Travel Technology - Inexpensive portable electronic note-taking device?

Going away for 2 weeks soon, as Im traveling backpacker-style, Im hoping to take as little as possible on my trip...my 15" laptop is a bit heavy and bulky and would probably get damaged if I brought it along, but I'd really like something to type out various notes and thoughts on...don't need anything fancy, just something with a keyboard, screen, and the ability to transfer to a PC somehow after I return home...the best thing I saw was this PDA/keyboard combo for $200 which is a little pricey (ideally, I'd like to spend $100-150 at most on this)...am I missing out on some other hidden gem? If not, any thoughts on the combo below? The reviews on the CC site are ok, but I saw a lot of bad reviews for the Palm model on other sites which worries me a bit...

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Palm-Tungsten-E2-PDA-and-Wireless-Keyboard-Package-1045ML-/sem/rpsm/oid/147274/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Thanks,
N674UW

A low end PocketPC will handwriting recognition software may do the trick for you.

I'd be on Ebay looking for a deal on something perhaps like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/Casio-Fiva-501M40E-Mini-Tablet-Laptop-1-8-lbs-Keyboard_W0QQitemZ6890290327QQihZ013QQcategoryZ399 80QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) or something like a Libretto (http://cgi.ebay.com/Libretto-CT50-50CT-4GB-32MB-CDROM-Expansion_W0QQitemZ9736790405QQihZ008QQcategoryZ42 206QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) might fill the bill. Older subnotebooks are GREAT for word processing and note taking and they're tiny. A windows CE device would possibly work even better. This (http://cgi.ebay.com/Good-condition-NEC-MobilePro-900-with-extra-accessories_W0QQitemZ9738883760QQcategoryZ38331QQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem) form factor has great battery life, but I'd recommend a separate memory card to back up your files. Still, WELL within the budget and size.

Going away for 2 weeks soon, as Im traveling backpacker-style, Im hoping to take as little as possible on my trip...[/url]

Thanks,
N674UW

By backpacker style do you mean hiking/camping type trip or traveling with a backpack and staying in hotels etc.

if hiking/camping I would suggest a simple notebook and pens and pencils
it always seems to work for me

Maybe one of the Alphasmart products would be suitable? The Neo for example runs for 700 hours on AA batteries and weighs about 2 lbs.

Perhaps one of the newer Nokia Communicators (i.e. 9300 or 9500), second hand on Ebay? The advantage of one of these is that you can stick a local SIM in and use it as a phone and perhaps even for internet and email access.

I'm with ninerfan on this one; notebook, pen, and a scanner at home for when you get back.