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thank you @Varun Mehndiratta for leading us through the pristine dunes, the beautiful side of, as i came to know yesterday, the notorious Razeen area. Yestarday's was my second drive in the area - i enjoyed the first one helmed by Lorenzo so much that i had to join once you posted. Everything about the drive was perfect - the wonderful sunday morning, a relatively short convoy, the exciting lines taken by the wonderful lead - couldn't have asked for more. @Imran Kashif, @Jessica Lambert, @Looper, @Santoso Marjuki, @Imteeaz, @Gok Krish and @Amr Aydin it was nice meeting and driving with you guys - thank you and wish you a great week ahead. (beautiful weather and as @Looper mentioned, "perfect one to roll down the windows and enjoy"!)

the Blue track is the one @Ranjan Das referred to from our previous time there. It was a fantastic drive worth all the effort of driving back after my Saturday evening LL2 and camping. The weather was fantastic and the drive was one for the memorials. I normally don’t like to drive windows down due to sand etc., but yesterday I couldn’t drive with windows up. It was so much better. I didn’t get the memo about what makes Razeen infamous, in my books though @Varun Mehndiratta made it famous.

Dear Sand Sailors Thanks for joining in for this exploration drive today. Being an exploration drive, I am limiting my report to some facts and feedback on convoy, leaving it to you all to share your thoughts on terrains and experience. So kindly let us know your genuine, unbiased opinion about drive experience, terrain and your perspective on if it’s worthy of on road time we spent to reach to location - so as to enable us at @Carnity to assess this location for next season. Drive Report Razeen is one of the darkest area in UAE and on a cloudy night, passing through the empty roads, next to a correctional premises was in itself a thrill for me. I had been to the location almost an year back and had at back of my mind a possibility of access issues etc. So I reached the location around 20-25 earlier to ensure we don’t have any last min logistical issues. It wasn’t to be and with whole convoy on time, we started with the first ray of sunlight (a faint one though with the cloud cover still on) at 630am. For first 2.5 hours, we explored dunes in Razeen. As was expected, sand was soft to super soft, ridges super sharp, dunes not so regular and a bit of vegetation adding further to challenges. While we had our fair share of regular refusals and few stucks (including mine), overall the whole convoy did amazingly well as we sailed through the place at a pretty good pace of around 22kmph. Special shout out to @Jessica Lambert. Honestly, though having been on drives togather, I knew about her driving skills, still I thought choosing Razeen for 1st intermediate drive was a bit of a bold move. She really proved it that it’s not a risky or bold move if one is confident about their skill. 💪💪👍👍 At around 930am, we had two options - - Spend another hour exploring Razeen (with well spread out dunes waiting to be explored, was very much dooable) and exit around 1030-11am. - Take our exploration further and move towards Watbha canal. Togather as convoy, we opted for Watbha exploration. Never been on this route, we relied on Gaia and we were in for our fair share of surprise. Sand was powder soft and dunes super tricky - felt like wide spread out long range dunes of Faqa have been zipped in togather to form a technical area of Qudra. We had continous refusal through the ln of convoy - starting from me to the end of convoy, including our lone pop out of the day. However, with good camaraderie at work and supporting each other, we managed to hit the final sabka at 11am, having travelled another 30Km. @Imteeaz @Santoso Marjuki @Jessica Lambert and @Looper that was one of the fastest pop out fix that I have experienced, very well done. And @Amr Aydin you were just brilliant as SL through this patch - with continous struggle to find right lines, I had to readjust multiple times and you executed it brilliantly. At end of Sabka, we went through the ln of Dafrah PV, the biggest PV in Abu Dhabi. With access controlled, to reach the canal, we had to retract a bit however by 1130am we ended the drive at the Watbha canal (thanks @Looper for support in finding the right location). Overall we drove 79Km at moving speed of 24Kmph - brilliant for the terrain and exploration drive. And to top that our ascent through the drive was just short of 1Km mark (958m to be precise) - a good reflection of steep climbs we did. Thanks all for your patience and all the support through this adventure. @Ranjan Das and @Gok Krish a brilliant drive for both the Jeep and thanks for your support during refusals and stucks. @Imran Kashif apart from couple of refusal early in drive and a tricky stuck you in general had a very good drive. Being SL on exploration drive isn’t easy you managed it pretty well. Please find better soln to fix your radio though. @Jessica Lambert you were simply amazing today - a few refusals, pop out at end of an extended drive can happen with anyone of us at this level. 🤩🤩. Please check on the options to switch off airbags in your car.@Waqas Parvez @ASAD., @Gaurav @Frederic and other Prado drivers at @Carnity request your advice on topic - due to warranty obligation kill switch I understand isn’t an option. We took off the fuse from box, however it led to warning beep sound in the car. Please share your thoughts. Thanks again for joining in and looking forward to hear your thoughts about drive, terrain and overall experience through this new location. Picture of thousand words. PS: with open top, half doors I needed a similar shower (can’t post that pic 😀😀)

