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Dear Sand Sailors Almost half way through the week and we have had quite a few changes to the convoy. Thanks to all for updating your RSVP status in time so as to provide others time to plan. Since we have @Karthik Raptor as well supporting the drive, thanks Karthik, I have extended the convoy size and now we will have 11+2 (incl Karthik and me). Considering the terrain and route we plan to cover, this is perfect number of vehicles to have - so no further increase being planned for convoy size. We still have 4 drivers on WL, so in case you have any change of plans, please update in time. Thanks and looking forward to see you on Saturday. @Ahmad Nerat @Gary F @Pranjal Varsani1 @Mark B @Rajat Verma @Glenn W @rohit kumar @Sayed Bilal @Ishak @Tharun Kumar V @Andrei S WL (not in any order) @Juzer Gandhi @Frans M @Yaseen87 @Ahmed Wagdy

After the gearbox upshift was fixed I have been meaning to remove the Oman Hack, the switch was down near the park brake and I had knocked it once on the 311 @120 😳 car slammed back into 3rd and engine check light lit up. Don’t want that to happen again so finally got around to removing it today.

Dear Desert Knights Imteeaz @Imteeaz Imran Kashif @Imran Kashif Gerrit Bus @Gerrit Bus Davie Chase @Davie Chase Alexanderrr @Alexanderrr Jorge Stepniak Felippe @Jorge Stepniak Felippe Naveen Raj @Naveen Raj Salim Akhtar @Salim Akhtar Hello and welcome back to Sweihan Drives my favourite area for the intermediate level drives and this time we return , inshallah , stronger , sharper no defeat or retreat and on top of all wiser to embrace the desert with big dune hug . the plan is to cover as much as of distance within Sweihan in a fast thrilling paced drive . Concentration and sharp focus is extremely important as you know . No place for fight or flight here because the gravity will pull you down always. Expect all sort of action : tall dunes , ridge riding , squeezing in between tight technicals and a lot of switching over the ridges whenever possible . Please get enough rest the night before you will need it indeed. please make final check on your vehicle and your gear attained for this level. As well as your radio communication devices to be fully charged . Get full tank as much as possible and the gas station is not far from the meeting point which is updated above . gas station https://maps.app.goo.gl/C3EZJzY3jeuYjAmu6?g_st=ic meeting point https://goo.gl/maps/k2Zip7ZaWYvXLLjD9 Till we meet enjoy your time. Seidam

This is the correct place to share and welcome Xavier. Looking fwd to seeing you on Saturday.

Hi everyone! this is my first ride with Carnity, so I am not sure if I need to mention below details here.... if not, I am sorry. Vehicle Details: Jeep Wrangler TJ - 2 doors - Black - 2003 Prior experience: no experience, I have attended the Carnity desert masterclass only. I confirm that my car has 2 hooks at the front and 2 rear hooks I have programable radio and safety flag and all necessary gear for the ride level. See you soon!

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities First time with Carnity Off-road Club: Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Color, and Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? If yes, pls share details. Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks/eyelets. Advise if you don’t have a programable radio and safety flag. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING DRIVE DETAILS Level: Absolute Newbie, Newbie and above When: 25 Feb 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 8:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/UDzJ7FKT2Aq5HcyFA Approximate finish time: 12:00 PM 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, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 12 cars only. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy 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

Good thing you removed it…. It’s called a hack for a reason and was never a suitable option. Unless you like driving around with CEL on 😅

Has any one upgraded their radiator to a alloy 3 core, the upper and lower caps on my radiator are showing signs of age and I am worried it might crack soon as we come into summer. has any one done this? Any leads on suppliers here in Dubai. thanks

Hi Miguel, I'm afraid your Pathfinder ground clearance doesn't meet the minimum required ground clearance for off-road drives. You will surely break the bumper/s with 7-inch ground clearance and such a low approach and departure angle.

@Bravoecho it is not actually our business, but we have fabricators who might help, if you know what to be done. You can pass by any time to check and do. You can reach me on 0506318834, we are located in Um Ramoul opposite the festival city

Hi @Miguel Barros I see you are an Absolute Newbie too with Carnity, please share your 4x4 details and experience (if any).

