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So you have decided to become an Offroad Enthusiast by either joining an Offroad-Club, or becoming a Solo Adventurer to explore the UAE deserts ? Then surely the time has come to start investing in the proper offroad gear. Good quality offroad gear will be your biggest help to be self-reliant and to enjoy this sport thoroughly. After all you don't want to be stranded in the middle of the desert with unsafe or unreliable equipment. We have compiled a list of essential tools you should have as per our club levels, and included some recommended gear which we have used in the club with good results. OFF-ROAD FLAG (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) A proper off-road flag is safely mounted with a bracket, or suction cup, and does not fall off on the first windy day. You can either buy a very decent flag like the AOR ones, or go to the nearest dune-buggy shop, or Dragon Mart. A fishing rod with flag also does the job. TYRE DEFLATOR AND PRESSURE GAUGE (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) Deflating your tyres will be a weekly practice, and the accuracy of your tyre-pressure gauge will make the difference between struggling in the sand or floating on it. You can buy them in ACE, Speedex, or Dragon Mart and it is advisable to buy two different models to double-check the accuracy. Most cheaper models work well on normal tyre pressures (35 psi) but start to give inaccurate readings below 15psi. Deflating your tyres can be done with a stem removal tool or a quick deflator. Whatever works for you. How to deflate your tyres is well documented here: FULL-SIZE SHOVEL (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) Next to your Carnity buddies, a proper shovel will be your best friend in the desert.You should get a full-size laborer shovel, and not a small foldable camping spoon/shovel. Buy a shovel with a handle, and a v-shaped tip, you will find them in general hardware shops. Example below is perfect, and will allow you to displace a lot of sand. TWO WAY RADIO (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) While driving with an offroad-club, a two-way radio is essential to communicate with the rest of the convoy and to receive instructions or guidance. In Carnity Off-Road Club, we use two-way UHF radios that are programmable to our frequency list that we have created. Make sure your radio is always fully charged for every drive, and if possible invest in having a second (spare) one. We can recommend the Crony/Motorola MT777 or the Baofeng UV5-R model as both are good radios with excellent price/quality ratio. You will find them in Dragon Mart. Do not buy a walkie talkie without a display, as these will be mostly pre-programmed and the frequencies cannot be changed unless you purchase programming software and cables. NOTE: THE BAOFENG 888 RADIOS THAT WE HAND OUT AS SPARE RADIOS WILL NOT WORK OUT OF THE BOX WHEN YOU BUY THEM AS THEY HAVE DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES. YOU CAN PROGRAM THEM BUT YOU WILL NEED PROGRAMMING CABLE, A LAPTOP, AND SOFTWARE CALLED CHIRP. IF YOU ARE NOT INTO THESE TECHNICAL THINGS, PLEASE STICK WITH BUYING THE CRONY/MOTOROLA MT777 or BAOFENG UV5R AS THESE CAN BE EASILY PROGRAMMED YOURSELF WITHOUT CABLES OR SOFTWARE. Instructions on how to program the Motorola/Crony and Baofeng you will find in below post: FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND MEDICAL KIT (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) Both items every vehicle should have, offroad or onroad. You will find DRY POWDER extinguishers at the petrol station or hardware shops, and a medical first aid kit at general hardware stores or pharmacies. Make sure they are immediately accessible in case urgently needed. 