Thank you very much @Gaurav, today I have refreshed this page many times 😅. Thanks also to all the leaders that I have followed in the fewbie levels @Frederic@Ale Vallecchi @Varun Mehndiratta @JeromeFJ and @M.Seidam. I want to learn more and enjoy off-road driving with Carnity family. Thank you very much @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler @Hisham Masaad @Davie Chase

Well done @Varun Mehndiratta ! Keep the exploration alive, this is what the real fun of offroading is all about !

Congratulations @Ishak for reaching the Fewbie Plus 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 PLUS Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie drives are required within last 6 months for Fewbie Plus promotion. What you'll learn Advance dune and sand reading Advance recovery techniques Rocking and crawling to make path Learn to flatten/compact soft sand patch Self recovery from crest Advance side sloping and long hill climb Advance ridge riding and criss crossing Advance control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving FULLY control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Extremely attentive and focused while driving Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Bash plate and skid plate protected 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, Fewbie and Fewbie Plus drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congratulations @Ahmad Nerat for reaching the Fewbie Plus 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 PLUS Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie drives are required within last 6 months for Fewbie Plus promotion. What you'll learn Advance dune and sand reading Advance recovery techniques Rocking and crawling to make path Learn to flatten/compact soft sand patch Self recovery from crest Advance side sloping and long hill climb Advance ridge riding and criss crossing Advance control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving FULLY control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Extremely attentive and focused while driving Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Bash plate and skid plate protected 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, Fewbie and Fewbie Plus drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congratulations @Ahmad Nerat for the level up ! Enjoy the new one too , while you learn more during this level

Congratulations @Ishak well deserved

Al Saad - Asif Hussian What should have been an epic drive but was cut short by vehicle issues. Al saad and @Asif Hussainwere both a first for me and I went with less expectations. The weather was 15 degrees at the starting point which was a nice surprise. We did a quick briefing and entered the sand. 5 mins into the drive, my mouth was wide open looking at the size of the bowls and Asif Bhai's lines. I was grinning every 2mins and mentally repeating to myself "It's gonna be an epic drive" , driven more with Asif bhai's promise of an amazing play area at the end of the drive. The whole convoy shared this passion and were executing the climbs and side sweeeps in a smooth fast paced manner. About an hour into the drive, I heard a loud thump when climbing and thought it was the rear bottoming out. Continued climbing a couple of dunes and then i heard a whirring noise from the rear. Stepped out and was greeted by the rear wheel touching the fender. My heart sank at that moment and I informed on the radio that i needed help. Quickly, the convoy came together and assessed the situation. Looked like an exit I cant say enough thanks to @Asif Hussain@Jona @salim @Abdul Basit Khan @Zed @Pascal @Joseph Rajuto have spent more than 1.5 hours to fix my car and take it out. The ingenuity to come up with a hack to get the car out of the desert is commendable. With whatever odds and ends we had, @Asif Hussain and @Jona came up with interesting ideas to fix the car which would put many accomplished auto mechanics to shame. Finally we came out of the desert with my rear axle cursing me. It was held together with ratchets and straps Once out, I literally had no idea on what to do and @Abdul Basit Khan was my knight in sining armour. We booked a recovery and @Abdul Basit Khan took me to Sanaya and got a mechanic that replaced the part in 10mins flat. We had a hearty lunch and sped back to Dubai (Or atleast i did, I had to ditch him on the highway and sped off as I was late for a family commitment). Blacked out at 8 pm and woke up at 7 am . The sleep wasn't enough . Taking the car to the garage today to check for any other possible damage. This shows the true spirit of carnity. Obviously I felt very bad that the other couldn't enjoy the virgin dunes of al saad but everyone made sure that i did not feel low and were chipping in with their support and kind words. Endearing of @Asif Hussain to check with me the next day on the status of the car. The whole convoy drove brilliantly and were climbing as if there's no tomorrow. @Zedwith his new beast took care of music for me. The hemi sounds too good bro. A couple of more drives with the jeep and you're gonna leave the LC in the garage itself. @Jona we were at the end and had a lovely banter looking at the guys in front. Your ideas to fix the car amazed me buddy. Thank you for everything. @Asif Hussain I loved the area, the route and especially the calm and composed manner in which you dealt the situation. Lets go to al saad again please with the same convoy. It will be my redemption! Until next drive guys. Stay calm and check your leaf springs (if you have any)

