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Camping in UAE or desert??

12 replies

mummydarlingsausage · 26/05/2011 20:59

Has anyone here camped in the desert? what tents do you use and how does it work with tent pegs and sand? (sorry if i'm asking a dumb question!)
we are moving to dubai this summer and dh says we have to sell our outwell norfolk tent before we go but i want to find out first if it is suitable for where we are going?
Thanks anyone!

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QuintessentialOldMoo · 26/05/2011 21:01

The last time we went camping in the dessert (Egypt) we ended up outside the tent.... It was so hot.

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QuintessentialOldMoo · 26/05/2011 21:04

But that was just an old fashioned canvas tent. Long tent pegs. But we had light sleeping bags. And sleeping under the stars in the desert was just fab. Careful though, it gets extremely dark, and you can easily lose directions in the night when going for a toilet stop. Need a shovel to dig down, and remember to bring toilet paper back to put in the bin, as toilet paper is not broken down in the dry dessert climate. Also, when the wind blows, over time it ends up uncovered, and blowing around the desert. The way to find the camp again, was to keep the fire burning at night. You could see both the fire and the smoke. But I am sure some expat desert dwellers will come and tell you all you need to know.

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belgo · 26/05/2011 21:05

I camped in the Egyptian desert as well. No idea of the type of tent but the sky at night was incredible.

It was february and very cold.

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chinateacup · 26/05/2011 21:59

I'll add a couple of pics to my profile. That'll be how the bedouin do it ... Romantic idea to camp but in reality just too cold, or too hot, or too scared of jackals/ camel spiders etc....

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GoingToBeSize12 · 27/05/2011 01:12

When we lived in Dubai we camped fairly often. No problems with tent pegs as the sand on the dunes is pretty hard. We only had cheapo tents but if you have a good one then I'd say take it. It's quite expensive to get started as you need tow ropes, cool boxes, spades etc, but once you have everything it's a cheap fun weekend. We only went in the winter as it's just too hot at other times - the sand burns you when you are trying to dig out your car!

Lots of families camp so it's quite social. You can go drumming in the desert and all kinds of things! I know the UAE isn't for everyone but we loved it. Good luck with your move.

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kreecherlivesupstairs · 27/05/2011 06:35

We camped loads in Oman. either in the desert or at a beach. You can buy special sand pegs, they are longer and have a spiral pattern on them.
I would take as much of your stuff as possible, it isn't (wasn't) expensive, but why replace what you've got?
We went from Septemeber to April IIRC. Other times was just too hot.

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kreecherlivesupstairs · 27/05/2011 06:37

I should add, the only places we didn't camp were around cemetaries. You will know these buy the bit of rock (like slate) which are stuck into the ground all over the place.

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mummydarlingsausage · 27/05/2011 07:43

thank you for all your messages - GTBS12 it's good to know we can use the tent we have - using it with the sand pegs that kreecher mentions. i can't wait to try camping in the desert!

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allhailtheaubergine · 28/05/2011 12:44

Oh I LOVe desert camping. We do lots of camping in the UAE and Oman. Camping in the Empty Quarter is uttrly bloody amazing.

Bring all your stuff.

We don't usually bother with a fly sheet, but some people do. In fact we have the world's cheapest supermarket tent, one layer thingy. Most of our camping mates do. Wouldn't say no to a decent tent though.

On sand you just drive your pegs in and it works. More often though we are up mountains or in wadis and we use ropes and big boulders (and often the car too) to tie the tent down.

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needanewname · 11/06/2011 21:48

DH has an interview for a job in abu dhabi and I'm getting a little ahead of myself here (and rather excited - all potenitally fo rno reason!) Am very excited to hear IF he gets the job we can still go camping.

We have a bell tent but wouldn't want to take it as I'd need it for camping weekends over the summer months back in the UK. Where do you buy tents from in the UAE (or should I just buy another BT and take with us?!)

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GoingToBeSize12 · 13/06/2011 01:01

In Dubai there is one good 'camping' shop and all of the supermarkets sell cheap tents etc. You don't really need anything special as you won't get cold or wet, it's just so you can sleep under something.