12V AIR COMPRESSOR (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) After every offroad drive you will need to re-inflate your tyres. If you are lucky to be nearby a petrol station you can slowly drive your way up there, but in many cases you will be miles away from one. You will find air compressors from 150 up to 2500AED as per your budget and liking, but if you are using it on a weekly basis you will find that sticking with a well-known brand like TJM, Bushranger, ARB really makes the difference. You can be lucky with the Camel branded compressors in Dragon Mart too, but do not expected any warranty on them. ACE, Speedex has the branded ones, and also a few cheaper options. GPS DEVICE (INTERMEDIATE AND ABOVE) From a dedicated GPS device such as the Garmin 276cx, or a smartphone with your favorite navigation app, it will be important from Intermediate level onwards that you start practicing navigation, putting waypoints, entry and exit points, and seeing the difference on your map between for example long range dunes and small technical dunes. Apps like MotionX for IOS, MyTrails, and GaiaGPS are very popular and allow you to properly prepare for your route / track beforehand. RECOVERY ROPE WITH 2 SOFT SHACKLES (INTERMEDIATE AND ABOVE) Recovering stuck vehicles in the desert is a skill, and from Intermediate level onwards you will be able to practice this. There are different types of ropes in the market, and finding the right one might be very confusing. - A Polyester Tow Rope is meant to tow a vehicle on the road, NEVER for off-road recovery. These are the basic tow ropes you will find at the petrol station. - A Webbing Sling is a Polyester rope that you can buy in hardware stores and is meant for industrial lifting, but can also be used as tow rope in specific cases (to re-direct a stuck vehicle with gentle tugs). This material does not stretch. - A Snatch rope (flat) or Kinetic Recovery Rope (round) is a rope made of Nylon that allows to stretch for about 20%, and is extremely useful for offroad recovery as the stretching creates a kinetic energy and the recoil effect helps in recovering vehicles stuck in the sand. When choosing a kinetic recovery rope, you should select a rope that has a breaking strength of 2-3 times the weight of the vehicle you will recover. For example; if you recover a Nissan Xterra which weighs 2 ton, the breaking strength of the rope should be at least 6 tons. Most recovery ropes have 10-15 Tons breaking strength. The reason for this is that the forces involved when a vehicle is completely stuck in the sand are far higher. Our club uses both the Viking Kinetic rope as well as the AOR Kinetic recovery rope with excellent results. The Viking rope costs about 350AED with a bag and 2 soft shackles included, while the AOR kinetic rope costs about 390AED without soft shackles. (AOR soft shackle cost 155 AED per piece). A shackle is a device that allows you to connect your rope to your tow point. These used to be mostly rated metal D-shackles, but nowadays the soft shackles, that were well known in the sailing world have become in offroading too. A soft shackle will be safer to use as the less metal involved the better during recoveries. More information on using these Kinetic recovery ropes and shackles can be found in below post: FLOOR JACK WITH WOODEN BOARD (ADVANCE AND ABOVE) A hydraulic floor jack in combination with a strong wooden board will allow you to safely lift a vehicle in the desert to replace a tyre or fix a pop-out. We do not advise using scissor jacks or bottle jacks, as these are only acceptable for on-road and will topple over in the sand or possibly even on a wooden board. A good hydraulic floor jack should be at least 2T capacity and a swivel neck (rotating handle) will allow you to put it further underneath the vehicle and still be able to lift it. JZX or YATO has good hydraulic jacks. Do not buy the cheapest one available as the consequences or risks when the floor jack collapses could be very serious. A strong wooden board should be at least 1 1/2 inches thick and made of natural wood and not MDF or plywood. A good example is scaffolding planks. It should be large enough to fit your hydraulic jack on it. TOOLKIT AND FLUIDS (ADVANCE AND ABOVE) A toolkit will come in handy for a multitude of reasons, in case a vehicle breaks down, to fix a loose exhaust, flag, or bumper, but can make you a hero if you are able to fix your vehicle instead of leaving it behind in the desert. Following items are recommended: A small basic multimeter, set of spanners up to size 24, some adjustable spanners, a hacksaw, hammer, set of screwdrivers, some electrical tape, duct tape, cable-ties, some spare car fuses, spare valves and stems, tie down straps, socket wrench set and some pliers. Also a tyre repair kit will be coming in handy, together with some thick gloves, and battery boost cables. Following fluids are recommended: - Engine oil: 1-2 liter - Coolant: 1-2 liter - ATF Transmission oil: 1 liter - A can of WD40 or penetrating oil - Spray-can with water to cool down an overheating engine.

Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Off-roader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. Within Carnity Offroad Club we are using a number of frequencies on the two-way radio. This is necessary as we have sometimes multiple convoys driving and broadcasting on the same frequency. With this functionality each convoy can select a channel that they want to use without interfering with others. The 10 radio frequencies are listed below: Below you will find the programming instructions for the most commonly used radios in Carnity Offroad Club. Please get yourself familiarized with your radio, as it's an essential tool for any Offroader, and this device is responsible for establishing clear and life-saving communication while venturing Offroad. If you are planning on buying a radio, make sure it is the UHF version and not the VHF version. We recommend the Motorola/Crony MT777, Crony CN888, or Baofeng UV-5R because of excellent price / quality ratio, Dragon Mart has many models, just make sure it has the ability to set the frequencies manually. Please do not buy a screenless model like the Baofeng 888S as it cannot be programmed without cable and software. Before getting into the real technicalities, some basic info on radios settings that you will come across: *STEP FREQUENCY: on the FM band, frequencies are spaced from each-other at a certain bandwidth. The Step frequency is basically the incremental change in your radio when you turn the rotary knob on top of your radio. When you program the radio to a certain frequency, you will need to make sure the appropriate step frequency has been set correctly. (see on the above frequency list). * PTT: Short for PUSH-TO-TALK: This is the button on the side of your radio that you push when you want to broadcast a message. * MON: Most radios have a Monitor button. When pushed you are basically monitoring the channel. If no-one is broadcasting you will just hear noise. But this is useful to set your desired volume. * SQL or Squelch: To make sure that your radio does not pickup every little signal, the squelch acts as a gatekeeper to only allow a broadcast on your radio when it is strong enough or nearby enough. If you encounter a lot of noise that's being picked up by the radio, try changing the SQL setting a little bit. A higher setting makes the radio less sensitive to noise. * RX and TX frequencies: RX stands for Receiving frequency, which TX stands for transmitting frequency. in Carnity we transmit and receive on the same channels. * DCS / CT codes: These are basically encryption settings that allow a user to make sure only radios with exact same CT codes can listen in on the chatter. As these settings are confusing and complex, they should not be used (CT should not be showing on your display). Programming the Motorola/Crony MT777: Note: This radio has 2 operating modes called "Frequency" and "Channel". To switch between these modes, keep the ENTER button pressed while switching on the radio. Pressing the VFO/MR button while you're in Frequency mode will bring you to the combined mode, which is basically a screen that shows both the channel and the frequency. You can use either one of these modes during operation. To Program the Channels: 1. Make sure your radio is switched off. 2. Press the Moni (black button on top of the orange one on your left side), and MENU key together while switching on the radio. 3. Wait for the set to display SELF (which means manual setup). 4. Press Enter and it will show the Channel number. 5. You can choose which channel to program by selecting it from the rotary selector knob on the top of your device. 6. Once you have the desired channel, press ENTER. 7. Type your first frequency you want to program. 8. Press ENTER on every setting below to go through the advanced settings and verify if they are programmed as following: (If above settings are not correct they can be changed with the rotary knob on the top keep pressing enter until your set displays the next channel to be set). 03=OFF (if a number is showing here, push the *Lock button until OFF appears). 04= Enter the same frequency as the one you want to program. 05= OFF (if a number is showing here, push the *Lock button until OFF appears). 06= OFF 07= ADD 08= HIGH(H) 09= NARROW 10=-------- 9. Repeat from Step 5 to program the rest of your channels. Very useful Youtube video below: method for adding a single frequency later on, without going through the whole SELF programming mode again: 1. Make sure the radio is in Frequency Mode. Type in the frequency you want to program. E.g 446.00625 2. Press MENU and then press the VFO/MR button. The channel number will start to blink. 3. Use the rotary selector knob to select on which channel you want to save this frequency. 