Leaderboard

Dear desert wanderers, @Dodi Syahdar, @carlstanley, @J-P L, @Pramod B, @Sameer D., @Benjamin, @Ben Lee, @Rafey Hashmi, @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, @Anoop Nair, @Emanuel and @Gary F, convoy order will be as below and we will be using Ch4 446.801, please ensure your radios are fully charged and programmed to all Carnity channels

@Looper hope you get this sorted soon and get back in the sand @Mahesh_, @Rk ram, @Ishak, @Gertjan, @Batuhan Kulac, @Charbel I will advise the Convoy order tomorrow and we will use Ch4 446.081

Dear Desertnauts, slight change of plans, I believe, as you may have seen from the revised drive's title. We'll meet and leave from Lisaili's camel practice area, instead of the previously chosen Faqa, to make sure we drive as much of the Emirate of Dubai's off-roading paradises. Thus, I have included Lisaili, from where we'll head to Murqaab, take the infamous track to The Chimney (on some of the most challenging technical dunes around), and proceed crossing Faqa on the side of the Solar Tower, and on to Little Sweihan (to exit ideally at Ghantoot, or if too far given the sunset hour, at Solar Park). The convoy order will be the following: @Andrew John Melvill in Second Lead @ChrisW at #3 @nithish468 at #4 @RiadJL at #5 @Zak_ at #6 and @Shiju Raju in Sweep. Enjoy your Friday evening, and see you tomorrow to leave at 2:30PM.

Sadly may car has some issue with the wiring since last week’s drive and they are trying to diagnose the issue. There is some kind of earthing somewhere on the car and unfortunately the mechanics haven’t been able to find the short. Meanwhile @Davie Chase has been godsend and has agreed to take the convoy on a wonderful adventure. To be frank I would have loved to be at the back on the drive led by @Davie Chase so you guys are in for a great drive. Have fun guys. @Mahesh_, @Rk ram, @Ishak, @Gertjan, @Batuhan Kulac, @Charbel

@carlstanley we will have a look tomorrow morning and see if we can resolve you flag issue. You will need to get this fixed before your next drive but I am sure we can get you sorted in the morning

It wasn't a very long drive, but it was quite challenging, and for the first time, I felt it required a lot of expertise to navigate the route on this particular day. Until now, all the intermediate drives at Badayer had felt more like Fewbie Plus +, but this time was different. The terrain's sand was extremely soft, making it difficult even to maneuver. Since we were the first to climb them dunes, I hardly saw any tracks except for a few faint lines, that means wind had erased the tracks left by Saturday's convoys. As the name suggested, the drive was quick, with less than two hours including breaks, and the driving time was less than an hour and a half. We ventured into some less frequented places, adding to the uniqueness of the experience. Thank you @Benjamin, @Mahmoud Taha and @Ishak for joining the drive.