All apologies for the late reply, and I hope you’re all having a great week. last weekends drive was great, myself and “the ball and chain” had great drive and great time. Appreciate the accolades, but everyone drove great and part of the fun is getting stuck especially carrying out a self recovery without a shovel 😅… Thank you very much @Varun Mehndiratta for the great lead and fast paced driving towards the end. And to the support team for everything. Already looking forward to this weekend. God damn you had to be fast to get a place on the next drive 😂

This one got filled up really quick - I was hoping to get into fewbie but then realized I have to apply for it - but by the time I could react - the game is done

What an adventure! Can't thank you enough Fredie @Frederic for coneptualizing and executing and everything in between. You take the cake! My very first true overlanding experience and couldn't have asked for more as this one had it all from a mundane following the fence to scary moments to regular burst of adranaline traversing the bowls and dunes. thanks also to @Gaurav, @Srikumar, @JeromeFJ and @munkybizness for the constant support and sharing doses of 'spirit' (of adventure of course) to get us, the herd, across. @Foxtrot Oscar - it was very nice following your lines once again. By the way, if you haven't noticed, your right rear break l lights are not working 😉 @Mus_hus78, @salah2u, @KAMALIO, @Ashutosh Garg, @AlexM, @Amr Aydin, @Naveen Rajthank you for your company which made the adventure even more enjoyable. Already looking forward to the second episode of this drive to 1. go the whole hog and 2. seal it with a pic!

Thanks @Frederic and @munkybizness. I knew this group would be a fountain of knowledge. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to get to the recommended areas today as I wanted to drop something off on the way to Abu Dhabi but needless to say in the future I will be better organised and be able to enjoy my time browsing and enjoying the karak.

Hi Brette, I prefer not to get those things sorted in Al Quoz, I head out to Sharjah (google "BMW ROAD SHARJAH") which is the S115 on both sides. and drive around the various shops where you see people doing welding and fabrication. Show them the part, haggle a bit, have some karak while waiting, and while browsing around the area you might find other gems like hardware shops and offroad modification shops 😃

Pajero 3.5L Black 2012 Having basic desert off-road experience, climbing dunes straight front and rear tow hooks available in good condition

As I had said 😀

Confirmed for me 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Get all 4 tires clean from the inside, as if you or the previous owner had a tire pop-out then sand must have gone inside the tire and this sand causes an imbalance. Also while at it, get the tire clean and balanced again from a reputed shop and not lazy guys, and this time make sure to see 0 and 0 on every tire left and right side with your own eyes. Many lazy guys leave a 5 or 10 grams imbalance is ok and such minor vibration is often caused by an unbalanced tire at highway speed.

Hi team, I would appreciate any recommendations from the group to get some simple fabrication work done. It’s removing some tangs off a light bar and then rewelding them to a different location on the same light bar. Preference would be around the Al Quoz area. If anyone has any recommendations, including our experienced leaders @Gaurav, @Frederic, @JeromeFJ, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 👍🏻

Than kyou @Hisham Masaad. I will certainly do this.

Hi Gaurav4x4 Details: Nissan Pathfinder 2018 (R52) Prior experience: No 4x4 experience,

How many miles has your Landcruiser done ? Wheel bearings usually last 200k at least, but of course it depends how it was used before.

@Frederic thank you for your response. That's correct; I have already done wheel alignment and balancing; and moved the tread reduced tyres to backwards. I am also thinking to get the wheel bearings checked, the workshop guy did the check earlier and found no play or noise in the wheels. Without any signs, is it still possible that wheel hub or bearings are loose and are causing this vibration?

Confirmed. 👍

That's exactly what I'm planning to do with those little black rock souvenirs we picked.

