camp in different places. When the season cools down you can definitely expect to see some of those activities emerging.

Yo Freddy If I have holiday allowance from work I am mos def in for oman! Cheers! Imran

Hi @Carnity family, It has been an overwhelming and pleasurable experience to date with everything that the the club has to offer. No question about that. The high level of organization, structure and communication has been predominantly evident throughout the journey. While the majority of the experience has been mainly around "Sand Duning" [don't like the word bashing ], I was wondering if the club is willing to consider conducting Overlanding drives. I ask this assuming maybe everyone is busy preparing for the new season and now would be a good time to throw in this idea. @Gaurav, thank you for constantly accommodating my new ideas/suggestions, unfortunately this is part of who I am and what I do for a living [Always rocking the boat :)] Here is some food for thought, when the weather gets cooler of course: 1- Start small, maybe 1-2 drives per month, I am sure there are certain leaders who have a thing for Overlanding. 2- The drives would be naturally longer with more family and friends oriented activities as part of the overlanding experience, while bringing Carnity club members closer 3- If the number of subscribers increase and the concept gets traction, then the number of drives would increase per month 4- This would act as a new attraction to increase the number of new subscribers, as I am certain there is a significant amount of people looking for such a thing. In turn, this would naturally generate a new revenue stream for the club as I don't think there are many similar clubs offering this kind of drives 5- As we mature and grow within these kinds of drives, we can get creative in the types of family-oriented activities that can be done in such drives. What are your thought ladies and gents? Thanks Mike

Thanks @Gaurav, count me in, anytime! I'll work on it in parallel as well from a personal point of view to find places. Some of the things I have in mind for diversification and growth is have a structure model for "Exploration/Expedition" drives. Requires detailing based on number of drives, planning and involved activities but it's something like: 1- Explorer 2- Adventurer 3- Pathfinder 4- Trail Blazer Some of the activities that can be done in addition to the drive itself is family and group-oriented activities. Some examples: 1- Create an equivalent of an egg hunt to help members sharpen their navigation skills while groups would enjoy looking for the hidden "eggs" with their cars as a family and in groups. 2- Create themes for drives where everyone gets involved during camping / picnics etc. Mexican Themes, Christmas etc...limitless options I am sure you get the gist of it, basically it is combining the off-roading passion with a community building, family-oriented approach which no other group offers in the region, not sure for the rest of the world. If I want to push the envelope a bit, it could be much grander things in times like this when there are multiple days off which also can help in marketing such as Expedition Drive to Oman or the Pyramids and back (This is wayyy too early) but you get it, I am sure. These can be potentially used both digitally (social media) and physically (car stickers for example) for completed major expeditions for participants as marketing. All in all, the idea is to mix off-roading passion with the core of Carnity, which is the community building. Let's see what can be done when the weather gets cooler. Thanks Mike

Thanks @Mike. for coming up with such suggestions and wonderful ideas to diversify and grow. Every year wadi and mountain access in UAE is getting smaller and smaller with most of the area being fenced, army access, border control, privately commercialized, etc. Over 95% of the area that we use to venture into in the olden days now is under some sort of restriction. Nevertheless, it's good to have keen members like you who can help and support exploration drives to find those hidden gems, whenever possible.

We, as a family are pretty much interested in such activity, especially if it can be combined with overnight camping, more relaxed driving with several break stops . I agree with Frederic, Oman will be a very nice overlanding experience over couple of days, if camping will be overwhelming for the members,target hotel stay can be planned along the course of the drive.

Thanks @Frederic, as always. I look forward to them but I was also thinking on having something more predictable instead of adhoc. Let’s say if we start with one drive per month, let’s call them “Expedition Drives” instead of full fledge overlanding, where we get to discover and explore. I am sure there are places of interest in the northern emirates, no ? Combine that with some camping and some family activities then that is something that many will opt in with their families. Oman is definitely on the list but I am sure many would be ok with UAE expeditions as well. Even I don’t mind leading some drives once I get the hang of things. Will be doing it either way for the kids . I hear you loud and clear, I am sure the club has its set of priorities and objectives. Just sharing my 2 cents as I am sure there are many like-minded people in @Carnity and many more outside where such a thing can be appealing to them and their families.

