Jeff Dieffenbach came to AAA in March 2019 with a desire to customize his Ram ProMaster for cycling competitions and camping trips. Fast forward to June 2020 and Jeff completed his first major van weekend, LOVING his van customization.
Jeff specifically got his van for a mixture of his camping and cycling needs. When competing in cyclocross races his van functions as a home base during his busy set schedule. Providing him a personal area for warm ups and keep his extra bikes. When camping his van transforms from home base to a fun, friendly home environment. Camping in the van provides a more comfortable alternative to the uncomfortable ground.
When asked what the hardest transition to camping in the van is he laughed and said “It’s like camping- but better!”
Jeff’s van up-fit was not the extravagant adventure van buildout like other vans AAA has completed and is popularized across social media- but that’s because this van was tailored to Jeff’s adventure! He requested a very basic and modular design- wanting to be able to take things in and out as he pleased. Being new to the #VanLife wanted to make sure he loved his van set up prior to putting in any cabinetry or extravagant gadgets. Jeff is very happy with this design thus far and is confident that any changes he may want to make will not be too difficult to do in the future. He was also very satisfied with his AAA experience- knowing his project was not as advanced as others he was still very satisfied knowing the techs and sales staff were there to update him and keep him in the loop throughout the entire process.
His current favorite van feature is his Fiamma F45s Awning. The ability to create an outdoor space next to the van is a game changer and prompts for good moods all around. Jeff explains how when the awning comes out so do the smiles- well definitely his anyways!
Lastly Jeff when chatting with Jeff he touched on the safety component of having a van in the time of COVID-19. Explaining the confidence that having his own self-sufficient space provides and not having to rely on any other people or places for things he needs. Bringing up the example of a public bathroom that can usually be relied on but now it may not be the safest option or even open at all -so having the van with a toilet (a new addition to Jeff’s van since he was at AAA) was a perk that made the whole trip feel as safe as possible.
If you would like to keep up with Jeff’s Van and Cycling adventures you can check out his blog http://promaster.deepbrook.com/! And if his story inspired you, reach out to American Automotive Aftermarket at 866.783.6222 to help you build out a van of your own!