Just back from an 8 day, 4,000km trip to Oman from Dubai. Unbelievable country- the biggest dunes in the world, and nobody there. We covered a huge amount of ground, took in two deserts- crossing against the grain The Wahiba Sands in Oman, and then shooting down to southern Oman to spend 3 days in the southern end of the Rub Al Khali. This is proper wilderness and a long way from anywhere.
But it is perfect Raptor country- the truck was phenomenal and was a beast of burden for the fuel, food and booze needed to survive 8 days of massive dunes, camels and emptiness. We made it to our objective, the confluence of the Oman, Yemen and Saudi borders and even enjoyed a little confrontation with some Saudi soldiers who thought we had strayed into their part of the world. But they are small and we are not, so all was fine.
We had three vehicles- friends from the UK who flew out for the trip rented a Landcruiser from Muscat, and duly trashed it. But this was nothing compared to the damage done to my friend's 2013 LC which had pretty much every panel removed or reshaped. The Raptor is now sitting outside my house, polished and pimped, and looking as though it has just been on the school run. What a great piece of equipment (although I confess I did need urgent help to get new front axles when both CV boots tore in the Wahiba. MANY THANKS (AGAIN!!) TO SDHQ AND THE AWESOME TEAM THERE FOR SENDING INSTRUCTIONS ON THE REPLACEMENT)
Thanks also to Kaiser for his advice on the cargo rails in the bed. I copied his installation and was able to carry spare wheel, large Yeti and 10 jerry cans with ease.
Some big lessons: carry spare CVs as essential field repair items; bring a LOT of water and fuel- carrying 200l of petrol seemed excessive but the small tank on the SCAB and the heavy consumption in deep sand (I was hitting 70l per 100km at times) made it essential; my TJM 10,000lb winch was (literally) a lifesaver; mounting my ARB compressor under the body was a big, and probably expensive mistake- it just gets too much shit in it and it failed completely on the first day (the latest in a long line of problems with it). It would be much better in the bed or even under one of the rear seats.
I'm happy to post pics etc if there is interest, or to offer advice/feedback to any ME-based Raptor owners looking to do something in the Rub al Khali or Wahiba.
rory
But it is perfect Raptor country- the truck was phenomenal and was a beast of burden for the fuel, food and booze needed to survive 8 days of massive dunes, camels and emptiness. We made it to our objective, the confluence of the Oman, Yemen and Saudi borders and even enjoyed a little confrontation with some Saudi soldiers who thought we had strayed into their part of the world. But they are small and we are not, so all was fine.
We had three vehicles- friends from the UK who flew out for the trip rented a Landcruiser from Muscat, and duly trashed it. But this was nothing compared to the damage done to my friend's 2013 LC which had pretty much every panel removed or reshaped. The Raptor is now sitting outside my house, polished and pimped, and looking as though it has just been on the school run. What a great piece of equipment (although I confess I did need urgent help to get new front axles when both CV boots tore in the Wahiba. MANY THANKS (AGAIN!!) TO SDHQ AND THE AWESOME TEAM THERE FOR SENDING INSTRUCTIONS ON THE REPLACEMENT)
Thanks also to Kaiser for his advice on the cargo rails in the bed. I copied his installation and was able to carry spare wheel, large Yeti and 10 jerry cans with ease.
Some big lessons: carry spare CVs as essential field repair items; bring a LOT of water and fuel- carrying 200l of petrol seemed excessive but the small tank on the SCAB and the heavy consumption in deep sand (I was hitting 70l per 100km at times) made it essential; my TJM 10,000lb winch was (literally) a lifesaver; mounting my ARB compressor under the body was a big, and probably expensive mistake- it just gets too much shit in it and it failed completely on the first day (the latest in a long line of problems with it). It would be much better in the bed or even under one of the rear seats.
I'm happy to post pics etc if there is interest, or to offer advice/feedback to any ME-based Raptor owners looking to do something in the Rub al Khali or Wahiba.
rory
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