Great shout out to the support team @Gaurav @JeromeFJ @SrikumarSri and immense gratitude to @Frederic! Still finding it hard to focus at work with 2 days of pumping adrenaline refusing to ease out. Great bonding with many new friends made. I only can wish that I am in town to sign up for the next over landing trips and even more importantly I can make it in time to sign up once its open 😃 @JeromeFJ The endless contouring of the fence where I could feel the fatigue in my body, trying to find different positions on the seat of the car, fighting to keep the concentration This was exactly my state as well!!!

These two days were one of these experiences that will be remembered for ever, and will be a reservoir for campfire stories for a long time. I think I'm still high after 2 days ! First, a big thank you and congratulations to @Frederic. We can barely imagine the amount of work for the planning and preparation. It was so complete and meticulous that you could then be ready for anything, and adjust to the circumstances. During the drive itself, your beautiful energy and determination were bringing us together to the same goal. and your driving and navigation skills never failed to select the right way. Keeping this concentration for the duration of the drive is a real performance. @Gaurav, your role was key in securing the route for the whole convoy. Watching you as the perfect wingman was a lesson for us, with this sort or instinct that you have, holding before crossing a sharp edge, making sure Fred was ok, and adjusting carefully the best path for the convoy. You two were perfect in synch and comms. @Srikumar, anchoring the convoy from the middle, always there to support a recovery was the third pillar of this adventure. Being in a drive with the three Legends together is a real priviledge, and immense source of learning. A few highlights of my personal experience The days before the drive, when I start preparing myself, it is like the drive fills yourself, progressively narrowing your mind to that objective. I'm still doing my work, I'm still there with my family, but the drive is in my mind, and all my actions and my thoughts take it in consideration. The moment where you leave home, you start driving in the night, this impatience of starting, and still the mental checks, do I have every thing, am I sufficiently prepared... The briefing at the meeting point, when the group gets together, meeting friends and known faces The first portion, the sand so white and so soft, and the total emptiness, not a single track, no camel farm, no pylons, no sign human presence The end of day one, the fast run in the open portion, and then these high technical dunes, with the beautiful light of the declining sun The campfire of course, sharing memories and stories, food and drinks (thanks @KAMALIO for great food) The night under the stars, waking up because of the cold wind, but watching the stars progressively shifting to the West, and slowly disappearing as the sunlight comes in The few nice bowls in the morning of day 2, driving in straight line is an elevated objective, but nothing like a shoot of adrenaline from time to time The "industrial desert" crossing these pipes, cables, rigs and pumping stations is (obviously) not so common The endless contouring of the fence where I could feel the fatigue in my body, trying to find different positions on the seat of the car, fighting to keep the concentration The amazing run, at the end of day 2, once we passed the E65, where the convoy merged as a single entity, flowing through the technical dunes at an impressive pace, each driver like in a daze, perfectly synch with the car before and the one after, trusting each other The night when our perception changes, the environment reduced to fractions of lighted areas, and still we have stay focused, continue to reach the goal The emotion and release, when @Ashutosh Garg crossed the ridge, and landed miraculously unharmed This feeling of achievement, when inflating, cheering and congratulating each others @KAMALIO and friend, @Ashutosh Garg, @AlexM and your wife, @Naveen Raj, @Amr Aydin and Sophie, @Foxtrot Oscar Angela, @Ranjan Das, @munkybizness Mayank, thank you for sharing this beautiful adventure !

@Bravoecho - totally concur with @Frederic in that BMW Road (& Al Sajaa area when you need cheap spare parts) in Sharjah are a much more cost-efficient solution and probably the best bets. However, if you're not willing to go that far and want to stay just within Dubai city limits, you can also explore the bylanes of Umm Ramool (opposite Festival City) for welders. The kadak won't be as great though.

I want to come for this drive, how can I sign up?

Hi @Georges Kazan calendar will be live at 7pm.

Thank you so much @Gauravthere is no way i would have been able to pull this off without the whole Carnity family behind me. I say family because we lift each other and become a better version of ourselves when spending time with likeminded people in the sand.