This pic was taken when I was working in Zambia around 25 years ago, back when i used to off road in a 2wd pick up with diff lock. Was a company car so it had "momentum" over obstacles. It took me all over Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Choosing the Right Air Compressor for Desert Off-Roading in the UAE Off-roading in the UAE desert requires lowering your tire pressure to improve traction on soft sand. While some exits conveniently lead to nearby petrol stations where you can reinflate your tires, this is not always the case. For that reason, carrying a reliable air compressor is an essential part of any off-road recovery kit. It is one piece of equipment you do not want failing when it is time to head back onto the tarmac. Depending on your tire size and the type of compressor being used, reinflating tires can take anywhere from 2–4 minutes per tire to more than 25 minutes for a full set. Under the UAE’s intense desert heat, minimizing inflation time becomes more than just a convenience — it is an important factor for both comfort and equipment longevity. In this article, we will look at some of the key technical considerations when using an air compressor and explain what to look for when purchasing one. Heat Management: The Biggest Challenge The primary challenge with air compressors is heat generation. Compressing air creates friction between air molecules, and this process naturally produces significant amounts of heat. The temperature increase is most noticeable around the piston head, but the air hose itself can also become extremely hot during operation. This is why most quality compressors are equipped with cooling fins and a short metal outlet pipe designed to dissipate heat before it reaches the rubber hose. Even so, compressors should always be handled carefully after use, as certain components may become hot enough to cause burns. It is completely normal for a compressor to heat up during operation, especially when running continuously or operating in high ambient temperatures such as those experienced in the UAE desert. To reduce overheating and extend the lifespan of your compressor, it is recommended to: Keep the compressor in the shade whenever possible Avoid running it continuously for extended periods Respect the manufacturer’s specified duty cycle Allow the unit to cool down between inflation sessions when necessary Understanding Compressor Performance One important factor often overlooked is that inflating a single tire at a time can limit most compressors to an effective airflow of approximately 70 liters per minute (LPM). Even if a compressor is rated for higher output, airflow resistance from a single tire valve can restrict performance, forcing the compressor to work harder and generate additional heat. For high-performance compressors with greater airflow capacity, using a dual-hose or four-hose inflation system can significantly improve efficiency. Inflating multiple tires simultaneously reduces overall runtime, lowers operating temperatures, and makes much better use of the compressor’s available airflow. This setup is especially beneficial for vehicles equipped with larger off-road tires, where inflation times can otherwise become lengthy and demanding on the compressor. What to Look for When Buying an Air Compressor Choosing the right air compressor for desert off-roading is about more than simply buying the most powerful model available. Reliability, durability, and real-world performance are far more important when you are regularly inflating tires in harsh desert conditions. Below are some of the key factors to consider before making a purchase. 1. Warranty and Brand Reputation A quality compressor is an investment, and a reputable manufacturer should stand behind its product with a solid warranty. Premium brands typically offer warranties ranging from 4 to 5 years, which helps justify the higher purchase price and provides peace of mind for frequent off-roaders. Unfortunately, long warranty periods have become less common in recent years, making brand reputation and after-sales support more important than ever. 2. Airflow Output (LPM / CFM) Compressor performance is usually measured in either: LPM (Liters Per Minute) CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute) As a reference: 2.3 CFM ≈ 65 LPM In general, higher airflow means faster tire inflation. For most off-road applications, compressors delivering 50 LPM or more will perform adequately, while larger tires and multi-tire inflation systems benefit from significantly higher output. However, comparing compressor specifications is not always straightforward. Manufacturers do not always use the same testing standards: Some advertise airflow at 0 PSI (free air delivery) Others provide ratings at 40 PSI, which places a much greater load on the compressor This means that published numbers can sometimes be misleading, and real-world performance may differ significantly from what is printed on the box. 3. Duty Cycle Air compressors generate substantial heat during operation, which means most units cannot run continuously without periodic cooling. The allowable runtime before cooling is required is known as the duty cycle. Manufacturers may express this in different ways: Time-based rating: Example: “20 minutes per hour” Percentage-based rating: Example: “33% duty cycle” In both cases, the meaning is essentially the same: the compressor can operate for approximately 20 minutes within a one-hour period before it should be allowed to cool down. This becomes particularly important for drivers who go off-roading frequently or who need to inflate larger tires. Exceeding the duty cycle repeatedly can quickly lead to overheating, reduced lifespan, or permanent compressor damage. 4. Hose and Accessory Quality The quality of the included accessories is often overlooked but has a major impact on usability and durability. Pay close attention to the quality of: The coiled air hose The pressure gauge The clip-on air chuck Poor-quality fittings and hoses are common failure points and can become frustrating during repeated desert use, especially under high temperatures. 5. Automatic Pressure Shut-Off A useful premium feature is an automatic pressure shut-off system. This function allows the compressor to stop automatically when the inflation trigger is not engaged, reducing unnecessary strain on the motor and limiting heat buildup. It also makes operation more convenient and efficient during multi-tire inflation. 