Quote Originally Posted by Ron Kruger
...In the meantime, I've received a Manfrotto monopod and will be testing that in the woods. I've used it a couple of times and am pleased with the results, but I still don't know if it will be versitle enough to carry everywhere.
Since you're new to using a monopod, I'll be curious to hear what you think in the coming months with it.

While I realize that a tripod is steadier (I own 3), I don't recall ever using one with my 300mm or 500mm (3 years and 8 months old respectively) - but I do use a monopod nearly every chance I get. In my parts with my kind of subjects, speed to capture trumps maximum stability almost every time.