No right or wrong answers here. If you are willing to accept that your jeep may no longer be "new" after Alaska then go for it. If the jeep is a "cool" factor for you you then go for it.
We towed our 04 CRV for 60,000 miles in the lower 48 without a scratch. But then "Welcome to Alaska" where we had significant paint damage and a broken windshield. But no MH windshield damage but a number of rocks from other vehicles did hit the MH.
I was in denial about providing any protection for the car. Since then I now believe that the horizontal shield is the best possible protection for the toad. Plus if you have the large heavy rubber mudflap on the back of the rig leave it at home as it causes problems.