Congrats @Ahmad Nerat!

I encourage our generous Marshalls to organise more drives in Badayer @Hisham Masaad, @Ale Vallecchi, @M.Seidam, @Varun Mehndiratta, @Frederic, #all day or night we r ready 🫡🤠🤠

Congratulations @Ahmad Nerat Well deserved enjoy the new level

Thanks @Gauravfor the promotion.. looking forward for the new level challenges.

Congratulations @Ahmad Nerat 👍

Congratulations @Ishak well deserved enjoy the new level

Congratulations @Ishak !! Enjoy the new level ! Well deserved and well done !

Congratulations @Ahmad Nerat well deserved👏👏👏

Congrats @Ishak !!

Congrats @Ishak for new level promotion.. looking forward to drive with u again

Further to your point @Frederic the author of the video posted above (Anthony) is quite well known in the Prado circles in Australia for being controversial with his opinions so always best to do your own homework like the OP is. And your right about recoveries in Australia are different to the UAE whether it’s in mud, rocks and on the beach, scenarios that don’t exist here. Also using a bridle across the front to avoid excessive load on one point is a great way to spread the load.

Yes they are enough, If you know how to recover and safely execute from soft, medium and hard tugs. No, they aren't safe, if you don't know how to recover. Sadly, 90% off-roaders know the brute force alone, which breaks the stuff and bones. Seen many professionally employed rated experts ripping the heavy-duty rated tow points.

DRIVE DETAILS Another installment of our famous Scenic drives ! This time there are a few more challenges on the way, and we will be touching sands, gravel, rocks, and a tiny bit of tarmac. Bring your camera and roll down the windows for another Carnity Adventure ! 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 DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 25 March 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 7:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) FOR CONVOY VARUNMEHNDIRATTA 8:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) FOR CONVOY FREDERIC Meeting Point: Falaj Al Mualla: https://goo.gl/maps/8kZ8iciUhgfdYPfV7 Approximate finish time: 11-12:00 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 10 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. 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 RSVP ON BELOW CALENDAR:

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 DRIVE DETAILS Level: Newbie and above When: 25 March 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 3:00 PM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/dfHCX2RNXkDK7SH19 Action Plan: A relaxing, smoothly flowing drive, set to discovering the natural beauties of the Al Marmoon Presevation Area, capped by a few minutes of yoga, conducted by one of Dubai's top wellness professionals. The Yoga practice will be a Newbie level one, so easy and relaxing. Bring your families if you wish. Approximate finish time: 6:30 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. RSVP will close on Thursday - 8 PM 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 BELOW CALENDAR

Congrats @Ahmad Nerat looking forward to some drives together

Thank you @Ahmad Nerat, Always a pleasure to drive with you 🤜🤛

Wow, XTerra's parts availability is even better than Land Cruiser's 😅 But Leaf Spring has been used since horses carriage times, and its simplicity makes it used in industrial trucks...since Sanaya is industrial area, maybe now you have a truck-grade heavy-duty Leaf Spring now 😁 So now we know how to fix it next time, add extra Leaf Spring and 2 Axle Stands to the cargo as precaution if driving FB+ in Abu Dhabi 😂

