The Best Vehicles for Average Climber Dirtbags

In my 12 years as a climber, I’ve owned quite a few different cars. When I bought a 1997 Mitsubishi Delica a few years back, I thought I was investing in the ultimate dirtbag vehicle for long-term adventuring.

After my dad and I spent a week doing a full buildout, I took the van on what should have been the first of many road trips: a 10-day adventure from my home base of Ketchum, Idaho, through Glacier National Park to Banff and Revelstoke and back. But unfortunately, I encountered one problem after another with the Delica.