6. Electrical Protection Features Quality compressors should include built-in protection systems such as: Inline fuse protection Thermal overload protection These safety features help protect both the compressor and your vehicle’s electrical system in the event of overheating, excessive current draw, or electrical faults. While these protections are generally standard on premium models, cheaper compressors may omit them entirely. Below a typical specs example of a Bushranger Black Max: Duty cycle is 30 minutes @40psi at 24°C ambient temperature. Obviously the ambient temperature will be much higher for us here in the UAE, so you will need to take that into account. Keep the compressor in the shade while using (or even on the inside of the car if possible) and keep your engine running. These compressors are rated to work most efficiently at 13.8 Volts, so your alternator should be running. Below i will be going through most of the brands we have encountered in the club, and how we can rate them: Premium Brands (****) Brands like ARB, Bushranger, TJM, Dobinsons, and Mean Mother, are the most famous premium brands that will be providing a quality unit that should last years. ARB and Bushranger/Viair have the advantage that you will find spare parts for them, so if you are interested and savvy, you can rebuild your compressor later on. Price range of these compressor is from 750 AED upwards up to 2500+AED. The main reason why they cost more is due to the quality of materials used, higher duty cycle of their compressor, and of course marketing as well. ARB ARB has the single cylinder unit for about 1000AED, while its big brother will be around 2,700AED. They have by far the best quality of hoses and gauges, and these units should last many years if being well taken care of. MeanMother The Mean Mother Adventurer is the only brand/model we know of in the UAE that offers 5year warranty, hence this model has become very popular in our off-roading community. You will find the Adventurer III model for around 750AED (150lpm), but now there is also the Adventurer IV which is having slightly better performance (180lpm) and costs about 999AED. We have heard about a few models failing but were replaced within warranty. Bushranger / Viair Bushranger/Viair has a range of different models with output ratings from 52lpm up to 72lpm. (Black Max for 800AED and Max Air III for 1120AED). The Max Air III has an automatic pressure shut-off. Their compressors are extremely reliable, but i have never been impressed with their yellow plastic coiled hoses and clip-on, except for the black hoses they use on the old SuperMax and the newer Max Air III model. Their smallest model (RV Air for 599AED) is the minimum in terms of output flow (52lpm) and will take quite some time to inflate your tires, but should work fine. Dobinsons Dobinsons have the Zenith model (170 lpm) that is being sold for 999AED. Quality looks top notch with good set of accessories and backed by a premium quality brand. Midrange Brands (***) Golden Camel The "Golden Camel" brand with its red compressors, sold in single cylinder and double cylinder models are fantastic performers for the price (200 AED for the single big cylinder 160lpm, and 280AED for the double cylinder compressor (300 lpm). Yes the hoses break, the electrics fail sometimes, and it won't be the most reliable compressor, but for that price it's worth a try if you want it. You will find the hoses also separarely in DM, and if you are a bit handy with a soldering gun you might make an attempt to replace the switches or solder a wire back on. They now even have a mighty big 4-cylinder unit, which pumps out an impressive 300lpm. The problem nowadays is that you have even "fake" Golden Camel compressors, who look 100% identical, but their quality is even more of a question mark. I recently bought one and it started overheating and shutting off after only two tyres. The vibration coming from the compressor makes me wonder about the tolerances used in the manufacturing process. On the other hand i also have a single cylinder Golden Camel that has been going strong for 3 years now and never failed. Vitaly Vitaly is a brand that basically re-labels these Chinese compressors and sells them at a higher price in hardware stores like ACE and Speedex. Again they are a bit of a gamble and the only advantage you will have is you will get at least 1year warranty through these stores. T-Max These compressors are looking very similar to the DM Single big cylinder compressors and the Mean Mother Adventurer. There is a smaller 72lpm unit and a big 150lpm unit. Prices are similar to Vitaly, and T-Max seems to be a reputable Australian brand, so perhaps the build quality will be a slight notch above the DM compressors. Volcano I recently stumbled upon this brand via a shop in Ajman. They are manufactured in Taiwan and manufacture compressors for high end brands as well. Their biggest compressor model is the B850 which is being sold for about 650AED. Have seen them on sale in DM as well. They come in a sturdy box, with decent hose (like the Bushranger top model) and have a pressure gauge with automatic cut-off. Flow rate is 98lpm. Brands/ Models to avoid: -The smaller "Golden Camel" Compressor. Absolutely worthless. Also sold under the "X-Cessories" brand name. -Mini compressors to connect to the cigarette lighter: Will last only a few drives. Not made to inflate weekly from 15 to 35psi, unless you want to wait for 25mins or longer. Will overheat easily because of this. These are made for sedans and bicycles. The Black and Decker and Michelin models seem to work better, but it will take you upwards of 25 minutes to inflate your tires. If you happen to have one of those, i strongly recommend to only inflate to about 25psi you can then drive to the nearest petrol station and use their compressor. If you are in the market of buying a new compressor, i hope this article can shed some light and useful information that will guide you in the right direction. As you can clearly see, inflating tyres on a 4x4 in the summer heat requires a big powerful compressor that can quickly inflate your tyres before overheating or shutting down.

