But I think your best bang for your buck and most useful upgrades are going to come at the Trail Boss/AT4/Tremor/Rebel package level. Those will get you a 1-2 inch lift, some armor along the bottom and usually some slight upgrades on your suspension/shocks. But they won't compromise the "truckability" of the vehicle quite as much.

You will still keep respectable payload, decent tongue weight, and decent towing limits. But you will have some more aggressive rubber and just enough extras that you can tackle almost any off road or work situation you'll encounter.

I've got a Chevy Silverado Trail Boss and I love it. Next time I will step up to a 2500 but will probably stick with the Trail Boss trim. Although the ZR2 trim will be very tempting as long as I don't compromise too much of the payload and limits of the truck (the reason I'd be looking for a 2500 in the first place).