CombatDiver

I accept the fact that this question is riddled with opinions and I will give mine. There is a danger in airing down and that is your tire either slips off the rim or you get yourself really stuck. Growing up we would air down after getting stuck and never needed anything more than a shovel and a come along to get us out. The exception is when doing slick solid surfaces (like rocks). Some require airing down to begin with (and depending on where you go you may only get one chance at it before disastrous consequences). So the conclusion to my opinion is air down preemptively for rocks and when needed for sand and mud. Same goes for activating the 4 wheel drive. We would only use it when we stopped moving and hardly ever got stuck that way. When you get stuck using all the above you really get stuck!

Thebucksters

I would not be too worried about breaking the bead unless you are in water or another spot you cant jack up. Just get as level as you can, chock the wheels, jack it up, clean the rim as best as you can and air it up. Keep the rim lubed with some water while you do, an DONT get your fingers any where near the rim. When you hear the pop, check the pressure. You are good to go.
I run in dunes with 33" Toyos at 8-10 psi. Sometimes you catch a front tire at too much of an angle in transition and it just rolls with a pop. 5 minutes later, we are back in action. If this does happen, i would recommend taking it to a garage a bit later to have it remounted. That way you can clean out whatever junk might have gotten inside.