yo, i went through this exact same situation last year. i was sooo worried about ruining the ride quality by turning the truck into a lead weight... Honestly, the Bilsteins are robust, but you definitely feel it if you go overboard. i spent a few months comparing weight specs cuz i didnt want the rear to sag or lose that high-speed damping. basically, i compared these for my build:

* White Knuckle Off Road Ram TRX Rock Sliders - heavy DOM steel, but saved my doors on a technical trail.
* RCI Offroad Ram 1500 TRX Rock Sliders - thinner profile which helps with the breakover angle.
* Go Rhino 2.0 Sport Bar - nice and modular for lights without being a massive cage.

im really happy with where my build ended up... it still jumps like a beast but i dont cringe every time i hear a rock scrape. just keep an eye on that total payload, right??

Ok so, first off, congrats on the TRX! Honestly, it's the best truck I've ever owned. I totally get the worry about the weight cuz those Bilstein Black Hawks are tuned so perfectly from the factory. I've spent the last three years tweaking mine for desert runs and technical trails, and here's what I've learned...

For rock sliders, you gotta look at the ADD Offroad Stealth Fighter Rock Sliders for Ram 1500 TRX. They're basically the industry standard for this truck. They mount tight to the body so you arent losing ground clearance, but they're beefy enough to take a hit. I've banged mine on some jagged rocks in Moab and they held up great.

As for the chase rack, if you want to keep weight down but still have that "aggressive" look, the Go Rhino 2.0 Sport Bar is a solid choice. It's light but sturdy enough for a big light bar. Speaking of lights, definitely go with Baja Designs S8 50 inch LED Light Bar. The amber backlight looks killer at night.

One thing people forget is a bed-mounted spare. If you're doing technical stuff, the Mopar TRX Bed-Mounted Spare Tire Carrier is a must. It keeps the weight centered over the rear axle which actually helps the suspension feel more planted. Tbh, as long as you dont add like 1,000 lbs of gear, those shocks handle it like a champ. gl with the build! 👍

Ugh, I'm literally in the same boat and it's honestly super frustrating. I've been scouring the forums for like three weeks now trying to find gear that doesn't cost a fortune or weigh a ton, but everything out there seems to compromise the performance somehow.

• I bought this truck a month ago and I'm still stuck with zero protection because I can't find anything affordable that actually fits my needs.
• Every rock slider I look at is either way too heavy or just cheap junk that looks like it'll bend the first time it hits a pebble.
• I'm really worried about the weight thing too, especially with how much we paid for those fancy shocks. It's just disappointing that there aren't more middle-of-the-road options that don't feel like a total ripoff... literally haven't found a single thing I'm happy with yet.