Jake

Never leave without a good, lightweight warm sleeping bag, an insulating mattress would be good as well. I found I didn't need a tent just a couple of warm sleeping bags (Autumn 2001). I prefer to sleep out on the sand, but it can get cold in the evenings, and not everyone wants to do this.

Also, the tent: monoskin, double skins trap enormous amounts of condensation so everything is dripping wet and cold in the morning. Its also very uncomfortable too.

Do take some warm clothes just in case but you needn't go OTT; just be sensible and bear in mind that it can get very cold. You won't need a sleeping bag more than -5 degs C. rating.

Good luck!

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Renate

Yo,

just back from Morocco and Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia.
End of July : Merzouga area: max temp 57°C, min temp 35°C.
Because of that we did not do the railway from Nouadhibou to Atar. Does this sounds softy or sensible?

Kar El

not softy if you feel you did the right thing.
i was down western sahara in may and it was too hot for me to feel like carrying on . i also want to do the route out to atar and at 45C on the coast i felt like i didn't have enough water to risk a problem.
i turned around and came back for the summer and going back in november.
plus i can now carry 120 litres of water if neccessary.
jack.

Kar El,

Did you leave the thermometer out in the sun? The hottest recorded temperature ever on earth was in Libya on September 13, 1922, which was 58°C. It is exceptionally rare for the ambient temperature anywhere to exceed 50°C, let alone reach 57°C.

I wasn't there, but I find it hard to accept your reading as being accurate! Always happy to eat humble pie though...

Sam!

Sam, although I am not an expert, my experience tells me to agree with you. I have been living near Kayes in Mali for the last 4 years. It is supposedly among the hottest places in the world (although lots of places claim this). The hottest I have ever seen was 48 degrees in the shade at about 15:00 in the afternoon. This was in May 3 years ago. With an infrared thermometer (one of those beam devices that mechanics use to point at gearboxes to measure the temperature) we measured up to 70 degrees for the firts 10 centrimetres above the ground, in the sun though. Anyhow, seemed bloody well hot enough :-)

Cheers hed

PS. Following the advice in one of your old postings I have decided to go fo one of Mr Carnet's carnets. Will post here how it goes, once I get it.

The UK Ministry of Defence (RAF) pamphlet PAM (Air 225) - ‘Desert Survival’ 1975 states that “mean temperature can be taken as 8°C below the daily maximum in desert conditions”.

BTW, several Middle Eastern countries have laws which state that you don’t have to work if the temperature reaches 50°C. By a remarkable coincidence the official temperature in these countries never goes above 49°C. However, I have measured 52°C in the shade in Saudi Arabia.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sam Rutherford:
[B]Kar El,

Did you leave the thermometer out in the sun? The hottest recorded temperature ever on earth was in Libya on September 13, 1922, which was 58°C. It is exceptionally rare for the ambient temperature anywhere to exceed 50°C, let alone reach 57°C.

The thermometer was fitted on the underside of the front-extension of a roofrack on a 110, so not in the sun. Ofcourse I can not be taken responsible for the accuracy of the thermometer. This was end of July about 70km west of Merzouga (on one of the pistes in Chris' book).

Kar El