Questions for equipment during travel...?

So I'm going on a roadtrip on summer for 3 weeks to the Grand Canyon and I need:
- a cheap [$500] travelling camera (possibly a mini dv; in stores in BC)
- a converter [FLV to MPEG, MP4] for my Sony Walkman Video MP3

Any experiences on roadtrips, like what to do and what not to do can be appriciated :)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=search&A=search&Q=&sb=bs%2Cupper%28ds%29&sq =asc&ac=&bsi=&bhs=t&ci=1871&shs=&at=Format_Mini+DV &basicSubmit=Submit+Query

Try Prism for converter