you guys are losing my point. You lose skill by relying on the locker. When it does break (it's an ARB, that's when, not if) and you actually have to rely on your skill, you will be SOL, using lines like "Man, I can get up this with a locker, there's no way in hell I can do it without... WINCH!"

Relying on the locker is but a crutch. I have seen people outwheel the most modified rigs with nothing but a 50 yr old Land Rover with open diffs and bald tires and a mastery of what his vehicle can and can't do.

You guys seem to think not using the locker requires bashing the truck into the ground, and that I am afraid, is because you have not learned how to finesse a vehicle without the crutches. You are a perfect example of what I was trying to explain to Doc earlier. The more mods, the lower the trail IQ. A locker does give you traction that will not be gained with an open diff, but if you think of it, it doesn't give you any more clearance. So technically, someone who is masterful at throttle and braking could potentially traverse the same terrain without a locker.

There are a few obstacles that it becomes obvious that a locker is the only way over it (at least for you) and that is when you engage it.

Do you use nitrous to get out of your driveway? No, why not? Because you don't need it.