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for the amazing, fast paced drive today. Great to see @Nicolò and @Sunil Mathew Lots of bowls and climbs today followed by some technical dunes. Interesting to see the different colors of sand in the same area - red where we started off, changed to yellowish with darker bits and finished in almost red again. Visibility got pretty bad there towards the end - so hard to read the shape of the dunes with the sun getting low in the sky Great idea by the way for the 3 Emirate tour this weekend. Sharjah done! Looking forward to Dubai tomorrow and Abu Dhabi on Sunday 😁

@Davie Chase Unless we saw the pole, it won't fit. Happy to cut it if you have a hacksaw 😅

@Julien Recan @Aser @Brett Eicher @Gurcharan Mehta @azad @Gautam Banka Last updates for tomorrow Meeting at 06:00 am at https://maps.app.goo.gl/r5LPyKms6XuG5Un58 The convoy order will be We will use Carnity Radio Frequency 5. Take a good rest, and see you tomorrow morning !

@carlstanley Welcome to the carnity family, Please use this forum to give us a brief introduction of yourself and also if you could please confirm the following: - Car make, model, color - Confirm you have 10-inch front and rear ground clearance - Your car is All or 4wheel drive - You have fitted and fit for purpose solid front and rear tow hooks - Please share your previous offroad experience (if any) - Please confirm you have completed the reading material and watched the video in the main drive post prior to joining the drive - Please also confirm you have a radio and safety flag. Lastly please ensure your watch the Absolute Newbie video i posted in the drive post before arriving at the meet point in the morning please also ensure your radio is programmed as per the below link Thanks and look forward to meeting you tomorrow

Hi @Giacomo @Victor Socaciu @Fares Adel @nithish468 looks like we are going to have a short convoy which means we can do a bit more exploration in the night wilderness. Brace yourself for a lot of fun and excitement. We shall be using Carnity Channel 3 (446.056) for this drive. Convoy numbering would be decided at the meeting point. @TIMMY you are on the manage tab. Are you joining this drive? If so, will shift you to the going tab.

Hi @ChrisW. We'll meet and deflate here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qCD32sJkXpbDfnzq8 See you tomorrow.

Dear @Nicolò, @RiadJL and @Sunil Mathew. Not too much to say about this drive. other than we'll try to make it fast and long. We aim to complete the first part, to Big Red in 1 hour, then proceed through Badayer to Iftar Bowl in another 1 and 1/2 hour, if possible, and to reach Area 53 (Bezhad Ranch) in Al Madam by sunset. We should make full use of the 4 hours of light that we'll surely have. Departure should be scheduled around 2:45 PM. We may not loop around a great deal on the taller dunes, but we'll still make as many climbs as it makes sense, with the idea of completing a long trek (should be around 80 to 90 Km). This means we'll try to enjoy, and cover, as much terrain in this red-sand Sharjah area as possible. The convoy order will be given on site tomorrow (shouldn't be too complicated 😁). Short and sweet convoy, ideal to complete such a long drive. Enjoy the end of the week and get ready to start the Eid weekend in desert style.

