Capturing Adventure in a 1999 Mitsubishi Montero

Snapping Photos in a ‘99 Mitsubishi Montero

Commercial automotive photographers, Linhbergh Nguyen and Karissa Hosek, sought a way to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of their careers and reset after demanding work assignments. The couple found refuge in a ‘99 Mitsubishi Montero to help them unwind and explore the country in. Since acquiring it, the couple hasn’t looked back.

“THE COUPLE FOUND REFUGE IN A 1999 MITSUBISHI MONTERO TO HELP THEM UNWIND AND EXPLORE THE COUNTRY IN. SINCE ACQUIRING IT, THE COUPLE HAVEN’T LOOKED BACK SINCE.”

What originally started as a search on the internet for a Toyota Land Cruiser, eventually lead them to find a more affordable option for a 4×4 SUV, as the Land Cruiser was out of their budget. Through some online research, the Mitsubishi Montero became a solid target that fulfilled both their needs and budget. The hunt for their truck had begun. Pretty soon, a Craigslist ad for a Gen 2.5 Montero lead them to the purchase of their project vehicle for $5,000.

The vehicle was dubbed, “The Monty,” but the license plate “GONDRTN” and Instagram handle @gondirtin—and as a result, the title to this article—was conceived after a night of drinking with friends during the annual SEMA Show in 2015. They spoke about how they were in the market for a 4×4 and the conversation lead to talk about California’s drought and how, rather than going mudding, they would in fact be going “dirting” instead. And with that, the name stuck.

In The Beginning

Within the first week after they took delivery of their new used 4×4, the couple set out on a camping trip to Big Bear and were immediately hooked on off roading. They were drawn to the outdoors and the calming effect that nature had on them. As photographers, they found inspiration in the beauty of the various landscapes and quickly found themselves capturing picturesque locations, often with their rig as the focal point.

The Montero was in decent condition when purchased with 170,000 miles, but needed some work to make it more reliable and fit their needs better. It originally came with a set of KYB shocks and springs, unknown brand of wheels and old, cracked BF Goodrich KO2 tires. It also came with Rocky Road Montero Rock Sliders, which are still on the vehicle. The first step was to overhaul the engine with new spark plugs, spark wires, a fan clutch, water pump, timing belt and new radiator hoses to ensure that the vehicle was reliable. No matter how much one loves nature, they probably would still like to have the means to get back home.

“AS PHOTOGRAPHERS, THEY FOUND INSPIRATION IN THE BEAUTY OF THE VARIOUS LANDSCAPES AND QUICKLY FOUND THEMSELVES CAPTURING PICTURESQUE LOCATIONS, OFTEN WITH THEIR RIG AS THE FOCAL POINT.”

Upgraded

Over the course of two years and close to 50 trips later, the vehicle has received its share of upgrades. The tires were quickly replaced with a brand new set of BF Goodrich KO2’s as they loved the way the vehicle gripped the terrain, and a set of Volk Racing TE37X wheels have been added to pay homage to their import car roots. The one-piece Volk Racing wheels are forged for stength and light weight.

The next step was improving the ride and handling so they turned to Old Man Emu (OME). They installed a set of Nitrocharger Sport Shocks with OME medium springs along with OME Torsion Bars. Now with the vehicle a bit more capable of handling the off-road sections of their travels, it was time to find a solution to camp overnight in remote areas. The couple decided on an ARB Simpson III rooftop tent mounted on a Voyager Racks Safari Rack. To add even more protection from the sun while lounging, eating, and working on their laptops, a Rhino Rack 2.5m awning was added.

The couple quickly found that their nighttime excursions could be improved by more light. They went with PlashLights for new LED headlamp bulbs and mounted both front and rear PlashLights LED light bars to their rig. The extra lighting came in handy for those dark nights off the trail.

To help protect the Montero’s underside, they turned to the Mitsubishi specialists at Adventure Driven Designs to help beef things up. The vehicle was equipped with an Adventure Driven Designs front skidplate, transmission skidplate, and a “mid” differential skidplate.

