Who is AJ Ash?

I am an avid outdoorsman and photographer, who also loves toys. I found my love for the outdoors while living in California and exploring their park system. I started taking a camera with me to capture the immense beauty that exists on the West Coast. My passion for photography grew very quickly, and it went perfect with camping and hiking all over the state. 

Eventually I bought and built out my first Jeep to take me further into the backcountry for harder to reach trails. I had always loved car culture and customizing vehicles, but this was my first experience with setting up a vehicle for offroading specifically.

After moving back to Iowa, my vehicle needs have changed, but my passions remain the same. I swapped out my rock-crawler for a gear carrying machine. I travel all over the midwest for photography, mountain biking, camping and kayaking. My rig is an extension of my passions and hobbies. I love spending as much time as possible outdoors. I cannot imagine many things I would rather do than sit by a campfire under the stars. 

Tell us about your Chevy Colorado.

I picked the Colorado because I wanted a midsize truck that was capable of taking me and my gear to hard to reach spots. The Trail Boss is extremely capable out of the box, and more than fit my needs for backcountry adventures. In my opinion, the Gen 3 Colorado is the best looking midsize truck on the market, and it’s not even close. 

What TUWA Pro products do you have and how have you set them up?

I picked the Shiprock Mid-Height rack to run on my rig. I wanted a rack that would be at or lower than my cab height for clearance, but I also wanted to easily reach up onto it for storing bikes/kayaks/fishing poles or other gear. I also loved the beefy look of TUWA Products and they have a lot of accessories that immediately helped me outfit Rooster. I picked up the 4CX support bars, Rotopax Mount and recovery board mounts to pair with my rack. A lot of my landscape photography happens alone, and carrying extra fuel and recovery gear is critical for me.

What is a bucket list adventure for you?

How could I possibly choose just one? I have always wanted to road trip up the California Coast using highway 1. This is such a scenic trip, and you can experience so many incredible camping spots and towns along the way. In a perfect world, I would love to continue north and explore the backcountry of Oregon as well. There are so many photography bucket list spots on that route for me. From Big Sur to Crater Lake. I think it would be amazing to take a couple weeks and really explore that area.