equipment...

regarding recording equipment, I have the Zoom H4, which is probably pretty similar to the edirol you're looking at. I also have a higher quality stereo mic, and on the other end of the scale, my iPhone works fine as a quick and dirty recorder for notes and so on. I have a relatively decent point and shoot digital camera, also. What I do not have at all is any video camera. I had thought it would be good to have one for the trip, so maybe that's a good use of your budget? something to think about...