My second bike, a 1959 BSA Spitfire Scrambler, had a bobbed rear fender. When I ran through mud and water, it would put a muddy streak up the back of my jacket. My current has a fender eliminator. It hasn't hit the muddy water yet. Not as much of that around here as riding in the woods of Wyoming.
Or the bottom line is, that if you like off road riding, expect to come home with stripes.
Bare