I hike regularly in the desert. I always bring a long sleeved shirt, wide brimmed sun hat, FAK, plenty of water w/electrolyte powder, etc. Every single time most of the other hikers (lots of families) are carrying one small water bottle, no hat, wearing only a tank top or t-shirt, and trainers. Honestly i'm amazed more people don't run into trouble.

Yeah, cuz that's pretty much like how the Bedouin and other desert peoples dress.

In the era before high-tech outdoor fabrics and garments were common, I found that an oversized white 100% cotton dress shirt from Goodwill and cheap, baggy twill work pants worked for me.

I never actually got around to trying one, but I also thought about a pith helmet (at least when out of sight of others).

A few years back when we lived next to South Mountain Park (desert, hills to modest mountains (by Western U.S. standards) and steep climbs) in Phoenix, I would go out daily into the park for an hours or so. I cannot begin to count the number of tourists I gave water bottles to over the years (or the number of times I had to remove cactus spines from folks). I always carried enough for me and some extra. In the hottest months, daily rescues are the norm. Thankfully, most of the park has good cell service. City folks and people from less heat soaked climates just don't seem to get it. "I'll just go out in the morning"...when it's already 90-95 degrees and warming up at 3-4 degrees/hour!

When I speak to groups about survival and specifically desert survival, they look at me with a fair amount of skepticism when I tell them that we have folks die every year in just an hour or two in the desert. Water and shade are the keys to staying alive in the desert.

<shrug> Drives me up the wall!

If you are going to work and/or play in desert conditions, you want to be an early bird. It is best to get going by 4:30AM to take advantage of the relative cool.

Sometimes during SAR operations you don't have that option. I and my partner once started on a trail at noon. Temp was 91 at the outset,with a five mile climb up a southern exposure, fortunately with a guaranteed water source at the top. We carried two and one-half gallons and reasonably full rescue packs.

When we reached the stream, we had consumed all our water and were quite thirsty, consuming about a quart each from the babbling brook. Fortunately we had gained enough altitude and it was later in the day, and we were in a shady canyon, so conditions ameliorated considerably.

P.S. We did find our victim, seriously injured, and extricated him the following morning

That's really the only "good" option when one member of a small group gets injured. Everybody heads for the nearest safe haven, be it the trailhead or the nearest road. In larger groups of a half dozen or more, there's the option of splitting of one or two hikers to escort the injured hiker back while the rest of the group continues.

IRT the correct desert garb; long, loose, and lite has always been the rule. My favorite garment was an Oxford cotton dress shirt, two sized too big, with the collar cut off, and vents cut into the underside of the upper sleeves. Temperature regulation was incredible.

One of the things I noticed about the Bedouin in Sahara is that they tended avoid even the slightest physical exertion in the midday heat. They would get up very early, make the most of the morning and retire to their tents or mudbrick houses well before noon. They would rest until well in the afternoon, by which time they would refresh themselves with a cup of tea and resume their daily chores until late into the night.

It is a very particular way of life from a Westerner's point of view. To a casual observer the Bedouin may seem very easy going, downright lazy. But in reality they are just highly rational people adapted from birth to the harsh desert climate.

I also remember being greatly impressed by the way they rationed water. I don't think their daily water consumption is much above an average Westerner living in the temperate zone. Water is in short supply in Sahara so the Bedouin do everything possible to conserve it. Above all, they restrict any physical activity during the hot hours of the day to keep their body temperature low and avoid sweating. Doing so helps them get by with not much more than the regular 3 or 4 quarts of water per day.

This is also why historically the Bedouin would primarily travel long distance at night. But as far as mobility, they are completely dependent on the camel and now the ubiquitous 4WD. There is no way humans can cover long distances on foot in a hot desert environment. The British learned it the hard way early in WWII (Long-Range Desert Group). It's simply impossible to carry enough water for a long trek on one's person.

The unfortunate French tourists seem to have made every possible mistake they could. It ended tragically, but I am nevertheless amazed that they kept pushing on even once they realized their water wouldn't last long. In that sort of environment they should have backed up to the car very quickly, about the first time they felt the need to take a sip of water.

In my experience in other parts of the world is that they rise early, take a long break at midday, and work late. Keeping your activity to the cooler hours does help. You need a cooler place to take that midday break though. Just laying in the sun does not help very much.

Shelter and water, don't go to the desert without them!

I suppose the desert has its own kind of beauty but I can't imagine going there for recreation! I don't like the heat at all.

For most of the year, deserts can be surprisingly cool and comfortable; just stay away during the summer. In the American Southwest, nearby mountain ranges provide quick relief from the heat and a great variety in life zones with extreme contrasts in flora and fauna.

I am just back from my usuak summer gig in South Dakota and i was surprised at how cool and wet SD was this year. Usually summer temps in Hot Springs top 100 degrees, just like in Tucson and other desert areas. I can remember 100 plus degrees when a kid vacationing in Brainerd, MN, as well.

When it is hot, wherever you are, start early, lie low and take a siesta during midday, and stay cool.

They have warm weather in France, too, with temps up to 104 degrees. So perhaps the french turists thought they could easily manage the desert. But not taking into acount that french summer is humid (I think) where as the desert in dry heat.