Improved departure angle isn't enough of a reason to go bumperless especially being that there are a lot of good bumpers out there that offer good clearance as is. Cutting off the a structural part of your frame designed to help provide rigidity and pull a trailer from just to gain a tad bit more departure angle is just stupid or at least to me anyway. So what, you hit your bumper coming off a ledge - no big deal. The biggest reasons to go bumperless is weight savings and being that I carry such a big heavy spare and a ton of gear, getting rid of my bumper was helpful. As far as my exposed corners go, all I can say is that I've yet to see them get hit. Of course, I'm just a mall crawler so you can take that for what it's worth.