4. Press VFO/MR button again to confirm and exit. Keypad can be locked by pushing the * LOCK button for a few seconds. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Programming the Crony CN888: Note: This radio has 3 operating modes called "Frequency", "VFO", and "Channel". You can toggle between these modes by pressing the orange Function button on the top left corner, followed by pressing 1 (Mode). Programming the radio as described below can only be done in VFO mode. 1. Switch on the radio. 2. Press the Function Key (orange button on top left corner). 3. Press 4 (STEP) until it shows 6.25. Press EXIT to confirm. 4. Now type the first frequency you want to program. Eg. 446.00625 5. Now press the # button. The Channel number in the corner of the display will start to blink. 6. Select with the A (up) or B(down) buttons to choose wich channel you want to save the frequency. 7. Press the C button. the radio will confirm by saying "SAVED AS RX FREQUENCY" 8. Press the # button again. The Channel number in the corner of the display will start to blink. 9. Press the D button. the radio will confirm by saying "SAVED AS TX FREQUENCY" Keypad can be locked by pushing the Function button, followed by the *F.L button. Programming the Baofeng UV5-R: When buying a radio like the Baofeng UV5R, many certain frequencies and channels are already programmed into the radio, but these are different from the ones we use in Carnity. As you will be programming 5 new channels onto Channel number 1 till 5, it is important to first delete these existing frequencies stored in those channels. You can do that as following: Step 1: Delete the existing channels from channel 1 till 5: 1- Switch on the radio 2- Press the MENU button followed by the buttons 2 and 8. (Menu 28). 3- Press MENU, and then use the UP/DOWN arrows to select which channel you want to clear. 4- Select CH1 and press MENU again, you will hear "delete channel, followed by confirmed". 5- Now go back to step 3 and do the same for the following channels (CH2-CH3-CH4-CH5). 6- Now all 5 channels are clear and ready to be programmed. Step 2: Set the step-frequency: - Switch on the radio - Press the MENU button and with the up and down buttons select STEP frequency. - Change this to 6.25 and press MENU to confirm. - Press EXIT to go back to the main menu. Step 3 Program the new frequencies in the radio: 1- Press the VFO button. You will hear the confirmation “frequency mode”. 2- Make sure the arrow is on the top line. If not, press the blue A/B button. 3- Type in the frequency you want to save. I.e 446.00625 4- Press MENU, followed by button 2 and 7 (menu 27). You will see MEM-CH. 5- Press MENU and now use the up and down buttons to select the channel you want to save it on. 6- Press MENU again to confirm. Your first frequency is now stored under channel 01. (receiving memory). 7- Press MENU TWICE again to confirm. Your first frequency is now stored under channel 01. (transmitting memory). 8- Press EXIT and repeat from step 3 onwards to program your remaining channels. Note: To program the Carnity backup frequency channel 5, you will need to set the step frequency to 12.5. When done, follow the same steps to program and save it under channel 05. You can either program these channels one by one into your radio, which is the easiest for you later on, or you can just enter the frequency without saving it. Some extra notes: Option 5 in your menu should be on Narrowband. Option 10 and 12 in your menu should be set to OFF (we are not using CT codes). BaoFeng_UV-5R_Manual_(1).pdf

When starting as an off-roading enthusiast in UAE, you will come to hear about deflating your tyres, and setting your tyres to the right tyre pressure is one of the first things you will need to learn to master. The main reason for deflating your tyres is to obtain a longer footprint in the sand, and that enables you to drive on the sand, instead of digging into it. Tyre pressure is defined in PSI (pounds per square inch) or Bar. You will find both readings on your pressure gauge. In UAE most people use PSI, and the gas station compressors also use the PSI identification. Below you can see the corresponding PSI and Bar readings. As a beginner level offroader, you should reduce your tyre pressure to about 15 PSI. This is low enough to enable you to drive in the dunes without the risk of the tyre coming off the rim. This 15PSI is also perfect for on-road-tyres. After a few drives, and depending on the terrain, or if you have offroad tyres, you can slowly deflate further down to 10-12 PSI. Take note that the risk for having a pop-out will increase, so don't be afraid to post your questions on the Carnity website or consult one of the marshals if you are not sure about your tyre pressure. There