It's an individual preference kind of thing to me. I don't like a heavy bipod hanging off my rifle. My son in law wouldn't be without his tall Harris bipod and he is an excellent shot who can deploy them very quickly. For brand new shooters the bipod is easier to use and faster but is limited by tall grass and brush. The do make a nice rifle kick stand to keep your gun out of the dirt.
I practice prone off my pack(never used in the field yet) off one knee, seated off both knees (my favorite and most accurate) seated off the pack, seated and standing with the tall Primos tripod trigger sticks, I settled on the tall tripod because they make great walking sticks and are tall enough to get above the brush. I use camouflage tape all down the lower portion of the legs an it makes them much quieter and less reflective.
With no time constraints I would likely use both my pack and sticks and rest my back on a tree but I've never found that in the real world yet do I don't practice that way. Yes I can shoot off hand with a sling but that is inferior to a good rest.
