Outdoor gear manufacturer Kelty is getting in on the Haitian relief efforts too and has sent nearly 300 tents to the earthquake zone since January. In one case, some of the Kelty tents were used to house 750 children left without parents after the disaster.

Recovering from a natural disaster like the quake in Haiti can place millions of people into a survival situation that looks and feels a lot like an indefinite camping trip. Water must be purified, shelter needs to be found, and fresh food can be difficult to prepare. It’s great to see outdoor companies like Kelty and Hi Tec recognizing the needs of the survivors and are willing to offer items to make the recovery a little more comfortable!

Photo from Time Out Dubai.

Quick - what do you think of when you hear about Dubai? Ridiculously large sky scrapers? Luxury shopping and resorts? Oil? Better add camping to the list because according to Time Out Dubai there are some amazing opportunities for desert camping just outside the city.

Desert camping outside Dubai sounds pretty awesome to me: spots where there is no light or noise pollution and no tire tracks (probably because they were erased by the wind the night before). There is plenty to see as well: sand monitor lizards, sand cats, and desert gazelle (if you’re lucky). Driving and hiking are some of the more popular pastimes for desert campers.

However, this warning from the article makes me think desert camping in the UAE may not be for everyone:

You should never journey into the desert without another vehicle – or another two if you’re going into Liwa. You must also be a competent desert driver and equipped with GPS. Be sure to check all fluid levels, tyres and the weather forecast before setting out.

It’s not really clear why you need multiple vehicles - breakdowns? hijackers? Clearly the tip on checking fluid levels and weather conditions is a good one for any type of desert camping or hiking excursion.

Finally, I want to share a camping tip this article reminded me of about staking a tent in the sand. While I was in the Air Force we often set up large canvas tents (called GP Mediums) in the sandy soil in Colorado and Florida and my NCOs taught me this trick: instead of pushing tent stakes straight into the sand, angle the stakes AWAY from the tent at a 45 degree angle. Of course this seems counterintuitive but it turns out the friction (or suction as some claimed) is what keeps your stakes secure from lateral movements caused by wind. A vertical tent stake will quickly be rocked back and forth until the hole is enlarged and releases your tent stake.

Now you’re ready to pitch your tent in the desert outside Dubai!

We’ve been working for several months on the latest innovation in camping tent technology: the titanium dome tent. Of course tent manufacturers have been integrating titanium into tent poles for years but Tripleblaze has created the first tent completely covered in titanium! No more worries about bear attacks while you’re sleeping - the titanium tent has you covered.

Of course to create a titanium tent we needed to make some modifications to the typical dome tent design. Instead of rolling the tent up for storage you’ll need to fold the titanium tent along the included hinge connectors. While titanium is one of the most lightweight metals we could find, our 4-person dome tent is a bit heavier than your typical canvas or nylon tent - about 55 pounds when packed.

The titanium dome tent is *mostly* waterproof (except at the hinges of course) and in a rain storm the pitter patter of rain will lull you to sleep. Lightning safety has not yet been tested so we recommend avoiding this tent if thunderstorms are in the forecast.

Titanium is not a cheap building material and so the Tripleblaze titanium tent is a little pricey - MSRP is set at $3,800 for the 2-man version. Reserve your titanium dome tent today - now accepting pre-orders through April 1, 2009.

Happy April Fool’s Day.