GETTING READY FOR THE BIG ADVENTURE
The few days before departure were crazy, stressful and hectic… Book a flight, buy supplies, and pack my bags… But how do you pack for a minimum of four weeks on a camel in the desert? The details provided by the organizers were scarce and repeated requests for more information were left unanswered, so it was up to my own imagination on what could be useful. The only information we had was that camel, tent, water and food would be provided. Oh, and a scarf. I was planning to tag on an additional two weeks to travel around Saudi Arabia and climb some mountains after the caravan, which made the task of packing even more tricky. In the end, I brought way too much stuff… lots of useless items and too many clothes, but also a few things that were superbly useful and that I was really glad I had.
Below is my full packing list. Items highlighted in green turned out to be exceptionally useful/important, while the stuff in red I could’ve had less of or done without.
Item |
Comments |
|
Big travel backpack (The Northface, 65 litres) |
To carry it all. |
|
Small day pack |
Very useful for daily camel travel. |
|
5 t-shirts, 2 pairs of travel pants, 1 pair of shorts, 5 underwear & socks, 2 long-sleeved hiking shirts, 2 hoodies, 1 jacket. |
Too much! Cut it down by 1/3 or ½ and just do hand-wash clothes more often. |
|
Thermal underwear (long johns) |
Never got that cold at night. |
|
Down-filled sleeping bag |
Sleeping bag was provided |
|
Air-filled sleeping pad |
Very useful for comfy sleep and camel padding |
|
Sandals |
|
|
Travel sneakers (with solid good quality soles) |
Good for walking in the sand |
|
Hiking boots (high ankle support) |
Great for hiking after caravan |
|
Hiking poles |
Great for hiking after caravan |
|
Water bladder |
Great for hiking after caravan |
|
Broad-brimmed hat |
|
|
Gloves |
Useful for handling reigns/protection from sun. |
|
Toque/hat |
For high-altitude hikes after caravan. |
|
Travel microfiber towel |
|
|
Toiletries |
|
|
Toilet paper (2 rolls) + pack of baby wipes |
Should’ve brought double! None was provided. |
|
Sunscreen, sun glasses, lip balm |
Essential |
|
Hand sanitizer (small bottle) |
Perfect for after toilet or before meals |
|
Camera (big Nikon DSLR) |
Too bulky and impractical for my taste. |
|
Phone & charging cable (iPhone SE) |
Took most pictures with my phone in the end. |
|
GPS device (Garmin) |
To record track. |
|
Spot satellite messenger |
To send Google Map position back home. |
|
Head lamp |
Essential |
|
Spare batteries |
|
|
Solar charger & battery pack (to charge phone) |
|
|
Notebook & pens |
|
|
Miniature magnetic chess set |
Great way to while away time on rest days! |
|
Frisbee (Aerobie) |
Fun group activity in desert |
|
Snacks (granola bars, peanuts, candy) |
Morale booster when mood is down! |
|
Small first aid kit, incl. blister band-aid and pain killers |
Essential |
|
Ear plugs |
No more annoying snoring or camel noises! |
My air mattress was a great butt-saver at the beginning… until it started leaking!
The desert is a great place to do some serious thinking: it’s quiet, distractions are few, and time is aplenty.