I too like the BFG's, they got a bad reputation somewhere along the line, but I have yet to slice a sidewall, I know there are those who have, but I have had good luck with both the AT's and the MT's. A lot of people also run MTR's, good sidewalls for the Sierra granite, my buddies that run them swear by them and also haven't sliced up a sidewall. Another tire that really impressed me on a few trails are the Xterrain's, nice grip and flex, though they are pricey. The only downside to teh Xterrains is they are a soft tread compound, so you wouldn't get good highway mileage out of them if they are on a DD rig. I am not sure about the type of mileage you can get out of the MTR's, my buddies who run them only run them on their rigs to and from the trial, those that also use their rigs as a daily run an AT on the street. I have always gotten good mileage out of the BFG's, upwards of 70k on the AT's and about 50k out of the MT's before they are nolonger good as a trail tire.

Check the used tire sections here, on MArlin, and Pirtate, as well as craiglist for your area, there usually always someone looking to move their 33 or less tires, usually for about $50/tire.