Yeah, last year was insane. We have got like one rainy day since February or so.

I now understand why the winch. We are always solo, in fact, we have never driven an AZ or MT trail in company, only in UT and CO. We have done some very remote AZ trails in our Outback with some mud along the way. It sure gets your heart racing, driving with little kids 30-40 miles from nearest pavement and facing some mud.

Anyway. The 650lb springs will probably feel smoother on road once you put the bumper. Looks like your weights won't be extreme enough for 700. And I assume you won't be going all that fast on rough terrain with all the loads anyway. So you may actually get the best of both worlds: heavier load making for an even nicer ride on road and lesser loads allowing for faster trail driving.

I wish I had an answer about the rear. I read too many stories about 5160 leaking early and Bilstein themselves did not make a strong case for it when I contacted them. Their short term warranty on the 5160 was a warning sign.

That said, is the Icon 2.0 or Fox 2.0 without resi really re-buildable? Technically yes, but in practice....

I suppose an Icon 2.0 with resi or Fox 2.0 with resi will last a lot longer than without. And those are definitely rebuildable. Accutune can get you a Fox 2.0 valved better than the harsh factory option and if you get LSC you may be able to stiffen from there for the interstate. But I don't know anything for sure beyond what I have tried myself.

I would love to try all shocks because I think it is fun but since nobody is offering to pay for that, lol, I am thinking going straight to Blstein 8100 in the rear and then 8112 front 3-4 years later. I very much fear going to a mid-level to then only pay again for a top setup.

For you, I have no idea what would be best, but here are the three options I would contemplate if I were in your shoes:

Fox 2.0 with resi, LSC and Accutune valving
Icon 2.0 with resi
5160

I had no experience with performance products when choosing the first time so I may have taken negative comments made on this forum about the 5160 too seriously. When pushed, none of these would last very long and 5160 is the cheapest plus made to work with 6112. So it may not be a bad start.

Btw, my backup to 8100 rears seems to be the Dobs MRA at half the price but still lots of adjustability. Will see. That is a lot more than 5160 but rebuildable and really adjustable. It is only fractionally more than an Accutune valved Fox 2.0 with adjuster.

Good luck!