Desert Trials: How We and Our Truck Held Up in the Sahara

Crossing Morocco in a convoy of 11 trucks is not your everyday road trip. Steel, dust, and determination carried us eastward, each truck carving a path through the rugged terrain like a moving fortress. As we thundered toward the border with Algeria, the weight of regional tension grew clearer. Though the journey felt calm on the surface, the reality is stark. Morocco and Algeria remain locked in a longstanding conflict rooted in history, politics, and a border that has been closed for decades.

Since 1994, the land border between Morocco and Algeria has been closed. Their strained relations stem from disputes over Western Sahara, border control, and deeper historical tensions dating back to colonial times. While tourists often don’t see this side of North Africa, we were about to experience its reality firsthand.

Approaching the eastern edge of Morocco, the landscape turned more rugged, and military checkpoints multiplied. At each one, we stopped briefly as the lead truck presented a list with all our details: passport numbers, immigration IDs, and vehicle information. The soldiers were professional, and soon we were waved on. As the hours passed, the scenery emptied, fewer people, fewer villages, and finally, just us and the desert.

The dunes rose slowly like golden waves. Sparse bushes clung to life in the sand. Donkeys and camels appeared like desert mirages, reminders that life finds a way, even out here.

With the dunes surrounding us, the workshops began.

Driving in Tight Spaces

Precision and control were key here. Each driver had to guide their vehicle through a narrow path marked by sticks only 10cm wider than the truck. It tested the ability to maneuver large vehicles in tight conditions, a real eye-opener.

Short Hairpin Curve

The challenge was to navigate an extremely tight hairpin turn. All of us had to reverse more than once, squeezing these giant machines through a path barely wide enough. Success came down to knowing your turning radius and understanding your truck’s quirks. The essential trick? Reverse in a straight line without counter steering. Counter steering tends to pull your rear end dangerously close to the inner edge of the curve, which is exactly what you want to avoid.

Parking Backwards

This sounds simple, until you’re doing it with such a big truck in tight spaces and with limited visibility backwards. The exercise showed how crucial spatial awareness is. The key here is knowing the exact path your rear tire will follow when you steer fully to one side. That knowledge can make all the difference when threading the needle between obstacles.

Vehicle Check

A solid reminder that regular checks prevent bigger damages. We reviewed every part of the truck, from fluid levels and suspension. During these checks, we actually found a loose pin connecting the truck to the cabin. With help via phone from Twiga, our builder, and a few teammates, we used a jack to lift the cabin just a few millimeters and guide the pin back into place. The misalignment had been caused by a bolt that rattled loose after countless kilometers on washboard roads. It sounds like a big fix, but thanks to the team’s support, it was done in under an hour.

Finding the Right Tire Pressure

The biggest lesson of all. Lowering tire pressure dramatically improves grip in soft sand. It's not just a detail, it’s the difference between gliding over dunes and getting hopelessly stuck.

Driving in Soft Sand

Momentum is everything. Hesitate and you sink. We practiced throttle control and learned how to read the terrain in front of us.

Tire Changes

Driving in Iceland, our biggest fear was getting a flat tire. Sure, we carry two spares on the back, but we had never actually changed one ourselves.

That changed during the workshop. Annika and I tackled the task together, guided by the experience of others in the group. It felt great to practice it. Just in time.

The very next day, we had a real flat out in the desert. Thanks to what we had learned, it was no longer a fear, just another task we both could handle.

Getting Free When Stuck

Shovels, sand ladders, team effort. Recovery practice was invaluable. Even the biggest trucks got stuck at some point.

For us, tire pressure was the standout topic. A few bars make a world of difference. It’s what keeps you moving or leaves you buried axle-deep.

During the build phase of our truck we’ve also made a fundamental choice about our setup. Instead of massive offroad tires, we’ve built our truck with what Germans call "Baustellenreifen" a.k.a. construction site tires. They’re smaller, more road-friendly, and easier to replace. While they don’t float as well on sand, they’re much quieter on highways and more practical overall.

We came here to find out how our chosen tires perform offroad. The answer? Surprisingly well. Of course, bigger tires offer more float and better clearance. But for us, the trade-off is worth it. Despite being the third smallest truck in the convoy, our rig held its ground. If you saw us parked next to the other giants, you’d never expect that. But size isn’t everything, setup, skill, and experience count just as much. This trip taught us that our truck can go further than we thought. And now, we trust it more than ever.

What is Next

Up next is the road to Marrakesh, a city bursting with life, colors, and culture. What makes this next leg even more special is that our oldest kid will join us for a week of travel. Sharing this adventure with family, adds a whole new layer of meaning to the journey.

From the tense stillness of the border to the rolling silence of the dunes, and now onward to the vibrant streets of Marrakesh, this journey is a reminder that no two legs are ever the same. The desert taught us about grit and mechanics, but also about connection; to the land, our vehicle, and each other. Now we’re ready to welcome someone we love into that story, if only for a short while.

Explore. Dream. Discover.