Camcorders forum: Camcorder for Iraqi Conditions

Some background:

I'm a native San Franciscan, Army National Guard Officer and on my way to Iraq. I want to make my own documentary about what the day to day life of soldiers is like; not the combat side...just how we live, what we eat, what we do for fun, locals we work with...etc.

Features I need:

Durability (high temperatures and LOTS of dust is normal out there), compact enough to carry with me (either in a rucksack or large cargo pocket) and decent quality video (HD or something close to it).

Price Range:

$1000-2000.

What's caught my eye so far:

Panasonic SDR-SW20S: The size and durability factors are very appealing. However, I get the impression that the video quality isn't really there.

Sony DCR-SR82: I like the size, user interface and video quality. I'm concerned that it's not going to be very durable.

Basically I feel like I'm stuck between choosing durable low quality video or high quality video with low durability.

Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.