Laptop for upcomming vactions

I am going to Europe and the Caribbean this upcoming summer so I need a laptop. I am also picking up a Sony HDR-SR7 camcorder and a Canon 40D (10mp) to document the trips. In the time of each trip, I plan to take 1500-2500 pictures and shot about 5 hrs of video, all of which will be kept at the highest quality. I need the laptop to be capable of doing minor editing of these files, such as video organization and adding background music, and picture cropping and color correction. I would also like to be able to do some minor gaming while on the airplane. Since it will be for travel and school, I would like to go no larger than a 14" screen. Battery life is important, but I do plan on having multiple batteries.

What specs do I need to accomplish these goals.
I need at least a 160gb hdd, but can I get away with a 5400rpm hdd?
What cpu should I be looking at? I am assuming a C2D, but at what speed/cache?
How much memory, 2gb or 4gb?
Do I need a dedicated graphics card (1440x900rez)?

Which manufacturer has the best reliability and durability?

Due to the rapid depreciation of computer tech, I would like to spend as little as possible..

Thanks