@Batuhan Kulac as per my Jimny group, the springs are a no go if you’re looking for comfort. Ironman and dobinsons for Jimny have a terrible on and off road comfort quality. Rather get Profender Reds (adjustable) and either Kings (yellow ones) or Profender springs to stay in a budget and get the best of comfort. 3200 dhs total. Lastly I am running Profender and Kings springs, no issues at all. if you want to remain within dobinsons, we advice Dobinsons IMS set (can get costly) Buzz me on IG and I can give details on the place and full costing.

The most British of British things…

It's baffling to see because all this could have fitted on 1 single purpose-built signboard. Now it's a real mismash...

Hey Loop, will remove myself and add again on Thursday. I wanna go on Ale's drive on Sunday too.

So I love the TJ as you have seen during the Carnity drives, but I really enjoyed building it from ‘base’ even more. Time for something else so I am selling the little donkey. Full description in the attached PDF. I will post it in 10 days (will be in Egypt next week) on the car sale platforms but heads up for Carnity members. Price is slightly negotiable. Car is in Dubai Marina in case interested. Call/text me on +971501749056 or whatsapp on +12039128797 Patrick JEEP WRANGLER TJ 2006 GCC.pdf

There are multiple factors why you won't see as many Broncos in the desert for a couple of years: 1. Very new platform: As the car is barely two years old, and was launched during the exit of the pandemic (chip shortages), new cars have been slow to trickle out to buyers. As global supply chain ramps up, and demand/supply stabilises, more Broncos should slowly begin to enter the space. 2. Entirely new product vs platform expansion: The Jeep 392 resolves a power upgrade that hardcore enthusiasts and Jeep-owners can get behind. The platform for the Wrangler and the Rubicon variant is well-established. Similarly, if you look at the Ford Ranger Raptor, it too will build on the already inherent legacy of the Ranger as well as the F-150. Even then, it will take some time for it to ship enough units. 3. Price: Starting north of AED 250k, the Bronco is a platform that only those that truly love the car or enthusiasts with enough disposable income will want to splurge on. 4. Confirmation biases Offroaders are still a very small sub-set: Because we spend a lot of time in company of offroaders, we attach a confirmation bias that all off-road capable cars must be going off-road. As a Jeep owner, I'm certain you'll agree that there's a vast and larger majority of Wrangler owners with enough bells and whistles on their cars and they've never even stepped over a curb. When supply-chains improve and the platform begins to capture interest, we should more of them on the road first. Don't believe the hype: As somebody who grew up in the UAE, I have long believed that the only cars that can go offroad and excel are the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol. From safari tour groups to decades-long reverence, to marketing on steroids, both cars have been elevated to god-like status. It is only when I began driving off-road that I learned how rubbish the Y62 and the LC200 are in the desert for hardcore dune-bashers. Concepts like power-to-weight ratio are not in the consideration vocabulary of a regular driver. 5. Embed into the driving culture: Powerful American SUVs are largely broken into three styles - large pick-ups (F-150, Ram, Tundra, Ridgelin, etc.), large road-wagons (Escalade, Suburban, Wagoneer, Tahoe, Sequoia) and purpose-built utilities (Wrangler, Bronco, 4Runner). With dunebashing (vs baja racing) not a large part of the American off-road scene, and focus on national park trails, rock crawling and overlanding focus overall, it will take time for American manufacturers to embed themselves into the driving culture of the desert. And it will require all of the above factors to go in their favor too. See how popular American pick-up trucks have become offroad in the past 5 years that now the F-150 and the RAM TRX already have cultures that they can build upon and tap into consumers in that space. The Bronco will need a lot more time to get there. Once it does, and it proves its mettle, it will find it easier in successive years to maintain that position.