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Trip report for the Convoy 1 This was so much fun. As a lead i had a sweet sweet time. All went exactly as planned. With a beautiful morning breeze we started from Mahafiz. From Mahafiz to our famous play area we took a fast track and just skipped the small dunes. In this time i had a crest and @Christian Andras easily pulled me out from the situation. Once we reached play area everyone showed their talent and pushed their cars to the limit. After that we start heading to the Fossil Rock. There we met with @Rahimdad and his convoy. After a short break we start heading to the Faya. On the way we had some nice dunes and i think moment of the day the Bowl. We drove around it we climbed to it many times Such a blast. After the Bowl we start climbing to the big dunes behind the Faya and played around. Finally we climb to the Faya and since we finished our trip plan early we played around Faya bit more. Finally exited without any damage and no stuck except me Some places i pushed the drive bit high level and everyone respond well. @Christian Andras amazing 2nd lead. Flawless. Even i was in some sticky situation you were able to save yourself very nicely. @Ali Abas Ali nicely managed. I am feeling like if you give more gas from the start you can climb even better. @Mohamed Seidam nice drive. You are learning fast. @Veedooshee Well managed for the first fewbie+ you only had bit of hard time when i take the drive above fewbie+ @Mehmet Volga Amazing CF. Handled everything. @Luca Palanca Falsini Flawless. Your Fortuner is a toy for you and you are playing with it very well. @Alexander Alcala Flawless. Never had any problem. @Rizwanm2 Well managed. Getting better everyday. @Nabil Bishara Flawless and thank you for your sweep duty. Thank you everyone to joining this drive. I had a good time hope you had too.

Thank you @sertac for a splendid ride. It was fun and the scenery was stunning. Thanks also to all the group. Great driving and comradery. Looking forward to see you again soon.

Dear Desertnauts. Time to prepare for tomorrow's morning drive. This time, we'll start in a very little driven area of Dubai, and will gradually move toward the better known stomping grounds. From the yellow dunes of Murqaab, we'll cross into the white dunes of Lisaili, with the goal of reaching first Solar Park, and on to an exit in the Qudra area (either at Bab al Shams or Qudra Parking). We'll drive with care through the more technical parts of these areas, but also with speed and more exciting maneuvers in the longer range dunes we'll find from the middle of the itinerary onward. The drive is supposed to be quite long-range, so we'll try to move at a brisk pace, looking to practice all our off-roading skills. As mentioned, one of the purposes of the drive is to support the FJ Cruiser's drivers in getting more acquainted with their cars, so there may be a few extra information that will be shared with them, in terms of which gears to use, how to best approach obstacles, and what to expect from this unique vehicle. These will be the convoy order: @Foxtrot Oscar will be my Second Lead @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan will drive in the #3 position @Arda Yagcioglu will take #4 @Abu Muhammad will be #5 @Ahab Shamaa will take the spot #6 @Piotr Kolodziej at #7 @Pancho will anchor the convoy in the middle @Tero Vallas is going to be #9 @David Ortells will have #10 @Karthik Krishnakumar will drive at #11 @Heisem takes spot #12 @Kailas will be driver #13, and @Najeeb Mohammed will return in the Sweep position. The meeting place will be just opposite Murqaab Mosque, where we can line up and start deflating as soon as we arrive (to about 12-13 PSI). Once at the deflation point, please tune into Carnity Channel #2 (446.031). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, I wish you a nice Wednesday evening.

Welcome @VipinShetty, @Mahmoud Hamzawy, @Anand Nataraj, @Janarthan, @Hatim Patharia, @Shaaz Sha and @Wrangeld for today's evening drive. We will be using Carnity channel #2. We will try to start sharp at 2:30 to make the most out of the daylight. Below is the convoy list Kindly remember to bring your compressor as this is a compressor only drive. See you all soon.

