@Dave_Rome have you got a 10-52 13 speed cassette for testing yet?
I would’ve asked you in person last week but you snuck off early!
I’m loving my 13 speed XPLR but I’m still scared of finding myself on a big steep climb with luggage. Today’s ride supposedly had a 10% section but sadly it never got above about 4%. 
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I’m sure I remember reading that the 13 speed XPLR derailleur is not very adjustable and really locked in to only working with the 10-46T cassette.
If you want a bigger sprocket, best option might be to go “mullet”? Does mean buying a new derailleur and dropping down to 12 speed though.
^ The reviews elsewhere have been very positive, and although clearances are tight some have opined that the shifting is actually better than with the stock 10-46 cassette. (The Garbaruk cassettes are also about half the price of Red, not that that’s cheap.) They’re also compatible with XD hubs, so potentially usable on MTBs with an XPLR RD too.
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I’m intrigued but some of my gravel rides bring me so far out places so I’m not really willing to sacrifice reliability, but the idea of doing 13 speed with the gear range of eagle is fascinating.
Your mileage may vary but whenever I have strayed off spec, my shifting has been compromised at least a little.
My conspiracy theory is that SRAM is sandbagging XPLR because they could easily obsolete their road and MTB lineups just by offering a 10-40 and a 10-52 XPLR cassette.
I have not used XPLR or the Gabaruk cassette, but I have a long history of off-group cassette swaps, and can often get them to shift as well or better than OEM. I currently have two 1x13 bikes with SRAM mechanical shifters, Ekar cassette and chain, and Ratio Technology ratchet and chainrings. 10-44 on road, 10-48 on gravel. Both setups are brilliant.
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I’ve got the Garbaruk cassette 10-52 on my ENVE Mog with a SRAM force xplr rear mech and it works perfectly. Same chain length, just a different pulley bearing spacer (supplied with the cassette) and you need to remove a plastic cover from the derailleur cage assembly. Very simple to do and easy instructions from garbaruk. I was skeptical to try having used some of there older 12 speed cassettes and they were very noisy but they improved the quality by a long way. It is still noisy in the 52 and the 10 but my SRAM eagle drive train was too ( one of the downsides of short chain stays).
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Losing a gear and having to pay $$$ for another derailleur is not an option as far as I’m concerned. Thats just a backwards step. IMHO
I meant to mention in my first post that my local mechanic (a well known Canberra Fixer, who Dave knows) swore me off Garbaruk, saying it was garbage!
I’m really hoping that was only based on their older stuff, and the new stuff is good.
The Garbaruk website even says that their V2 cassettes are improved in response to feedback .
This is great to hear, thanks Scott.
The more of these experiences I can read, the better! 
I have definitely wondered similar things - it really p1sses me off that I can’t simply have a range of 13 speed cassettes that work with the one derailleur exactly as you describe, so I can simply swap the cassette to suit whether I’m at home doing bunch rides, or in Japan with panniers as we are now, etc.
In fact I’ve been thinking I’ll start harassing SRAM tech support asking for exactly this!
I initially asked for one before its release. Unfortunately, it never arrived and my contact went cold.
That said, Jack Duncan managed to arrange one for review a couple of weeks ago. So it’s now in his hands.
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Ok!
Now we just need Jack to join the forum! 
I fitted the 13 speed Garbaruk cassette to my wife’s Trek Checkpoint early this year after she found the standard Explr 10-46 didn’t cut it on the steep pitches on or rides in the Sydney hinterlands. The setup has performed flawlessly and can highly recommend you changing your bike gearing. I have a Sram mullet 10-52 (11 sp) on my gravel bike, so ensuring the gearing on my wife’s bike has the same range as mine means there are no complaints on the steep hills!
The Garbaruk kit was easy to fit and tune based on their website instructions and has required no further adjustment since.
We are currently holidaying in France and Spain and riding gravel every day.