My previous ISP supported static IPs, but I never bothered to chase after them to provide a reverse DNS mapping for my domain. Now that I’m using NCF DSL, the admins there are able to accommodate my request for a reverse DNS mapping.
Having a proper PTR record isn’t critical. For years, even prior to having a static IP, I was hosting a webserver using dynamic DNS. Once I had a static IP, I was able to reliably host my own email – however there were a few friends who’s ISPs were pretty aggressive about tagging email from my domain as spam. While my static IP wasn’t on any blacklists, it didn’t pass the Forward Confirmed Reverse DNS test (FCrDNS).
As of this weekend, lowtek.ca will pass a FCrDNS test – which in theory will help email flow more smoothly.
Most of my friends have opted for much simpler configurations. Using either a hosting company to provide their domain services, or in at least one case using the free version of Google Apps For Your Domain to handle email. Certainly much simpler – but from my point of view, not nearly as much fun.