I'd start looking here for armor. I run the stage 3 lite steel package. You feel the added weight initially and then that fades, similar to sliders. Simply put, this armor gives one more confidence when the opportunities present themselves on the trail. Front bumper you need to decide if you want a full bullbar or the non-loop variant, then go shopping. good luck. IMHO you dont need a winch or front bumper to enjoy this ride / trip. The OE front bumper takes a lot of abuse with no added weight. If anything I'd look at making sure your recovery points are solid and if not then upgrade those and buy some good recovery gear. Enjoy your trip and make some good memories.
Hey, thanks for the thoughts there - I was looking at his site a few days ago, but my concern is that if we're 10-12 weeks out from a BudBuilt delivery then I'll miss having the gear on the truck for the trip.
Agreed re: bumper and winch, it's more of a while-I'm-there sort of thing. We were at Breck 2 years ago and I didn't see anyone in our groups get stuck. Already have traction boards and some good straps and tree savers and clevis shackles etc. in a bag even so.