are different ways of deflating your tyres, and each have their advantages and disadvantages. The more you will practice, the sooner you will find out what works best for you. How does a stem valve looks like ? The stem valve is consisting out of 3 pieces. The body, that is made of flexible rubber, the core, and the valve cap. Take note of the following: - The rubber valve body wears out over time. Once you start to see cracks, it is advisable to get it replaced at the nearest tyre center. - The valve core is a tiny component with a small rubber gasket. If you remove them on a weekly basis, the gasket slowly wears out or the core can even break. Carry 5-10 spares in your vehicle. The tyre center often give them for free. - The valve cap keeps dirt and sand from entering into the valve, so it's advisable to always screw the cap back on. The process of deflating / inflating goes by either pushing in the valve core, which allows air to be released, or by removing the valve core, which is a much faster option. How to check the tyre pressure ? Verifying your tyre pressure is really easy. Get yourself a pressure gauge, and push it against the tyre valve, or screw it on (depending on the model). You will see the reading in PSI or Bar. The digital ones are fine, but one day the battery will be empty, so a good old analogue is preferred to have as well. PS if you find that your gauge has difficulties reading the tyre pressure, and you really need to push it hard onto the valve, this is an indication that the valve core is worn out. Replace it with a new one and you will see that this will solve your problem. Which tools to deflate and how much time will it take ? 1) Set of keys, a rock, or anything you might find in your car (+/- 15 mins) PROS: CHEAP and plenty of stuff available CONS: Takes a very long time which you could use for a smoke or a chat and risk on damaging the valve stems. 2) Valve Chucks (4-5 minutes) Buy 4 of them and stick them on all tyres simultaneously and then wait about a few minutes (as per your type and size of tyre) to arrive at around 17-18 psi. Then take one tyre at a time and use your pressure gauge to further decrease and finetune the pressure of each individual tyre. PROS: Fast and Cheap CONS: none that i know off. 3) Stem removal tool (2-3 minutes) Available in most hardware shops. Enables you to remove the valve core stem so the tyre pressure comes down very fast. PROS: Very Fast and Cheap CONS: Be careful not to lose the stem as it can blow out. So taking some spare is advisable. Be careful not to deflate too much as it really goes fast. Use a stopwatch and learn to find the perfect timing when to screw it back in, and then double check with a pressure gauge. 4) Rapid Tyre deflator and pressure gauge ( 4-5 mins) This tool enables you to loosen the stem, quickly deflate and immediately take a pressure reading. PROS: Professional tool for reasonable price, pressure gauge and deflator in one tool. CONS: Might take a bit of practice to get the hang of it. The fake chinese ones are fairly unreliable. As with all tools and gear, we advise you to practice a bit at home to become familiar with them. It is also recommended to carry two pressure gauges, so you can compare them with each-other and double check your readings. Often we have seen pressure gauges giving accurate readings at high pressures (35) but very inaccurate results at 10-15 PSI.

Recovery Gear Below is the most comprehensive list of all commonly used off-road gears and basic recovery tools - this is the stuff everyone needs and it has to be easily accessible at all the time, while driving in off-road terrain (Sand and Rocks). MANDATORY KIT AIR COMPRESSOR Bush Ranger Black Max, ACE @ Festival City. Also available Pro Air, Max AirII at different price points. ARB Air Compressors from ARB Abu Dhabi (call up and order, will deliver C.O.D) Chinese stuff at Dragon Mart - if you're feeling lucky. Other compressors at Carrefour/other Hypermarkets or car accessory shops are not really recommended. RADIO / WALKIE TALKIE Motorola, allegedly 20 mile radius, from the small Sabka shops Dhs.325 Dragon Mart, higher output (will fry your ears), cheaper, clearer. TOW ROPE / SNATCH STRAP Bush Ranger heavy duty tow (dhs.200 or so) or Pro snatch kit (Dhs500+) from Ace Viking rope from Robbie's Garage (to the left of Times Square, Shk Zayed Rd) Dhs265, I think. Kinetic Rope from International Trading Co. Opposite Everhot Water Heater - Al Qusais. SHACKLES Are available at ACE, 3.0 T to 4.75 T very reasonable rates, make sure you get the shackles with the screw and not the pin-type shackles. SAFETY FLAG - available from shops that sell Quads, alternately use Fishing Rods fastened with a bolt to the spare tyre rig, also available is the FireStik