.. I ended up towing out a RUBICON Wrangler because he got hung up bad on the ridge between the ruts. He promptly quit wheelin' with us out of embarrassment!
Then that guy doesn't belong in a wheeling environment and acted appropriately.

"Does it have a solid front axle?" When I replied, "No, it's Independent"... they ALL gave a disappointed reaction, even rolled their eyes.
Now, in answer to your question: LINK

But seriously, solid axles are usually stronger and generally able to turn sharper and articulate more. We are again talking about the typical setup found on the average vehicle. IFS is usually built lighter to be more responsive on the road and to improve efficiency by cutting out parasitic losses due to "excess" drivetrain weight found on solid axle setups. When you hit a bump with it, usually you only feel it on the side it hit. On a solid axle you tend to get "pushed over" more. Solid axles also put more unsprung weight down low which is good for stability in off camber situations likely to be found when wheeling. IFS also tends to be more complicated and also more maintenance intensive than your typical solid axle setup. With a solid axle there are less parts to break and they are more durable so you break them less to boot. When you are out in the middle of nowhere, that is a major consideration. Also there tends to be a lot of general knowledge and commonality on solid axle parts vs. IFS. You can find a dana 44, dana 60, or GM 14 bolt in just about any junkyard in america, and the parts for them in any store. With IFS, you never know what you'll need or where to get it unless you have the internet or a dealership handy.