When choosing to add a winch to your 97-06 Jeep Wrangler, the first thing to consider is how you'd like to mount it.
You have two mounting choices. First, you could use a winch mounting plate, which allows you to keep your stock bumper. Second, you could replace your stock bumper with an upgraded one, which has an integrated winch mount.
Either way, if you go out to off-road alone, a winch can give you that extra peace-of-mind knowing that if you get stuck, you've got a way out.