Dear @Wrangeld, What a beautiful drive today! It all started with me flashing @Frederic, who was quietly deflating in the dark, with my headlights when I parked my car behind his. I had the impression he would have probably enjoyed a more discreet "good morning" 😂.. As drivers arrived, everyone quickly deflated (@Derek Fernandes quickly learned how to use his E-Z deflator), and, for those who had it, mounted their flag. With radios configured and tow points diligently checked, we were good to go. It was a pleasure, after several months of aseptic radio briefings, to have a real in person briefing standing in a circle, even if socially distanced. By 7am we were ready to hit the sand and the convoy started moving. Driving in the sand for the 1st time is never an easy experience. The car feels unstable, floats and wobbles, doesn't steer as expected, doesn't accelerate as expected.. wheels keep on spinning with little or no traction. It rolls, pitches and yaws fishtailing in new and unexpected ways. You can't recognise your own car! But, hey! The dunes are beautiful! What a landscape, what a mighty emptiness and how fresh is the air through the open windows... All is going great, then all of a sudden the first refusal happens. A wrong line, too little momentum, too much gas, a moment of hesitation and all the rolling and pitching disappears with your car stuck in the sand, heavy as a rock, inclined in ways you've never seen. The radio squeaks instructions from the Seniors: steer left, steer right, engage 4LO, little gas, more gas, again left and right, reverse, forward... Aaah. Too much all at once, along with the uncomfortable feeling that the rest of the convoy is watching and waiting for you.. Next comes the first tug after a real stuck. Seat belts on, 4LO engaged.. 1, 2.. 3!! And you are out! Damn, it was so easy.. The more you drive the more you feel this off-roading thing has the potential to become addictive, as you crave for the next dune to cross. I guess most of you felt this way today. Everyone did amazingly well today. @Wrangeld's lines weren't always the easiest ones and everyone had a chance to put their car (and themselves) to the test. I had direct eyes on @Arman in front of me: very well driven, with a little more momentum you'll avoid finding yourself high and dry on your way to the top of the next dune. I also frequently looked at my rear mirror to check for @Ken Hüüdma behind me. Our Y62s are huge beasts, with a lot of power to keep under control and a heavy back that fishtails without mercy, but you handled all situations very well. Again, a bit more momentum (which doesn't necessarily mean more power) will get you through the next crest. As I always say, don't be afraid, there is usually sand on the other side of the dune 😂😂... @ALI ALMOUMAR, @Irshad Alam, @varunmehndiratta, @Explored Dubai, @Hisham Masaad, @Hazem Ali, @Derek Fernandes, @Arman, @Ken Hüüdma, you all must be congratulated on your first drive in the sand as you did incredibly well! The best reward for @Wrangeld, @Frederic and myself will be to see you next werk in the sand. Looking forward to it!

Dear @Rahimdad Thank you for the fun today we really enjoyed it Alhamdulillah and it was nice to catch up after long time. have a great weekend everybody

@Wrangeld Thanks a lot for the great drive today, it was really a great one and It was my pleasure meeting you all guys and the rest of the team today. Myself conference in off-roading has been boosted very high with your, Frederic @Frederic and Lorenzo @Lorenzo Candelpergher guidance. looking to see you soon in next drives.

Wow what a drive! For a group of drivers claming never to have driven in the sand before, this was an amazing drive. The skills learned, the patience shown, the team work and tarrain convered was fantastic. This really was a fantastic drive. And ... I did not make it 'easy' for the Absolute Newbies today and we covered a lot of the basics to prepare you for your next challenge next week ( ... if I heard correctly, you're all already hooked ) We started at the expected time, after dealing with delfation and organizing flags, radios and kill switches. And from then, we covered a ,ot of ground and crossed a lot of dunes, climbed up and down, and even went a little but sideways!! Some specific feedback in no particular order (that might help when you venture back into the sand): ALI ALMOUMAR @ALI ALMOUMAR You have one of the best off road tools on the market. I think that you will understand that as your driving develops. Great job today with your first drive and I am looking forward to seeing you back next week to continue this story. Irshad Alam @Irshad Alam The Pajero is a great machine considering how comfortable it is on the road. You need to use the power more carefully and not be scared once the traction starts to go. You do have the magic button ((rear diff lock) so you can get out of everything. varunmehndiratta @varunmehndiratta Varun, your one or two outings with the other clubs helped you get into the swing quickly. It will take a little time until you get to grips with the power delivery and don't worry about braking at the crest. Explored Dubai @Explored Dubai for a first outing on your Pajero you had quite some chances to practice self recovery. You will have learned a lot from that that you can use in any drive in the future. Arman @Arman Hope that you sort out the cowl for the instruments. Great job today. Learn that the power is there when you need it and don't be scared of it, espeically when you are approaching a crest. If the car before made it, you will - without braking. Hisham Masaad @Hisham Masaad As a second lead you did a great job for a first time. You do need to pay a little bit more attention to what is being said from time to time which will come with experience. And Lorenzo's son was very grateful for your crest as he ahd specially requested that. HAZEM.Ali @HAZEM.Ali A great first drive. You need to watch your distance from other drivers a little more because of the risks of losing peiople in the desert. Ken Hüüdma @Ken Hüüdma You did really well for the first time out in your beast (and it is a beast). You'll need to learn to master the power, instead of it mastering you. Derek Fernandes @Derek Fernandes the jeep is an immense machine for these types of drives and the mods on yours will help you to a degree. Because it will make the start easier, don't get complacent and think that it's a simple thing to do. The screaming in your ears (from your amazing passanger - WHO SHOULD BE DRIVING) helps you understand if what you think is easy feels that way for someone else in the car. Lorenzo @Lorenzo Candelpergher and Frederic @Frederic what brilliant, amazing support for the drive. Key things - thanks to everyone, the drive was well organized and covid safe. Recoveries were all efficiently sorted and everyone learned a lot from either watching or recovering and I am looking forward to driving with you all again in the future. Q&A reply - all the Carnity marshals drive at all levels. It's the best way we know to enjoy from watching the incredible progress our club members make as they make it through the ranks. See you soon in the sand.

