Solid/Affordable photo studio setup, ideas?

This is a perfect thread for photography on the net.

^never used it, but i will now. thanks

-I'd suggest seamless paper over anything else, I have a fiber backdrop and its all wrinkly and hard to shoot on.
-For strobe, get alienbees. Super reliable and great results. A B800 is perfect for sports.
-Get a nice 10 foot stand, doesnt matter if it's air cushioned or not, personal preference.
-for a battery pack, go DIY. Soooo much cheaper. Pick up a 12v 20a battery on ebay for $40, and a Samlex inverter for a little over $100. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR INVERTER. I already have gone through two and have learned to buy a nice one.

oh yea, get cybersyncs over pocketwizards.

IF this is gonna be a close range thing and you're shooting digital you may wanna consider the triggers you can get off ebay. The cactus v4s or whatever they're called are easy to mod to accept AA batteries and have better range/reliability by adding an antenna. Much cheaper then pocket wizards, but cybersyncs are rated highly too.

Any reason you don't want speedlights? I would guess for modifiers but that's not a huge limitation these days.

power output

Unless you're shooting an 18-wheeler in studio or overpowering sunlight indoors, speedlights are very rarely lacking in lumen output, especially when you're using them primarily in the studio. I assume that's where he'll be using them because he's open to non-portable options...