Thank you for the product suggestions.. i'll look up some product reviews and specs as a good starting point
I think that's a good point regarding checking them out in store and testing them for size, feel etc. I find its handy to have a little back ground information before going into a store, as i find they can often just try to sell you what they have excess stock of! :P
As for storage, I wont be taking a lap top due to weight and liability. I do have a 'my passport' hard drive, which I can insert a memory card into and transfer directly to the hard drive. This also connects to my phone via wifi so i can view the images. I used this last year during my travels across Europe to transfer go pro footage.. worked really well as I wasn't weighed down with a laptop.