Planning a summer road trip in my Jeep and part of the route runs through some pretty remote wildlife areas — think deer, maybe elk depending on elevation. Never had a close call yet but I'd rather be prepared than find out the hard way at 60mph.
Been going back and forth on whether to upgrade the stock bumper before I go. A few things I'm weighing:
Does a heavier aftermarket bumper actually help in an animal strike, or is it more about looks/winch mounting for most people?
Front vs rear — is front the priority if I'm mainly worried about wildlife on the road?
Anyone dealt with insurance/deer strikes and wish they'd had better protection beforehand?
Budget isn't unlimited so trying to figure out if this is a "nice to have" or something I'll actually regret skipping. Would love to hear what setups people are running, especially if you've done a similar trip or actually hit something with stock vs. upgraded bumpers.
Trip's about 3 weeks out so I've got a little time to sort parts and get them installed before I leave.