range at Robbies which is very expensive but very neat and professional). You may also want a gutter-mount for the same (if your vehicle has a rain gutter). SHOVEL Fancy chome-plated stuff rom ACE or other accesory shops - expensive & of debateable utility. Bushranger tri-fold shovel with its own cover - about as expensive, easier to carry. Regular construction shovel from a hardware or construction material store - Dhs.25 and much more effective but not so compact. Fiskars super-lightweight camping shovel. Most expensive but is also lightest (you want to carry sand, not metal!). I recommend this, but this is very budget-sensitive. BASIC FIRST AID KIT Available at all pharmacies, auto kits available at ACE and some specialized offroad joints, you can also put one together yourself or your vehicle may have one supplied with it. Should contain: Gauze (Large, Medium & Small sizes) Sticking Plaster & Adhesive Strips (Band Aid variety) Surgical Cotton Surgical Spirit/Antiseptic Basic medication/ointment for minor cuts and bruises Burnaid other burn treatment Scissors & Forceps Cotton Buds BASIC TOOLKIT + FIRE EXTINGUISHER + JUMP STARTER CABLES + USABLE STEPNEY HYDRAULIC SCISSOR FLOOR JACK & STRONG WOODEN PLATFORM/PLANK (or HiLift Jack base) An alternative is the very expensive and equally heavy but neatly packaged Exhaust Jack Series II (dont buy Series I) from ACE, its upwards of Dhs.800. A Hi-lift jack is something a lot of people like to carry prominently like some sort of badge, but this is of doubtful utility in our really sandy terrain. Very useful in Wadis etc. DEFLATION KIT Valve remover for tyres - most tyre shops Dhs.10/- Pen-type pressure gauge (marked in PSI, not LbFt) - Dhs.25/- most car accessory shops. Other gauges are also available, the pen-type stuff is considered good. Use trusted brands like Milton, PCL, ARB, Victor, Rolson or Monkey grip. 4 Spare Tyre Valves to replace any lost while deflating. CAN FOR ADDITIONAL FUEL FOR LONG TRIPS Available from Ace Hardware, good for long distance trips where you are not sure about the petrol stations on the way, very handy in places like Liwa. YOUR VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE RECOVERY POINTS - FRONT AND REAR. OPTIONAL ADDITIONS Collapsible water can from ACE (Dhs.35 or so). Cool box with ICE (also useful for medical emergencies) and fluids of your choice (for more guidance, ask Kash). Cargo Net & Elastic Tie-downs to keep things securely fastened. GPS - Make sure it can store way points, record a track and pay the track back in reverse. Miscellaneous stuff that you should never need, but would want to keep handy - tire sealant gel/foam/goo, radiator leak-stopper (powder that you pour into your leaky radiator), exhaust leak fix (for small leaks, not cracked exhausts), flashlight, etc from ACE. Just to be on the safe side, one small 5 litre fuel can (Dhs.25 from any petrol station) and a manual siphon hose to borrow fuel from others (15-20 bucks). Duct Tape, Insulation Tape, Bush Knife/Pen Knife & Plastic Zip Ties. For camping trips - collapsible chairs/tents/sleeping bags/lanterns/BBQ kits/use your imagination. Small bottle of concentrated liquid Camp Soap or Dettol Hand Sanitizer + lots of Kleenex/tissue rolls. Working gloves to handle hot stuff in the engine bay + cloth/cotton waste. AAA or IATC Assistance as a sort of insurance for major breakdowns. Hope this helps. Please let us know if you need assistance or further information.

When joining Carnity Off-road Club, there will come a time that you’ll need to start looking for deflators, pressure gauges, compressors, flag, etc... Dragon Mart is a wonderful shopping paradise but finding the item you need is indeed sometimes a daunting task. So I listed below some shops and their locations that might be of help: Off-road Flag Section: EA Address: EA01 Shop: S&D Autoparts Deflator tool and pressure gauge Section: EB Address: EBD05 Shop: Taizhou Yian Trade Two Way Radio Lots of options, but the BA section has the most shops. Look out for the big CRONY labeled shop. They have the Motorola MT777 = 120 - 150 AED. Crony MT777 = 80 - 120 AED Also the Baofeng UV-5R is still popular and easy to find. Costs about 75 AED. Floor Jack & Tools JZX shop in section EA, no. EAA25 2 Ton floor jack with swivel neck = 120 - 150 AED (Recommended) Tool kit = 50-100 AED Compressor Mainly available in BA section. Have a walk and haggle a bit. The Camel logo brand is pretty good. Available in single or twin cylinder model. Single cylinder = 100 -150 AED Twin Cylinder = 150 -200 AED (Recommended) Please take note that we are not affiliated with these shops nor do we give any guarantees about their items. We solely provide the location where you can find these most common items to save your time.

