I'm planning a trip to an arid semi-desertic area. Temperatures will be around the 90s and 100s and can go down to 40s or 50s in the night.Dry place. I won't be camping but I will be doing a lot of day activities.
Besides water, sunscreen, sunglasses and adequate clothes what would you carry with you? I'm specially looking for small details that I might be not considering, tips & tricks :-)

Thanks.

More water. Take a decent hat with a brim that goes all around.

Remember to slow down. If you're with friends or family, watch them for signs of heat cramps (caused by loss of salt from heavy sweating), which can lead to heat exhaustion (caused from dehydration), which can lead to heatstroke, which can cause shock, brain damage, organ failure and death. It is better prevented than treated by using common sense.

Something for creating your own shade is a good idea. If you'll be in the actual desert, there usually isn't much around that the rattlers haven't already claimed.

Keep a PSK with you... LOTS of people have gone on day trips not expecting to camp out. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Get a Shemaugh and learn how to wear it in different configurations. It's a habit I picked up in Iraq. Maybe a little out of place here in the states, but I don't wear it for style.

Brigade Quatermasters sells some darned good ones. They also have a how-to for how to don for desert conditions. I find turban style with the back draped down my bare neck to be an effective sun barrier.

Sometimes I wear a Columbia sportswear super ventilated boonie hat instead.

Wiley-X sunglasses are probably some of the best for desert wear you'll find.

You can never carry enough water. I have a three liter Motherlode pack from Camelbak that is effective for a 4 day pack in the desert, provided I add another couple liters of water.

Carmex lip balm really helps with chapped lips. It tastes/smells better than chap-stick or bag balm.

I spent a week in Aruba ( a true desert island) this past summer, with most of our time in an open top Jeep, 4 wheeling off road. After water, the most important thing I had with me was a boonie hat.

• Hat: To stress what’s been mentioned, a decent wide-brimmed hat; light colored; 30+ SPF rating; constructed to allow adequate venting. Like Malpaso, I use a boonie hat – effective, easy to find, and inexpensive (get it a little loose; mine shrank after first washing).

• Shirt: Something that will reflect heat and give you controlled evaporation; loose-fitting; light-color; lightweight. Rated at least SPF 30 (a common summer-weight cotton t-shirt has SPF of around 10; that number drops as the t-shirt gets wet). There are some decent synthetics available. Might be counter-intuitive to some, but I prefer long-sleeved; if you opt for short-sleeved, plenty of sunscreen at regular intervals. Some SPF-rated examples on Sun Precautions website. Columbia, among others, market SPF-rated clothing.

Or, if you prefer to use existing clothing that’s otherwise adequate, you might think about using Rit SunGuard. Wash clothes in it to increase SPF to as much as 30.

• Pants/shorts: Similar advice as “shirts.” If you wear shorts, use plenty of sunscreen. If you’ll be moving around abrasive/thorny vegetation, or your skin is sun-sensitive, consider long pants.

• Socks: Good socks that absorb, and dry easily, and thick enough to cushion foot against hard desert floor. I use two-layer system, with a thin inner-sock. Adequate spares of course.

• Boots: Soles thick enough to protect foot from heat and uneven surface of desert floor. Sole designed for traction. Adequate ankle support if you’ll be hiking uneven terrain.

• Pack/daypack: Lightweight; light-color, to minimize interior heat buildup. A design that will allow your back to "breathe."

• Hiking staff/stick: Helps when navigating uneven terrain (and maybe provide advance warning of snake encounter).

• Bandana: Put over back of neck to protect from direct rays of sun; consider a “cool rag” or similar (a bandana with water-absorbent crystals that keeps your neck cool). Here’s one from MiraCool.

• For the cool nights, I like a lightweight windbreaker, a fleece jacket or shirt, and a wool watchcap.

• Rain: If there’s any chance of rain, take a lightweight, light-colored poncho. It (or a mylar space blanket) can also function as makeshift shade from the sun.

• Sunglass: Make sure yours provide good UV-A and UV-B protection; mine are also polarized to reduce glare. Consider taking a spare pair. Some folks like sun goggles like these from Solis.

• Water Intake: Drink at regular intervals, even if you’re not thirsty. Your brain won’t always tell you when you need it.

• If you’ll be around any cacti species, take a decent pair of tweezers (I like Uncle Bill’s Sliver Gripper tweezers, ~$5.00; small, but effective) to remove spines. A common hair comb is also useful for removing certain kinds of spines. For the fine, hair-like spines, apply duct tape, then pull. Some folks swear by rubber cement for these kinds of spines: apply over affected area, let dry, then peel off.

• Hyponatremia (“water intoxication;” opposite of dehydration): With moderate activity, and appropriate water intake, unlikely to be a problem, but be aware of its existence, the symptoms and how to treat. Here's a short plain-English discussion.

• Snakes: If you’ll be in snake country, and have no experience in same, do a little research on the Internet to become familiar with DO’s and DON’Ts. Fairly straightforward: keep your hands and feet out of places they shouldn’t be, and be watchful. You’ll also stumble across information about best first-aid practices for responding to snakebites in the field.

• Vehicle: If you’ll be cruising the desert in a vehicle, besides plenty of spare water, take a decent folding shovel, and a decent jack. Consider taking something to serve as a foundation for the jack in sandy soil, e.g. couple of 12-in. x 12-in. pieces of ¾-inch plywood. Have decent tires; desert terrain is harsh on tires.

• Maps: Good up-to-date maps of the area in which you’ll be traveling (I always take my GPS too).

• Digital camera: If you’ll be taking one, remember that heat and grit are a digital’s enemy. Take a light-colored camera bag or case to minimize.

Have a great trip!

Obviously you're not going to Ohio anytime soon!

water, water and water
plus sunglasses and extra sunglasses
and some sort of insect repellant -- there are all kinds of flying bugs everywhere, even in the heat of the desert

Those before my have mentioned nearly anything but I believe it can?t be told to often:

- If you?re going to rest in an hotel or something alike put a grab-bag beneath your bed with all the needed items.

- Carry water with you at any time as much as possible.

- I like the shemaghs too and finde them a great pice of equipment. They work as head gear, tablecloth, towel, bandage, sack ...
Here at Germany they are not that uncommon in the streets but mostly worn by teenagers or punkrockers (I?m still a child in my heart and like Beethoven as even The Sexpistols <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />)

- For trips to desert areas I carry a poncholiner and a tarp made of a chute.

- My opinion and my experience is to wear high boots, long sleeves and long pants for sunprotection, against lost of moisture by wind and to protect the skin from abrasion and biting/stinging animals or plants.

- A long staff is always a benefit. I use one 7 foot long with a crooked upper end because I find an "arm-extender" usefull sometimes.

- Take spare sunglasses with you. It really hurts if you loose your only one !

- Some lightweight but sturdy gloves are usefull either.

That?s just my 50 cents. I?m not a Bedouin. Only an interested traveler.

Molf

Thanks a lot for the tips!
Happy holidays for you and your families!
EoK

Many of the Burning Man sites are valuable resorces.

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/radical_self_reliance.html