Inflation adjusted bonds?

First of all, thanks for everybody who has contributed to this reddit. It has been invaluable in our path to retirement. We are nearing retirement. Current allocation is BND plus a small amount of SGOV I'm currently liking the idea about adding some inflation-protected bonds, something like VTIP/VTP/TIP/VIPSX, etc. Can someone explain the pros and cons of the different inflation adjusted bond funds? I know VTIP has the shortest duration, does that simply mean it will be less volatile and also generally return less? Also, does anyone have any general feedback/suggestions about owning inflation adjusted bonds? Are they useful in a portfolio, a good idea? bad? personal preference? My thinking is that they could ease the pain in certain economic conditions such as stagflation, without an unacceptable amount of drag on the overall portfolio.