Welcome to a basic guide to off-road venturing. Most of us would like to venture into the vast dunes we see on either side of the road, but it can be tricky for the uninitiated to take the first step off the tarmac and into the unknown, Well the first thing to remember is sand is almost like a liquid surface and our main aim is to stay above it, buoyant if you will and not sink. How do we do that? Lowering the tire pressure. How does that help exactly? It increases the contact patch or footprint of your tires. Which basically means now there is more ground to support the weight of your vehicle and you wont sink in as easily. At first stick with 15 - 18 psi, going any lower exponentially increases the chances of the bead of your tire losing its seal with the wheel and letting go of all the air (pop out), usually at the worst time and place possible. Once you understand and gain more experience in the art of desert driving you can go lower according to the vehicle and terrain at hand. But in the beginning lets stick to 15 - 18 psi to keep our first steps in to the desert as trouble free as possible. Now that you have your tires ready for the terrain what do you do now. Full throttle starts are mostly never a good idea but rather gentle acceleration, some situations you need to give it more go than normal, but if starting from a flat and relatively smooth area it is always better to be gentle. Hard starts will usually end up in digging yourself in if not careful. But don't be a granny about it either, remember this is not your typical tarmac surface and gentle blips on the throttle will not get you anywhere. You have to learn to achieve that balance. Once you get going you have to remember what was mentioned earlier, that think of sand as a liquid surface. You have to keep your momentum, in fact momentum is your biggest friend out in the desert and once you have an intimate relationship with momentum, it will help you out in a lot of places. What you initially thought were impassible tracts of sand, momentum will take you through them. Think of this as water skiing, once the boat slows downs the skier tends to start going lower and lower into the water until he finally sinks. Although the desert will not consume you and your car like a body of water but getting back to that speed and motion is going to be real hard, and in some places its just not possible to build that momentum again and you will either get bogged down or have to change route. Don't be afraid to let your engines stretch its legs to keep the momentum going. Most people are afraid to rev their engines too much simply because they are not used to it. Don't change up gears too soon, as the lower rpms will rob the wheels of the required torque to keep the momentum going. But also just don't stick in one gear and let it scream in pain. If you're driving an automatic keep the pedal planted in just enough that it does not shift into the next gear or mashed totally into the carpet that it downshifts and starts to over rev. Automatics in this regards can be a slightly tricky, but they shift gears in milliseconds and keep the downtime in between gears to a minimum. While on a manual you have to be quick and crafty with you changes as too long between gears and you could have broken that fine balance keeping you afloat. Again taking similarities between water and sand, more like ice in this example. Steering. it will not be as sharp or as responsive as on a hardened surface. The vehicle will not turn on a dime. There is a small delay in where you want the nose to point and where the car itself wants to go. Basically you turn and then you wait for the rest of the car to catch up before it actually starts to and this delay gets worse as the speed of your vehicle increases as well as the softness of sand your driving on. So you have to be a little ahead of time, a sort of a mini time traveler if you wish and be able to predict where you want to be going in the next few seconds rather than waiting for the last moment. Sometimes no matter of future predicting ability can help you when gravity becomes in charge, this usually happens on slopes and we will talk about this later. Now that you got your self going, what about stopping? And as always braking, this is different here too, you just can't slam on the breaks. Because all this does is digs your tires into the sand and then trying to move again becomes a hassle if not totally getting stuck. Always gently ease off the throttle and apply the breaks slowly and when ever possible let the car come to a halt on its own. Also makes a big difference where you choose to stop. If your facing uphill and the angle is high enough. 