Okay, my disclaimer for everyone who's pet peeve I am treading near. I did look all around before posting this! I have been working through Strobist (the videos are super helpful) and dg28.com, but I think it will make more sense if I actually have the gear, I really couldn't tell a pocket wizard from Harry Potter.
So my question would be what do I need for my canon 40D that will help me to start practicing some off camera lighting? Right now I just need the most budget friendly options. Do I need a synch cord, what kind of flash can I use?
I have 5 weddings over the next 2 months and I would like to have some lighting options besides my dorky little flash. All I have right now is an OLD 155A Speedlite.
My list so far:
Sunpak 120j or a Vivitar 285HV
gadget infinity cactus v2 triggers (don't really understand these, their wireless right?)
A light stand
Is this all I need?
Do I need any cords?
Anyone have success with ebay for the triggers?

Thanks for any advice!

Leah,
Ok so it looks like you're at least trying to do your homework which is cool, so knowing that I'll put up some thoughts. It's those that just ask and you can tell they just want the easy way out that rub me the wrong way. Ok, enough about that.

Some of that stuff, I have no idea what it is. I only know what I have and use so I'll let you know what that is and maybe it will push you in the right direction. BTW, I bought all my stuff before the Radio Poppers had come out, so they may be the better way to go, but I ahve no real input there.

Mark III camera
3 Pocket Wizard II's (They come with the cords you need to attach the flash to the PW unit)
2 light stands with bounce and shoot through umbrellas

You put one PW unit on your camera
mount one flash and one PW to each stand
Take the wires that came with the PW's and put one end in the flash socket on the PW then the other end in your flash (You have to have flashes that will accept that flash cord. You can generally find that out online or at a store)

Turn them on and have fun learning from there. Is that what you wanted to know or did I miss something? Cause I'm willing to help if I can.

Search around and you'll find reports that the Vivitar 285's are either the greatest thing since sliced bread, or a total waste of money. For the $100 you'll spend on a Vivitar, I would (and have...several times) purchase a used Nikon manual flash (SB-24,25,26,28) from ebay or something. They are built like tanks, and you can find them in very good condition quite easily. Granted, you're not going to be able to pop it on top of your 40D (I shoot Canon as well), but for the money, you can't go wrong.

For triggering, you can either use a PC sync chord (cheap, but rather fragile), the Gadget Infinity Cactus wireless triggers (cheap, but may not work reliably, reports vary), or move into the more expensive options like Skyports, Flashwaves, and Pocket Wizards.

Apparently Pocket Wizards come with the required cables. Skyports do not. I'm not sure about the Gadget Infinity triggers.

Your first light stand doesn't have to be expensive. $20-30 is pretty standard for a cheap light stand. Then just get an umbrella swivel, a shoot-through or reflective umbrella (some are convertible and do both), and you're in business.

Mark and Brian, thanks so much for all your input, and breaking it down to the basics for me. My next question would be, do you think the below kit is worth it? It comes with the items you mentioned and I have read about the snoots and gels, but are these something you use often or should I just by peice by peice?
I am looking at the "Starving Student Wireless Kit (SW2)" offered by Midwest Photo, it comes with all the items listed below. I can get the kit with the vivitar flash for $90 more but I think I will search around for the SB-24, 25, 26 or 28
The kit sells for $129. Worth it? Or would I never use half of this? Thanks and hope this makes sense!

Includes:
1 - Vivitar 285HV Shoe Mount Flash
1 - 8ft. Air Cushioned Light Stand
1 - Cactus V2s Wireless Radio Slave set (Transmitter and Receiver)
1 - Westcott 43” Compact Umbrella - Soft Silver
1 - Rosco Pro Color Correction Gel Pack
1 - DIY Grid, Barndoor, Snoot kit
1 - CTA Ni-MH 2700mAh AA 4-pack Battery w/Rapid Charger
1 - Bongo Elastic Ties (10 pack)
1 - Umbrella Swivel
1 - Nano Gaffer Tape roll 1"x8yds

The cool part about the flashwaves and GI (Cactus Brand Ebay) triggers is that they have a hotshoe. The flash simply slides right into them.

If you just want to get started, that kit is a good price. It's cheaper than buying everything separately.

I have the vivitars and GI triggers and they work well for me. Granted, the vivitars only have 4 manual settings (full, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/16) but that usually is enough. You can move the flash closer or farther away if you're needing more control.

The basic stuff I use all the time:
flash
stand
trigger
umbrella adapter (swivel)
umbrella

Those alone add up to more than $129 if you bought them at B&H, so consider the other stuff freebies.

Shan

Ok, I have no idea what most of that means! Do the settings control the amount of light, how do you know which one to set it on? Do you have to change it every time you adjust your camera's settings? Thanks, for your help Shan!

Well, I use them like they are studio strobes.

For example, I'll set the flash on 1/2 power, put it about 10 feet away from my subject (with an umbrella) and set my camera on manual mode, ISO 200, 1/125, f5.6 and take a picture.

If it's too bright, I'll either turn my f-stop up, my iso down, or the flash power down. If the image is too dark, I'll turn my f-stop down, ISO up, or turn my flash to full power.

There's no communication between the flash and the camera. It has no idea how much (if any!) extra light will be on the scene when it triggers the flash, so automatic modes generally don't work.

(Av mode does, but that's a totally different story, and better explained once you have played a bit!)

Have you ever used a studio strobe? This will be very similar. If you haven't, don't fret - it's not that hard. Just remember that shutter speed won't have any affect on the flash (unless you go faster than 1/200 of a second shutter speed, and get the shadow of the shutter over your image). ISO and Aperture Value (f-stop) are the only things that affect your flash (from the camera standpoint). If your subject gets closer to the flash, it will be brighter. If they move away from the flash, it will be darker.

I'll post a video just for you on my tutorials blog, to give you an idea of how easy it is in real life - it's much harder to explain in a post than actually doing it!

Shan

What 'tchoo talkin' bout willis? You can most definately put a nikon strobe on a canon, you just have to use it manually, just like if you put a sunpak 383 super (My personal fav) or a vivitar in the hot shoe.

good catch. i should have added "with any automatic features".

This video is so good I wish I would have shot it...

For the basics of gear and how they all attach to each other ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKAD7leNOVY

Which light? A light is a light is a light. As long as you can get it in manual mode you are good to go. An old Nikon speedlight like an SB28 is a great choice as mentioned above.

Cheers,
Zack

Shan, thanks for all the info. I will keep checking to see when you have the video up, it definatly makes more sense to see it!

Zack, OK, that made things MUCH easier to understand, I think several lightbulbs just lite up in my brain...Thanks for the link!

Ok, another question. Can I basically use any flash (no matter if it was intended for film or digital, or Canon or Nikon) as long as I am using it off camera? Specifically, I am looking at a Sunpak PZ 4000AF...

Yes, you can use any flash. One of the things to look for in a flash is the manual settings.... there is no need for an off-camera flash to be fancy (expense) like the 580EXII. Don't know much about that particular Sunpak, however I use 2x Sunpak 383 for my off-camera work.

I went through the same thing as you, so ask away and I'll answer as much as I can.