Portable Lighting Equipment for newbie

[Photographer Greece]

Dear Experts, I need your help. I mainly do outdoor portraits. I already have an EX580 II and I want to shoot off camera.
I need a second cheap speedlight with comparable power (maybe more) to my EX580 II.
I am going to put them together at the same tripod when I need more power.
I am living in Greece, so ebay is preferable but not the only way.
Please suggest
a) Which speedlight should I buy? E-TTL is optional. HSS is necessary. Can I trigger them simultaneously? In the past I had bad experiences with yongnuo. But if there are no other reliable speedlights I will buy again. Maybe Godox is ok? Instead of speedlight, is there any affordable yet portable strobe and combatible with the triggers?
b) Which triggers should I buy? (cheap – reliable)
c) I need a light and as stable as possible tripod. (Ok I know that stability and lightweight cannot be combined easily)
d) What is the extra equipment If I want to put the speedlights together on the tripod?
e) How can I protect my speedlights in case of tripod falling? Is there anything to cover them as a protection or something?
f) What can I put in front of the speedlights to soften the light?
Although I am on a tight budget, I do not mind to spend a few more $$ to buy more reliable equipment.
Please accept my apologies for the bad English and for posting so many questions.

 

[Village Idiot]

A second 580 EXII will double your power giving you only one stop of light. That means you can go from properly exposed at f/2.8 to f/4. If you really need more power for out doors, you can get a cheaper monolight and battery most likely.

 

[tirediron]

Dear Experts, I need your help. I mainly do outdoor portraits. I already have an EX580 II and I want to shoot off camera.
I need a second cheap speedlight with comparable power (maybe more) to my EX580 II.
I am going to put them together at the same tripod when I need more power.
I am living in Greece, so ebay is preferable but not the only way.
Please suggest
a) Which speedlight should I buy? E-TTL is optional. HSS is necessary. Can I trigger them simultaneously? In the past I had bad experiences with yongnuo. But if there are no other reliable speedlights I will buy again. Maybe Godox is ok? Instead of speedlight, is there any affordable yet portable strobe and combatible with the triggers? Metz speedlights are excellent; I don't have a particular model to suggest, but there are lots on eBay
b) Which triggers should I buy? (cheap – reliable) Yongnuo or Cactus are well regarded, inexpensive triggers, if you have a little more money than Pocket Wizard is the way to go.
c) I need a light and as stable as possible tripod. (Ok I know that stability and lightweight cannot be combined easily)
d) What is the extra equipment If I want to put the speedlights together on the tripod? You will need a speedlight umbrella bracket and a light stand.
e) How can I protect my speedlights in case of tripod falling? Is there anything to cover them as a protection or something? Use sandbags on the light stand and be careful.
f) What can I put in front of the speedlights to soften the light? Umbrellas and soft boxes are the most common speedlight modifiers.
Although I am on a tight budget, I do not mind to spend a few more $$ to buy more reliable equipment.
Please accept my apologies for the bad English and for posting so many questions.

I've answered what I can above. Check out Flashpoint monolights on eBay; they're a well-regarded, consumer grade line which might suit your needs, 'though the HSS might not happen.