For those of you who run an 8.8, I'm looking into running a spool on my XJ. Running 35" tires, and a trail only rig, (driven to trails) but that's it. What are the opinions on this compared to a full case locker? I know it's harder on tires but for a trail only rig..? Plus for around $150 on summit that's a deal.

Thanks all!

I have a 8.8 that is welded & on 35s. I noticed that I have more tire wear in one day of wheeling than the 6 months it spent as a DD.
I was worried at first about it breaking while offroad but would replace it in a heartbeat with a spool if it ever did. The only downside is that in certain situations the rear will try to push around instead of forcing the front to climb.
Since its a trail only rig I would definitely go with a spool. Cheap & reliable.

But tire wear is a killer even on the trail? Wouldn't that be equivalent to a locker on the trail?

spools are great in the rear, especially trail only. strong, cheap, light. making sharp turns is a bit more difficult but that's the trade off for the cash savings. and in a trail only rig, small creature comforts may not be your biggest priority.

I drive my rig to the trail only, its a toy. I wasted both my rear tires pretty fast (much faster than my tires with the full case locker in the rear)

The reason for the tire wear offroad is heating/drying them to climb rocks in wet conditions or just spinning the tires in general. Welded rear is just like a locker.

I have ran 5 different street/strip cars over the years with spools and not a big problem but lots cheaper than a Detroit just buy a better quality one. When I ran Dirt Track cars we used mostly mini-spools in them as they were cheap easy on the ford 9" rears not much breakage, that we kept setup for quick gear changes.