General Info This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through the 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 Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Newbie and above When: 17 July 2022, Sunday. Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Lisaili Fort: https://goo.gl/maps/tXYVqUyiX4qXiqP8A 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: 9:00 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE Limited to 12 cars only. RSVP will close on Sat 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. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

General Info 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 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 Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Fewbie and Above When: 16 July 2022 Saturday Meeting time: 5:15 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Mahafiz Trees https://goo.gl/maps/KMT4BMT3qd6xSAJS7 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), smiles, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 9:15 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE UNLESS YOU HAVE A COMPRESSOR. ANYONE ARRIVING AT THE DRIVE WITHOUT A COMPRESSOR, FLAG, PROPER SHOVEL AND DEFLATION KIT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. ALL TOW POINTS WILL BE CHECKED BEFORE DEPARTURE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 2 PM. 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. PLEASE RSVP THE BELOW IN THE EVENTS CALENDAR

Anyone dropping from this drive? 🤞 i can get a slot!

Hey @Rizwanm2, I'm not 100 percent sure on whether I will be joining this drive or not, hence putting myself in the waitlist. Will update if plans do change, thanks!

thx for informing buddy.

@Frederic hi, I have pick someone at airport late sat night… won’t be able to attend… I have left the event..

@Vaibhav @Waqas Parvez, we will miss you. See you for a next drive !

@JeromeFJsomething came up wont be able to drive on Saturday morning,see you in the desert soon.

@JeromeFJ sorry some plan with family came up. So making way for others in waiting list. But inshallah soon I will be in your drive to ride some ridges.

@JeromeFJthis will be my 1st drive for the week.

Dear @Thejas Uthran From your profile , I suppose this is your first drive with Carnity - Which is a twilight drive. We start during the evening and drive into the night. FYI - it is always advisable to start with a day light NB drive to get acquainted with the nuances of desert driving. I believe you have some experience as claimed before on other drive threads- so can you please elaborate more on what kind of drives , with whom , how long and in which terrains. This is just to get more insights into your claimed experience to position you appropriately. Please confirm your car has required ground clearance, front and rear tow hooks in good condition and a 4WD/AWD system . What off road gears you have if any? For this drive you would need a compressor, deflator, pressure gauge , Radio , Shovel and a off road flag. Cheers

Thank you so much @Mike. Thank you so much @Frederic Thank you so much @Waqas Parvez Thank you so much @Hisham Masaad Thank you so much @Dinesh Kumar A Thank you so much @Davie Chase Thank you so much @Morshedi

Hi everyone! Very pleased to join the drive yesterday! It was amazing to enjoy a breezy fresh start with windows down. @JeromeFJ you led the convoy like a seasoned pro. I appreciated the detailed and comprehensive briefing before we started and after each climb, bowl or track you always had encouraging comments and advice for all of us 😀 thank you! Great support from @Rob S always there with the shovel! Special thanks to @Waqas Parvez for great guidance when I slipped into a deep pocket on a climb. The Prado boys are a great team! The dunes during the early morning were like a postcard, clear and defined. Save for a few sand buggies we had the playground all to ourselves. Great driving by all and nice to meet everyone. Super to see so many great shots in the gallery! Drive safe and have a great week!

Thanks @Sunny84! Always a pleasure driving with you Pajero partner. Unfortunate to see you exit early today but I will see you on the sand real soon! Thanks for sharing the White Rhino colours. Waiting to see how and when you dub yours 💪🏻 Thanks @JeromeFJfor a great first fewbie experience. If I can summarize the drive in a few words I would say” High Performance mixed with Finesse”. It was an enjoyable and fluid flow of a drive. Thanks again for taking the time to share the tips and tricks as much as possible!