Always a pleasure to get up at 4AM for these drives on a Friday morning . Thank you so much @Srikumar @Vanessa8580.

What an exciting drive today 😀 Learned a lot, met some great people, and experienced a few new techniques. @Ale Vallecchi and @Foxtrot Oscar, thank you very much for the tremendous effort you put in teaching us, encouraging us and keeping us safe. @Malachy McGrogan, thank you for taking the time to recover my fallen toolkit bag 🙏🏻 @Gaurav and @Rahimdad, I didn’t have refusals or get stuck today; I’m not sure if it’s the Yokohamas (as promised by Gaurav 😂) or if it’s Angela’s endless transmission of positive energy and good vibes 😃 Thanks to all fellow drivers for their helpfulness and team spirit 🙏🏻 See you all on the sand real soon!

Convoy with Sertac It was such a well planned and superbly lead drive by @sertac today at the Fossil rock to Faya area. From the coolest early morning to nice hot times, we went through different levels of driving techniques and definitely thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done to the whole team...👍

My mobile is 0506442921 if there comes a place for me.. can join in 30 minutes as I live in The Villa close of Emirates road.

There was a lot of interference today. The frequencies we use are not exclusive, and the radios are not professional. If you heard the instructions it looks like what you have is good enough. What an incredible report. Yes, we all felt exactly like that. Beautifully written. But what do you mean ... I did not always choose the easiest line 🤣🤣🤣?

A year into hibernation from Carnity drives, I decided to enjoy the desert with my friend @Srikumar and the Carnity brother/sisterhood. A very enjoyable drive with people having a common interest of an outdoor activity to liven up their weekends. The most amazing part is to see how Carnity has grown from when I joined it a couple of years ago. Its even more amazing how the Carnity leadership offers their weekends on a consistent basis, without monetary rewards, just to make others happy. Keep it up Carnity and thanks once again!

Thanks Ale, just a small note, I will be driving a black Xterra tomorrow. See you all

Thanks @Wrangeld @Frederic @Lorenzo Candelpergher for great drive today. Your guidance, support and patience made it easy for us to explore ourselves and learn in the process of this drive. @Wrangeld really appreciate the feedback above. One small query from my side - I wanted to check after the trip somehow missed. Was it just my equipment or did all experienced a bit of noise on the walki/talkie frequency today? Perhaps too many groups today in Qudra using similar frequency. Kindly let me know your input as if it's my equipment issue will get it fixed/replaced. Thanks for the whole team for making it a fun day.

My first plus first of all I would like to thank @Rahimdad and @sertac for the arrangement of the two convoys today. Indeed you made our day full of thrill and joy . it was my first fewbie plus and first time my youngest brother to join as a passenger. We both enjoyed the fossil rock despite its relative crowdedness , luckily it was not today as Expected Every one was on time and ready. We crossed three major areas for playing sidyes and up hill challenge , fossil rock was at top as usual and ending it at feya slip side . Every one took his turn if not twice three times in each , it was epic! we realized toward the end that we had zero stuck and few refusals which was quickly self cleared.every one drove good today. thank you a lot and see you again soon w😎🚙👍

Convoy Numbering 1. Srikumar - XJ 2. Shyam Karat - Wrangler 3. Nathan Evans - Jimny 4. belal hadi - Pajero 2009 5. Basset el rafei - LC 6. Nitin Mohan - Prado 7. Atif - Prado 8. Arshad Roojee - Wrangler 9. Vinoj - Wrangler 10. Prabuddha Madusanka - Xterra 11. Luca Bregni - Wrangler 12. Paolo Dassi - Pajero SWB 13. Bony raphi - Wrangler 14. Vanessa - Pajero See you tomorrow on or before 6:00 AM.

Sorry Sertac and Rahimdad but I won’t be able to make it !! I really appreciate the effort for the second convoy!

