most economical yet solid strobe set needed

[LarryAB]

I'll throw another vote for Alien Bees. They have a solid reputation for good reason, and for the money it's hard to do better. The accessories and replacement flash tubes are reasonably priced, and the customer service is as good as it gets. Also, the Vagabond battery system is a really cool upgrade down the line.

Since you love outdoor shooting, take your 'bees with you... Shot this with a B800 with a beauty dish powered by a Vagabond battery pack.

[Clint]

I gotta get a vagabond....

[Al_Nowak]

One cool thing about the Bee's many people overlook is that you can send them back and have them upgraded to higher power levels. Say you start out with a B400. You can have it bumped up to a B600 or B800 for the cost difference in the basic units and a service fee. I am not aware of any other strobe company that will match that offer.