@FredericFirst of all thanks for organizing this epic expedition drive, you deserve a big round of applause for executing this challenging journey seamlessly with a convoy of 13 vehicles and everyone exiting safely. The drive reminded me of all the basics that you taught me in the absolute newbie drive, it was very challenging, stimulating and stressful to stay focused and alert at all times throughout the drive and it really tested my endurance levels as it pushed to my extreme and at some point thought of giving up. I am truly amazed by your off-roading skills , you are an off-roading LEGEND. A big round of applause to all the superb drivers and the support team members with each one contributing to the success of this drive. I believe this will pave way for more overlanding trips. It was my first camping experience, really enjoyed the camp fire, dinner and the discussions.

A journey of truly epic proportions. Over-landing is such a hot hobby right now but there’s not many people I’d follow 500km across the desert , so when @Frederic posted this drive I jumped on it! You just knew that Fred would have planned it with the precision of a neurosurgeon, every path, every track and every flipping fence would have been meticulously examined. It was exhilarating, exhausting, exciting and exceptional all at once. The Baja run near the 3/4 mark not only brushed off all my off-roading cobwebs but sharpened my skills. It felt so good to finally be ‘back’! Thanks to everyone in the convoy for the camaraderie and the excellent driving prowess. Many many many thanks to @Frederic @Gaurav @Srikumar and @JeromeFJfor getting us through it all. The Freddy Express ! Yalla

Thank you Fredy for an absolute Epic Drive. This drive was long awaited, but it was absolutely worth the wait. This drive was not your regular offroad drive, but rather a proper overlanding where the objective was to reach a destination. It was a test of your endurance and ability to keep focus through long durations. By the time the drive had ended, we had offroaded for 24 hours spread over 2 days in unchartered territory. For me, the first stretch on Day 1 and the last stretch on Day 2 were the real highlights of the entire drive. The powder soft sand on Day 1 tested all of us and made us remember the basics of how one should stop the car when the convoy is not moving and how to choose your lines. The last stretch on Day 2, was a brilliant fast paced driving through some tight rolling dunes. Fredy was clearly a man on a mission, as he was setting a blistering pace with all of us playing catchup. These kind of overlanding trips, gives us all the chance to appreciate Nature at its very best and also to spend some time chatting with your passengers as well as other drive participants. I could spend so much time talking with my copilot, Kabir and the so many stories that he had to share. Those were the priceless moments that I will always remember from this drive. To all the drive participants, you guys were superheroes and the reason we could achieve an astounding 500+ km of offroad driving. So inspiring was the drive, that Kabir brought out his photography skills to click a beautiful picture at the camp site of Day 1. I have attached a few more pics in the gallery.

Got a bracket fabricated with the quick release. Thanks guys 🙏🙏

@M.Seidam thank you for the fantastic night drive, it was an absolute blast and really enjoyed it, we had a few refusals and stucks but that all adds to the learning and fun. great to see @GauravSoni joining us at the last minute, and I echo docs comments ref your instructions to @Tharun Kumar V for recovering his sideway crest patience was indeed the key to getting him off the crest with self recovery and safely. @Imteeaz great sweeping role well executed my friend always reassuring having someone with our knowledge and skill at the rear of the convoy. @Krishna R you executed the second lead brilliantly moving us left and right where needed and stopping when instructed keeping us all safe well done. @Ahmad Nerat@MohamedSherif@Ishak@rohit kumar @Tharun Kumar V@Pranjal Varsani1and @Ahmad Nerat you guys drove extremely well, some of you on your first night drive, but you would not really have known it. fantastic effort by all that of course makes our jobs so much easier to support you all. thank you all and see you all again very soon in the sand

No I got the guy from SpeedECU to do it (near JLT) completely changed the car.

@Jaro Tuzinsky what happen with us on Nahel Mega Dunes 😅 Did you do it yourself @Stumpy Paj?

Hello @Hisham Masaad, Apologies will have to drop out due to urgent family commitments. Enjoy the drive!

Sorry guys, having to pull out of this drive as other plans have emerged …. Totally forgot it was the wife’s birthday 😅 … have a great one and I’ll catch you the weekend after.