>>187543Depends on the desert. They're all very different.
If we're talking about the Sahara, there's more to it than just sand. Those pictures you see of endless sand dunes actually don't represent how it really is, as roughly 90% of it is rocks. Despite the origin of the word "Sahara" being unknown, one of the possible meanings is "hard ground".
There are many, many oasis with wells in the Sahara deserts, on top of freely flowing water, dead rivers (meaning you just need to dig a hole with your hands to find water)... It actually rains there occasionally, and there's even snow in winter which can remain there for several months.
The reason many rely on camels to carry the water is because they go for efficiency. They could have more water on their way if they went from oasis to oasis, but instead, they cross vast areas without wells to go faster, and as a result, need to carry a lot of water, hence the use of camels.
If you ever go hiking there, you would be fine with just your backpack and 3L of water storage. Water should be the least of your worries.