Some very good observations from the video: 1. Factory tow points in this example by Toyota are plenty strong. Unfortunately, this is not the case for every 4x4. For example, the Nissan Xterra has very weak original tow points, and some more modern 4x4 models only have tie-down points. 2. For the ones that have weak original towpoints or only tie-down points, these rated recovery hooks are the best alternative IF mounted properly (not with two bolts, but with all three and properly torqued with good quality bolts as well). Getting some fabricated with 3 mounting points is also fine (many of our offroaders do this). Pulling a vehicle HARD from a 45°C angle to the point it would result in damage is quite rare in our deserts, and would only be to re-direct said vehicle to a different angle. In those cases using a bridle rope to connect both front tow points and distribute the load is useful. Even on a tow-hitch there would be a risk for damage as it has been made for straight load and not at an angle. Final point: i have seen hundreds of videos over the years from Australia or USA. I have learnt a lot but i also learnt that this does not always apply to our kind of offroading in the UAE desert sand. An example: I recently saw a video of a GU patrol being recovered from the beach, but that GU patrol must have been weighing 3000kg plus as it was an overlander with so much stuff on board, and they were bogged down to the chassis but did not bother to take out a shovel and clear the path but were yanking with a rope like maniacs. No offense to them, but by following proper protocol of clearing the sand as much as possible, and starting off with a gentle tug would have helped a lot

I love drives in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Really nice and beautiful area. Long dunes and vast desert. I hope @Krishna Rand @Abdul Basit Khan are on their way to home after sort out the issues. Today what I like the most is the coordination and patience of each carnity member to solve a problem and support to each other. As usual we will not loose a person behind. Thank to everyone. Special credit to @Asif Hussain to hear all the opinions from the group and tried to execute the best. Also need to thank you @Jonafor his valuable and unforgettable support and solution to the issue by analyzing the situation. I am very happy to be part of this group today. See you all in desert soon😎

Nice drive. Mine first technical drive with @Ale Vallecchi. Really enjoyed. Lot of criss crossing, ridge riding, site viewing fully packed drive. Thank you @Ale Vallecchifor this wonderful drive to start this weekend. Thank you @munkybizness and @Gok Krishfor your support and advice throughout the drive. Very happy to drive with a nice convoy.

Congratulations @Ahmad Neratlooking forward to our next drive at your new level.

Hi @Frederic, thanks for your reply! I personally wouldn't recommend these yellow tow points as any pulling that is not coming from straight ahead can create significant leveraged forces that can bend or rip out this tow point, creating a potential projectile. While it might be rated/tested to a certain breaking-strength, my understanding is that these aftermarket tow points have often not been properly tested on the frame, if forces are applied from let's say a 45 degree angle or any significant angle that is not straight ahead. I have seen this very good video online, although it applies to the Prado, the front chassis part is the same as the FJ. I think it's an interesting watch.

Thanks @Kailas for a fantastic start to weekend ! Must admit, the entire convoy drove extremely well for the level and drive you offered, commendable ! Perfect second Lead @Joji varghese ! Congratulations @Marketa Dobesova & @Patrick for the way you kept up with the pace ! Well done ! I had my eyes on @Pavel Pashkovskiy & @Klaus Pedersen - who were again flawless with their drive and presence of mind, when at times they displayed when to stop even if it leads to refusal, ensuring they all times followed the convoy position and not overtaking- key to night drives ! And am sure the same was the case with folks in back end of convoy - Great job, specially when its churned up - never easy ! @Looper Always great to have you in the convoy ! and @Rajiv Sam - been long ago we drove together, was good to have you as well Thanks @Senthil Kumar for sweeping us for the first half of the drive ! @Georges Kazan hope your co-passenger recovered from the drive effect and all well now A BIG SHOUT OUT TO @Pavel Pashkovskiy For the coffee/tea and treat for everyone - That was much needed my friend ( and am sure everyone would agree ) - Very thoughtful ! would be looking forward to having many more coffees with you in upcoming drives !!

Thanks to everyone joined night drive yesterday. Was interesting experiens. @Kailas and all lids and supports guys was great and helpful. I did not believe that my bus did not stuck in 3 hours 55 min of drive, but he did not let me down just 500m before finish))) See you on other drives!