9 out of 10 times you will not be able to carry on forward any further. Always try stopping facing downhill even if it a a very gentle slope. You'd be surprised how well gravity works ! OK, now that we know how to drive on flat surfaces, lets tackle some fun stuff ! Going up a dune ! Sand dunes have two sides to them. One is a gradual climb leading up to what I refer to as the slip face. The other side, a real sharp drop and most of the times there is a nasty bit in the middle of these too. Which I like to call the blade but usually know as the ridge. At first always try to go up the easy side first. Always look for a smooth and straight line up. Which is clear of all bushes, dips and bumps, basically as smooth a ride up as possible. Then comes the tricky bit. Now what you need is power but in very measured quantity. Too less and you won't make it and too much will send you flying off into the unknown on to the other side. So to make it simple, the thing to do is give it as much as you got at first but easing it off or totally letting it go before you go flying off. Three Fourth way up the climb you should be able to guess from the forward momentum of the car that whether you need to keep the pedal mashed into the carpet or you need to back off or totally let go and let your old friend momentum take care of the rest with just some gentle blips from you here or there. Keeping in mind the amount of run up you have had before the climb. If you had enough speed before you hit the dune and specially of it is not a very big one, say twice the height of your car. It would be unwise to mash it as you already had loads of speed and your own inertia will take you over just keep the throttle steady or give it a little more if you feel your losing forward motion on the way up. Sometimes you might even need to slow down if you don't want your bumpers from smashing into the wall of sand. What do you do once your on the top? Well hopefully your not on your own and you are following someone so keep an eye on that car what it does, goes over, turns to one side etc etc and try to replicate the same thing. If your following someone give it sometime before you attempt the climb yourself, in case there is a problem you cannot see. If there is you should see someone come over the top to tell you or if you have a radio you should get an all clear. If your by yourself. Always a good idea to go on foot and see whats on the other side. If you don't make it the first time round. Put your car in reverse and slowly come straight down. Sometimes this can be tricky as you may be a bit disorientated from the angle or which way the tires are pointing. Remember gravity and the delayed steering. Gravity will initially pull you down straight and then the delayed steering will come into play and you could end up sideways on a slope. Also never freewheel down, always keep in gear and let engine braking help you down plus this also helps you keep in control of the situation. Then back up a little further if possible and give it more throttle the next time. Also keep in mind that sand is also a little bit like pie. A hard-ish crust on top with being softer on the inside, and once you drive over a patch you have effectively cracked the crust exposing the softer inner side. So try not to follow your tracks of the previous attempt as you will be treading on the softer exposed sand. The more cars that pass the more churned up and softer it gets. Sometimes it is not possible to get a fresh patch of sand. Only one small exit out of a pocket or only a small crossing on top that is not sharp enough to cross over. In that case try to be on as much undisturbed sand before you are forced to get in line. As with all things, what goes up must come down. Going down is one of the easier parts of desert driving and sometimes the most scarier parts specially if your a beginner, but don't get too easy about it either. Things can still go wrong. First basic rule is too keep you wheels and the nose of your vehicle pointing straight down. This might be harder than it sounds, remember what was mentioned earlier about reversing down a dune, the same thing can happen while going down nose first. Again never freewheel in neutral down a drop and don't brake too aggressively this will cause your nose to dig in and in a worst case scenario cause you flip over, head over heels. Although this is very rare but this might happen. Another phenomena while slithering down a dune is fish tailing. That is when the end of your car wants to over take the front, So it starts to come up sideways from behind. What needs to be done is to make the appropriate steering correction and slightly accelerate for your front to get back up to speed with the back. But gently, over enthusiasm here can end up worse than the initial symptom of fish tailing. If coming down a sharp and steep downward slope engage low 4, 1st gear or D 1 if an auto and then let the car comedown with the help of gravity and engine braking. Better is to start off with less sharper gradients and practice this with being in D 1 or 1st. Once you get used to it you should be able to complete this task in D and just the brakes. But it is always handy to know this technique, In the end driving in the desert is a delicate balance between momentum, gravity and power and only practicing and driving as often as possible can get you better at it and develop a sixth sense about it. You will learn to interpret the feedback of your vehicle and steering wheel is giving you. You will learn to read the terrain better, even before your vehicle gives up on you, you will realize your not going to make the climb and its better to stop or if you have enough momentum left to come back down. But its better to start of with the correct basics instead of getting ingrained with the incorrect technique right from the start. This is just a very basic guide covering only some of the points. Remember nothing beats real world practice. Hope this has been of some help in making that transition from tarmac to sand. Feel free to add or edit or even post questions. I will try my level best with whatever knowledge I have to try to answer your queries.