Work, Life & Storage

It was important for the photographers to have power while on the road since they oftentimes worked remotely on the road. They turned to the team at The Adventure Vans to install a 100W Solar Panel to the roof rack, along with a Samlex Power 600w inverter, Sunsaver-10 solar controller, and a Universal Power Group UB12000 secondary 100Ah 12v battery which is located behind the rear passenger seats. This helps provide adequate power to charge their phones, laptops, and camera gear along with powering their ARB Fridge Freezer.

Speaking of fridge, Linhbergh has taken his culinary skills to the outdoors, often making non-traditional camp food, such as Korean BBQ and Thai curry noodle soup. Dialing in just which cooking tools worked the best for him was a challenge. He went through two different cooking stove top setups before settling on one that suited his outdoor chef role. They found that to be the case with their camping gear in general, as they found that they often overpacked for trips and went back and forth on finding the gear that fits them best. It was a process to zero in on what suited their needs.

To help organize their many tools and supplies that covered all aspects of life on and off the road, including towing, photography, camping gear and kitchen utensils, they went to BP Autosound to create a custom bespoke storage solution. Ivan and the team at BP Autosound built a drawer system to the couple’s specific needs complete with slow-close drawers, cooking top and modular cutting board.

Picturesque Adventures

The adventure seekers with their dog, Kyia, have found themselves on the road about twice a month often letting the weather and seasons dictate their travels. They took a trip to Yosemite to see the snow-capped mountains, went to the Eastern Sierras for the incredible hiking, and on their longest trip, spent six days and five nights exploring southern Utah.

Of course, while on the road they find themselves documenting their adventures, so much so that they started an Instagram account to showcase their epic experiences. While they may not focus their trips around capturing specific images, it is in their nature to chronicle and share their stories one image at a time.

“OVER THE COURSE OF TWO YEARS AND CLOSE TO 50 TRIPS LATER, THE VEHICLE HAS RECEIVED ITS SHARE OF UPGRADES.”

PHOTO GEAR LIST

As outdoor enthusiasts, we love capturing beautiful shots of nature to share. Sometimes we use a DSLR and sometimes our smartphone’s camera. Out of curioustity, we asked professional automotive photographers Linhbergh and Karissa, what photo gear they carried while they are on the road; the list is impressive. If you would like to improve your images, Linhbergh and Karissa give us some photo tips in the photography gear buyer’s guide, Snap Shots, found in this issue of Tread.

1. Langly Alpha Globetrotter camera backpack
2. Sirui T-024X Carbon Fiber Tripod
3. RL Handcrafts Clydesdale Pro-DLX Dual Camera Harness
4. Sony A7RII
5. Sony A7 RIII
6. Fujifilm INSTAX Mini 90 Neo Classic
7. Sony A9
8. Sony 35mm 4
9. Sony 12-35mm f4
10. Yeti Rambler 36 oz bottle
11. Osprey Packs Hydraulics Reservoir
12. Sony 85mm 8
13. Sony 12-24mm f4
14. Sony 70-200 f4
15. Langly Globetrotter camera backpack
16. DJI Mavic Pro
17. Sony 50mm 8
18. Induro Alloy 8PM Tripod

UPGRADES

1999 Mitsubishi Montero

PLATFORM: 1999 MITSUBISHI MONTERO

ENGINE: 3.5L V-6

SUSPENSION: OME NITROCHARGER SPORT SHOCKS,OME MEDIUM SPRINGS, OME TORSION BARS

WHEELS & TIRES: VOLK RACING TE37X, BF GOODRICH KO2

ACCESSORIES: ROCKY ROAD MONTERO ROCK SLIDERS, ARB SIMPSON III ROOFTOP TENT, VOYAGER RACKS SAFARI RACK, RHINO RACK 2.5M AWNING, ARB FRIDGE FREEZER, PLASHLIGHTS LED LIGHT BARS, ADVENTURE DRIVEN DESIGNS FRONT SKIDPLATE, ADVENTURE DRIVEN DESIGNS TRANSMISSION SKIDPLATE, ADVENTURE DRIVEN DESIGNS “MID” DIFFERENTIAL SKIDPLATE, THE ADVENTURE VANS 100W SOLAR PANEL, SAMLEX POWER 600W INVERTER, SUNSAVER-10 SOLAR CONTROLLER, UNIVERSAL POWER GROUP UB12000 SECONDARY 100AH 12V BATTERY, BP AUTOSOUND CUSTOM DRAWER SYSTEM