It's true that you don't realize you need armor until it's too late. I dented a rocker in a spot I'd been atleast 8 times or more. The sad part is my sliders were being delivered the next week.
Skids are going on next, in fact they will be going on very soon.
I would like to run beadlocks for piece of mind. I avoid airing down below 12 for fear of poping a bead. The fact beadlocks are not DOT approved and are difficult if not impossible to balance has kept me away from them. I'm going to get a CO2 setup for air and to reseat a bead if the need arrises.
Once my X is payed off and I purchase another vehicle a solid axle will go in the X. I'm not interested in getting a jeep. I like the look of the X and it is the perfect size for me, not too big, not too small.
IIRC, Summit has beadlocks for around $100 a rim. I believe they are american racing black rock crawlers. There are several people, myself included, running the AR767 now and have been able to avoid serious rubbing problems despite the different offset.