Dear All; Please see the convoy numberings below. Convoy 1 will be using channel 1 and convoy 2 will be using channel 2. If anyone missing at below list please let me know. CONVOY 1 1 SERTAC EXPERT XTERRA 2 CHRISTIAN ANDRAS INTERMEDIATE FJ CRUISER 3 ALI ABBAS ALI FEWBIE 4RUNNER 4 MOHAMED SEIDAM FEWBIE XTERRA 5 VEEDOOSHEE FEWBIE PAJERO 6 MEHMET VOLGA INTERMEDIATE PAJERO 7 LUCA PALANCA FALSINI FEWBIE FORTUNER 8 ALEXANDER ALCALA FEWBIE WRANGLER 9 RIZVANM2 FEWBIE XTERRA 10 NABIL BISHARA INTERMEDIATE WRANGLER CONVOY 2 1 RAHIMDAD CREW PATHFINDER 2 KAILAS INTERMEDIATE WRANGLER 3 ABU MUHAMMAD FEWBIE SEQUOIA 4 TAMAS HOFFMAN FEWBIE PAJERO 5 SHAAZ SHA FEWBIE WRANGLER 6 MARKS INTERMEDIATE FJ CRUISER 7 TARIQ CARRIMJEE FEWBIE WRANGLER 8 CRAIG FINLAYSON FEWBIE WRANGLER 9 ASIFK INTERMEDIATE PAJERO

Dear Desertnauts. Looking forward this Saturday's drive, a few tips about what's to come. First, as you saw from the title, this would be an FJ "preferential drive". While at Carnity we appreciate and encourage diversity, actively seeking it, we also understand that occasionally it may be valuable for members driving the same car to share an off-roading experience, to learn from each other, and develop a sense of community within the community. As we saw the FJ pack grow, it seems right to dedicate one such drive to this vehicle. @Ahab Shamaa, @David Ortells, @Heisem, @Piotr Kolodziej, and @Najeeb Mohammed, welcome to the FJ pack. On the other hand, all other cars and drivers are also welcome, up to the maximum limit for the drive. So @Arda Yagcioglu, @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan, @Kailas, @Tero Vallas, @Karthik Krishnakumar and @Pancho, it's good to see you yoin the FJ pack. The drive will take us through a little travelled part of Dubai, first: Murqaab's large and ling range, yellow tinted dunes. Past this area, a marked sand track will take us across an area of technical dunes, to reach the eastern reaches of Lisaili. From here the goal is to run along Lisaili's dune cordons, to Solar Park, and from here, past the pylon track, into Bab al Shams, where we plan to exit. There will be a lot of side sloping, ridge riding and dune's crossing to keep the FJ oack busy, and challenge all other drivers as well. While more info will follow on Friday, I wish you all a great week.

Hi @Ale Vallecchi please can you remove me from WL. I shall join on our next drive. Tx u. Enjoy and safe drive to all. Happy Diwali 🍱🎇

Words of wisdom!!Thanks @Rahimdad. Steer down should be the simple step for everyone to avoid such situations.

Dear Al Qudra Absolute Newbies The convoy positions for tomorrow (as at 8pm) are as follow. Wrangeld (Richard) ALI ALMOUMAR @ALI ALMOUMAR Irshad Alam @Irshad Alam varunmehndiratta @varunmehndiratta Explored Dubai @Explored Dubai Arman @Arman Lorenzo @Lorenzo Candelpergher Hisham Masaad @Hisham Masaad HAZEM.Ali @HAZEM.Ali Ken Hüüdma @Ken Hüüdma Derek Fernandes @Derek Fernandes Frederic @Frederic Before the drive, there will be a briefing where we will check that all the briefing videos are understood. Look forward to seeing you in the sand tomorrow morning.

RSVP is now closed Happy to see you tomorrow @Nizam Deen, @Yousef Alimadadi, @Gregory Perkin, @Biju Abdul, @Mukundan Nair, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Pancho, @Desert Dweller! Kindly make sure that you will already be deflated at 2:30 PM so we can move with no delay. Here is our convoy numbering : 1. Emmanuel (White Xterra) 2. Pancho (Red Wrangler) 3. Yousef Almidadi (White Pajero) 4. Nizam Deen (Prado) 5. Biju Abdul (FJ) 6. Jorge Stepniak Felippe (White Wrangler) 7. Mukundan Nair (White Xterra) 8. Gregory Perkin (Red Wrangler) We will use Carnity Radio Channel 5.

