I was thinking about how I can get better gas mileage, and one way is to carry less weight and another is to improve the aerodynamics. Since I keep my TC on the truck 99% of the time, I did both by removing the camper jacks.
It took about 15 minutes to unscrew the 3 bolts that fasten each jack to the camper. The jacks seem to weigh about 50 pounds each, and have the aerodynamics of a brick, so it's bound to help in better mileage. Plus they rattle whenever I go on any non-paved road.
So what's the downside? I suppose if and when I need to take the TC off the truck, it'll take an extra 15 minutes reattaching the jacks to the camper. Plus I guess there could be an emergency situation where I would need to remove the camper from the truck when away from home, but that's probably a remote possibility at best.
I took my jacks off for a while when I was really worrying about shaving off weight, they weighed about 40 lbs each. The bad thing is that I didn't gain any mpg and there were times when I wanted to take the camper off and couldn't- so now they are back on.
There was a time, with another TC, I took the jacks off. My experience was the same as F100jetmech's.
If you do not have the need to have the jacks on, I can see many reasons to take them off, as you posted and if you do a lot of offroad camping, as does jefe.
With the normal camper which has a barn door frontal area I doubt the jacks would add enough frontal area to amount to much. It looks like you have a pop type camper. Has a much lower frontal area so the jacks may be more of an effect. When I had an Alaskan it was in the back country most of the time. The jacks would have been a problem in that I probably would have ripped them off in much of the country I would go in.
I don't take the TC off much either, however I do use my jacks for both levelling and stabilizing. I have quik loads for my Happijacs, and remote Atwood jacks. I have levels in the right rear corner of the TC, so levelling and stabilizing is a 2 minute proposition. Can't imagine living without the jacks.
My question is why the jacks are external. It seems like if the camper is going to be 7" wider (or whatever) thanks to the jacks, manufacturers need to make the campers 7" wider (more useful space) and build in the jacks. Having them hanging out on the outside seems wasteful - unless of course you remove them (in which case you may still have the brackets hanging in the wind, killing some of the aero advantages of removing them.) Of course some other accessories hang on the outside too (awnings, notably) so really to gain an advantage, you'd want everything built-in. Perhaps this will occur as mileage becomes more of a factor.
Most jacks are round pipe type and it would seem as though they would present very actual drag on the vehicle. Additionally, the air traveling along side of the truck is not always directed directly along the side but outwards from the effects of the camper, windshield and the front of the vehicle.
Also, for those who have the fold in front jacks, they potentially could assist in moving the air around the leading edge of the camper.
Likewise, the rear jacks, at least on my truck don't protrude out much on the side but are at least half way tucked behind the camper.
From the pictures that of the pop up, the jacks would also be tucked half way in on the front and back.
You will of course have less weight. But, I am not sure how much benefit you could actually gain. The combined weight is not much more than an average person. In my case less.
I also, like many, like to remove my TC while camping, use them for stabilizing and sometimes for leveling. So I benefit more by leaving them on.
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