Shocks > No shocks.
My last trailer was a factory made frame kit with a 2000# ish axle. It had leafs, but no shocks...handled OK loaded, and was all over the road when lightly loaded or empty. When I say all over the road, I mean when hitting bumps it was. I think I got it nearly airborne a few times!! It was a utility trailer and honestly was not made for offroad at all, so it never went there.
My new trailer is a CDN M101 with shocks. Empty it floats along behind the XJ, bumps, lumps no problem. Even at highway speeds hitting a divot or pothole and it tracks like a dream. I will not own a trailer without shocks again, but do agree it is a personal use and preference thing. I also like that the OEM shocks for my trailer were speced by the CDN military and are readily available from NAPA ($25.00 each).
Kool start to your build, looking forward to watching another new trailer build!!
Greg