OK, for those of you who have heard this story already, I apologize in advance. For those who have not, I also apologize in advance.
What smoker to purchase? Let us begin!
For 20+ years I had been using a Weber 22.5" Kettle grill and shunned all things propane. I was a purist and believed that charcoal was the only "real" way to cook food outdoors. I learned everything I could about charcoal grilling techniques and could cook everything from steaks, chicken and chops to whole roasts and turkeys using both direct and indirect cooking methods. I dabbled in ribs too but never got the kind of result that I hoped for. I eventually came to the conclusion that the only way to get real "barbequed" ribs was to slow cook them in a real smoker. I made the decision to get one but had to make the decision that you are now faced with of which one or, more specifically, which kind of smoker to get.
My budget was only about $400 so I was limited in choice between a backyard sized offset smoker or a bullet style smoker like a WSM. I did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions and eventually decided to get an offset because I liked the idea of having to tend (i.e., play with) the fire in the firebox. The smoker I bought was a Bar-B-Chef offset from Barbeques Galore and I used it like a mad man for about a year and a half. We even did our first ever competition using that little offset and the trusty old Weber Kettle. I learned a lot about fire control during that year and cooked a lot of really bad, but damn tasty to me, barbeque. It was about that time that I received a WSM as a birthday present and the whole world of barbeque changed for me.
WSMs are much more stable cookers than their offset cousins and all of the things I learned about fire control made using them even easier than they already are. The quality of my food improved dramatically. We had already made the decision that we were going to try our hand at competing so we bought 3 more WSMs and those 4 cookers became our competition arsenal and we have no intention of using anything else. That might change someday but I don't see it happening any time soon.
Now I told you that because I think it is important to understand that my needs about what I wanted from my cooking equipment changed during that first year and a half. I started out just wanting to have fun cooking real "low and slow" barbeque in my own backyard but I ended up having a desire to compete. I eventually switched from the offset, which still have but never use, to the WSMs because they would allow me to do everything I wanted from the offset but would also allow me to compete.
The best advice I can give you is to first decide what you want from your smoker, (backyard fun, catering, competition, etc.), and then focus your attention on the type of smokers that will meet those needs. You also need to be fair about what your budget is and realize that your needs and/or desires might change over time and you might need different gear to meet those needs.
Oh, and as for what Mike calls "roll up", there's nothing quite like rolling up with a trailer filled with little ol' WSMs and then "rolling out" at the end of the event, past those big trailer smokers, with a few big trophies in tow!