Hello @Carnity desert wanderers check this out please

Dear @Rahimdad agree it’s rare to happen with all the safety measures we are taking , however as it’s good to be aware of the risk this entails awareness of how to deal with it to our best , God forbidden , if happens. The aim of this clip to show how important to protect to the maximum the neck from being swung right and left during roll over as the body is restrained in the seat belt and the “heavy head like a ball “ swinging over the weak neck . after your permission I am planing to look for real common causes to such accidents and post it later , although I am aware that most of us has an idea of more or less about it especially the seniors . However As a reference we can always go back and refresh . bless you all dear friends and see you tomorrow in fossil rock inshallah cheers 👍🙏🏻🚙🌷

DRIVE RSVP IS NOW CLOSED Attendees for Afternoon Newbie Desert Drive - Solar Park - Dubai - 13 Nov 2020 Friday 13 November, 2020, 02:30 PM - Friday 13 November, 2020 , 06:30 PM Attendees Frederic - Crew - Pajero SWB (LEAD) Jon M - Newbie - Montero Sport Black frederic demolder - Newbie - Discovery Sport White Anvar Sadath Bekal - Newbie - Pajero Mostafa Ismail - Newbie - Prado White Badar Tariq - Newbie - Pajero Melenany - Fewbie - Ford F150 Green (CF) Andrei - Newbie - Jeep Wrangler SWB Blue Lukas Lewis - Newbie - Ford Explorer Maroon Dr Tariq Mahmood - Newbie - Prado White Mohammed Razeen - Newbie - FJ Cruiser Jack Thomas - Newbie - Ford F-150 Red Jeepie -Expert - Jeep TJ (SWEEP) If any of you cannot make it tomorrow, please drop us a message on the drive topic so we won't have to wait. When you arrive you can deflate to 13-14psi for normal tyres, and 11-12psi for offroad tyres. Melenany will be our centre forward to keep an eye out for everyone and assist where needed over the radio, while Jeepie will be our sweep to make sure the convoy is moving and stays together. PS we will be exiting nearby Last Exit ADNOC, but the compressor is out of service. Please bring your own compressor, otherwise you will need to drive to the ENOC 14kms further down the road. See you all tomorrow !

Thanks @Rahimdad! Your post clarifies things 😀 Now that you brought this issue to light, I hope the FJ owners will take a queue from their X-Terra brethren 😀 From my side, I promise to share anytime I have something meaningful to contribute to the group 💪🏻

@Ahab Shamaa rmthis is a community and it's all about caring and sharing. Fortunately I see a lot of posts from the Xterra owners which means everything discovered so far with the Xterra are recorded. However very sad to see that FJ owners don't share such information and any new FJ owner joining has to go through a few tough drive before they figure out how to use all the functions on an FJ. Hope we will have a lot to read and learn about FJs after this drive.

Gravity is your best friend on sand, you fight and you will lose hands down!. On slip side of a dune (super soft side ) if you see or feel you are fish tailing best is to steer towards the fish tail and exit out. The least one can do when you dont have momentum is dont press more gas. You may get stuck or have refusal which is better than worse which was about to happen with the Pajero

Fighting gravity is already the first thing, but then we see him reversing full throttle, which makes me think this driver really has to learn to control his vehicle.

What was wrong here ( please watch it to the end ) Comments please and how to avoid such imminent event?

Hi Ale, Please remove me from the drive list, this will be my second drive. Please put me on waiting so that others can take the slot. Thanks Mukundan

Am really impressed with the way @Gaurav and @Rahimdad are very helpful and supportive, it is very informative, clear information, I felt the amount of care they do for the topic and how they are trying to share their knowledge and experience Wishing you all the best of success in your life Really Best Regards

OK, I think I understood your concern, here is my opinion based on my own experience. Michellin Latitude / Primacy (HT tread, not cross terrain): If you like to use your Prado for highway and sand without much of mountains. Advantages: Super Quiet on highway Very long usable life (kms) Light weight, ideal for fuel mileage and tall hill climb Disadvantage: Soft for rocks on wadi's and mountains Not great for self recovery in sticky offroad situations Expensive (800-900 / tire) Yokohama Geolander ATS Advantages: Great for offroad - grip, self recovery and climb Great for wadi, mountain and sand Long usable life Reasonable (450-500 / tire) Disadvantage: Little noisy on highway Little heavy to sip tiny bit extra fuel For highway terrain Michelin's are FAR BETTER than Dunlop Grandtrek, Bridgestone Dueler, Kumho and Cooper. For offroad terrain Yokohama geolander ATS are FAR BETTER than Cooper ATR, STT, BF Goodrich, Michelin Cross terrain and Nitto's. P.S. I have used all the above mentioned brands.