2 questions...and opinions needed

I am deciding what type of bag to get...backpack vs. slingshot or shoulder bag. My main reason for wanting a backpack is comfort on my bony shoulders. 2nd main reason is I tend to have butter fingers and feel that a back pack will force me to stop, put down the bag and crouch over to change lenses.....as opposed to standing and doing it....ie giving me the chance to drop something.

2nd question is I need a decent tripod for 40d. Budget $100-200. Still doing a lot of research and may wait on purchasing this for a few months. I am an amateur.

Well, if you want to have to stop and put down the bag in order to change lenses, a backpack's certainly the right choice. But you may not always be able to find a decent place to put the pack down (wet, dirty, rough, etc. - remember - usually the part of the pack that rests on the ground will be the part that goes against your back). A good shoulder bag will let you work directly over it, even though it's still on your shoulder. I use Domke bags of various sizes, depending on how much gear I'm carrying, and never had droppage problems. But you don't say what you'll be carrying. If we know what you need to carry a specific recommendation will be easier.

On the tripod, you may want to wait and accumulate a bit more money. It's much more economical to buy one expensive tripod than several cheaper ones as you work your way up to the expensive one you could have bought at first.

Backpack Pro: evenly distributes weight on back (better on spine); forces you to slow down your shooting.

Backpack Con: may force you to put backpack somewhere wet or muddy (what do you do if you are wading thru a stream or swamp?), to get something out; slows you down more than you'd like

Shoulder bag Pro: Does not slow you down unnecessarily; easier to retrieve most things without having to set down bag in the water or mud

Shoulder bag Con: Does not slow you down, machine gunner! puts most of the weight on one shoulder (not so good on spine);

Slingshot bag Pro: Does not slow you down unnecessarily; easier to retrieve most things without having to set down bag in the water or mud

Slingshot bag Con: Does not slow you down, machine gunner! awkward shape to set down to retrieve things when they are buried.