Lisa Pemberton

@Wrangeld I'm having real trouble getting my rear bumper replaced after last Friday's drive saw it try to escape the rear of my Pajero. Am I OK to drive if I arrive and remove it for this weekend's drive?

Thank you @Foxtrot Oscar @Yousef Alimadadi and @topgear for the advice and the visuals. Really appreciate seeing these solutions. I like the storage box solution with net for extra safety. Time to go shopping again!

Thanks for the visual @Mohamed Seidam! It helps to see examples of what other people have done to solve this problem!

I like this solution with the ratchet action - you're right, more secure.

I never thought of bungee cord! Thanks for the tip! Yes, I considered a lanyard of some sort but had similar reservations.

Thanks @Syed Raza Hussain, I've looked at these king of organisers but they don't seem to have the kind of storage needed to keep jumper cables, hydraulic jack, jumper leads, shovels etc. fixed in position and safe should the car roll. I was looking for solutions which were more geared towards heavier off-road and camping equipment.

I've been driving with Carnity for a couple of months now and am steadily gathering more equipment. My question to those off-roaders who have been doing this for longer than I, and probably have a lot more equipment than I do, is, what to do with all that junk in my trunk? I like to be organised and wonder if anyone has got custom solutions where cables and tools are clipped neatly in the back or are most people using those nets you get in the hardware store. I'm sure that if there was an unfortunate accident, the heavier pieces of equipment could do serious damage if left unrestrained in the back of the vehicle. Side note - how do you guys manage your walkie-talkies whilst driving? I've had mine unclip and fly over to the passenger side foot well at least once every drive I've done. Looking forward to hearing about your solutions.

Thank you for your feedback @Ale Vallecchi it's very much appreciated :). It's a real shame these restrictions don't allow us to gather afterwards as I'm sure the post drive conversations help us analyse what we are doing and how we can improve. Looking forward to learning off the other drivers you mentioned 😀.

This was my first Fewbie drive and the first time I have driven Bab al Shams. The briefing we got before attempting the criss-crossing of dunes was very helpful. It didn't, however, prepare me for how it feels when the vehicle crosses over after riding the crest and that moment of wondering if you're going to flip. It took me a while to figure out what was normal action and how my Pajero responded. This was probably the most technical drive I have done, and I'm still finding it difficult to get height on those sideys and bowls with my Pajero. I find even when I'm dropping down to 1st she feels really heavy and sluggish and I'm not reaching the height of other drivers. I came out of that first bowl thinking I was going straight over a dune only to come out too fast and have to take a sharp right to avoid going over into the unknown off track. I managed to bend the front tow hook towards the front bumper here and I think this is where my rear bumper turned sand scoop and tried to liberate itself from the body of my vehicle. I went around a few shops today looking for someone to fabricate a fix (link to forum topic below) but being in RAK I'm blazing a trail on my own atm with most forum recommendations centering around Dubai and a mention for Ajman. Hopefully I can get the modifications done before the next weekend's drive. As usual I'm learning something new each week and this drive was eventful with wildlife rescue attempts and poor @Islam Soliman having a stroke of bad luck with those airbags - thanks for your feedback on my dune crossings btw - always helpful to have someone else's perspective on what I'm doing.

I started with a dune buggy flag and fixings from DM which was a terrible investment and drooped in an unforgivable manner. I bought the suction cup and flag from ACE which has held firm on all drives so far and is usually stuck to the rear passenger window. I almost choked at the price though costing just over 400AED and will use it until either it or I die to get my money's worth out of it!

Thanks @Rahimdad if you have surplus and want to sell one then let me know!

@Ale Vallecchi I have everything except the recovery rope, I haven't used one before so I don't know what I'm looking for and I live in RAK so most of the recommendations on the forums are for Dubai locations. Will I be okay on this drive without one or should I cancel?

You won't be disappointed! Been using my MM for a few drives now and it's a solid investment. Went from 13 to 32 psi in about 70 seconds. No sweat. When they give it to you make sure you test the remote in store. Mine wasn't working so it means another trip back all the way from RAK 😕

What an awesome drive today! I had a slow end to deflation when the valve in my last tire wouldn't close fully and I had to remove and replace it. Fortunately I carry a few spares with me, but this is the first time I've had to tackle this issue. After removing the valve, reinflation is necessary and here is another reason why you should have your air compressor with you. I'm super happy with my TJM MeanMother which literally makes inflation a breeze. I enlisted the help of @Mohamed Seidam and we both learned a new skill today with the support of @Frederic and @Rahimdad. This is one of my favorite things about driving with Carnity; you have a pool of collective knowledge to learn from and I come away from each drive having picked up more tips and techniques from the leads and other drivers. Today was the second drive I've had with no refusals and we had some great firm sand for most of the drive allowing the convoy to keep momentum with very few refusals or stucks. I had the pleasure of the company of co-pilot @Kieran McKeown , and owner of the Carnity club's infamous Duster mascot, who has been temporarily out of action due to an injury. He has been itching to get back into the driver's seat especially as I have been taunting him on a weekly basis since I was promoted to Fewbie level and today insisted he address me by my title of "Second Lead" at all times . I'm sure i will pay dearly for all the teasing as soon as he gets his Duster up and running in the convoys again. Thanks to all the drivers for being part of a great start to my weekend and as always to @Frederic and @Rahimdad for your patience and support. Already looking forward to the next drive.

Thanks @David Ortells! And thanks @Rahimdad it was a pleasure to meet and learn from you!

This drive should have been called "The March of the Pajeros"! This was the first drive where I had zero refusals, I'm going to put that down to a combination of a sprinkling of good luck and a couple of other factors; driving in tiptronic and having more confidence in my vehicle and ability so paying closer attention to how the vehicles ahead of me manage and negotiate tricky areas. This was my second drive using the play areas and the first time trying the sideys in tiptronic. I'm still learning where to up and downshift to maximise my speed and momentum so I don't have to turn down so soon. As @Gaurav noted I need to even out those arcs. @Rahimdad your feedback was very much appreciated on my attempts too. Next drive I'm going to get someone to film me so I can get a better visual on where to adjust and relate this to what I'm experiencing. My buddy suggested I film my steering wheel too using a chest cam. I was delighted to see a truck @Francois Germishuys in our convoy. I have been really curious to see how they handle the desert drives. Excited to keep learning and eventually become skilled enough to join some of those longer camping drives out in Liwa in the winter. I've shared a few photos in the gallery. Thanks for sharing the video @Mohamed Seidam, nicely done!

Thank you for the shout out @Rahimdad! Much appreciated!

Thanks for the props @topgear @Chaitanya D @Vineeth John Joseph @Brette! You guys are the best!

Thanks for all the love! @Srikumar @Nivin @Mukundan Nair @Tbone @Janarthan! We ride at dawn! 🤠🤠