A sandtrooper, or desert trooper, was an Imperialstormtrooper equipped with a modified armor and equipment to withstand the harsh climates of desert planets like Tatooine.
They were nearly identical to standard stormtroopers except they had additional training in specialized areas and advanced cooling systems in both their helmets and suits that offered them protection from the relentless heat. Visual differences in armor included a distinctive diamond-shaped left knee plate, non-ribbed chest and back plate connectors as well as reinforced abdominal plating. It was typical for non-commissioned officers (white and orange pauldrons) and above to remove the “drop boxes” on the waist; a redundant and unnecessary accessory given the upgraded load-bearing kit requirements for sustained operations with minimal resupply. Additionally, the usual thermal detonator worn by normal Stormtroopers on the lower back was not present, as its wear and access would be impeded by the typical SD-48 survival pack.
Their armor consisted of an 18 piece anti-blaster cocoon shell like that of a stormtrooper, but also had a heat-reflective coating worn over a temperature-control body glove. The sandtrooper helmet featured automatic polarized lenses, a built-in comlink, and breathing filters.
The stormtrooper detachment dispatched in 0 BBY to investigate a crashed escape pod on Tatooine just prior to the Battle of Yavin consisted of sandtroopers and one of them noticed a droid part and concluded that there are droids on that escape pod.
They had heavy weapons, survival gear, and shoulder pauldrons denoting rank.