Monopods, tripods, and ballheads

I use4 an old pan-tilt on a tripod my dad got back in the early eighties. The tripod is an aluminum battleship, but it works well. If I ever get some really big glass or buy some sheet film for my sister-in-laws 4x5 I have something to put them on. Because of the high price of a good tripod and ball head I'm still using this old beast. I played around with a good Bogen Manfrotto set up at a camera store but balked at shelling out over $500 for it. I really liked it but the bank account said no. If I start doing more events or dynamic situations I'll have to bite the bullet and get a good tripod and go for a ball head this time. I didi like it beter tham the pan-tilt. Since most of the things I'm shooting now aren't going anywhere anytime soon I'll stick with what i've got.
I also have a super cheap compact pan-tilt that came with a little camera I bought for my wife that I do carry sometimes. I works good when I'm foot downtown because it's lightweight and fits in the backpack when folded up. It's pretty flimsy and get out of balance with an SLR on it so I have to be extra careful when I use it.

My legs are Bogen 3001PRO, about $135 if I remember right.  They are aluminum and completely sufficient for a SLR I think.  Maybe not enough for a view camera.  I am currently using a pistol grip style ball head (Bogen 322RC2) that runs about $125 I think.  $260 isn't cheap, but it's a lot less than $500.  Also, I don't see the need to replace it anytime soon.  I pack this setup on a backpack in the mountains and under extreme conditions, I have had in very cold weather and it has been through some severe beatings.  I am not easy on equipment.  I use it in my home studio and on location, for wildlife, landscapes, portraits, in machine shops, in churches, you name it.  It goes everywhere my camera goes.  I don't think it is very expensive at all when you consider all that I do with it.  However I understand that no funds makes everything expensive, I've been there also so I'm not judging or trying to be pushy.  Any tripod is better than no tripod for sure, but I'm very happy with mine and I have no intention of ever going back to the light-duty ones.  I would like a carbon-fiber one, but I can't really justify it as I'm young enough and healthy enough that the slightly heavier aluminum isn't a problem for me.

I will offer a suggestion though concerning ball heads; the pistol grip is not useable for fast moving subjects like sports action or flying birds.  I've missed more shots than I'd care to admit because of it.  My recommendation for this is a small, light-duty ball head on a monopod so you have freedom of movement and agility with your equipment.  I am not coordinated enough to squeeze the grip on my head with my left hand and maneuver the camera while trying to press the shutter with my right hand and keep anything moving in the viewfinder.  The pistol grip is good when I can position my camera and then leave it while I shoot.  If you want to move the camera and shoot the pistol grip style is a hindrance in my opinion.

Travis