nomad jukebox 3 is a good choice - hard disk recorder. no tapes to
change or break, rechargeable, can record at 44.1 kHz *.wav files. i
got mine for about $130 on ebay (refurb). you'll still need some good
mics tho. lots of people use the edirol UA5 with their JB3...my
experience with the UA5 is not good tho. lots of clip.

When it's good and loud, I just slap a 9V into my Rode NT4 and plug it
straight into the JB3. The levels aren't quite as high as I'd like, but
still well above the squeaky noise floor, the sound quality is at least
better than using a cheap mixer's preamps, and there's no beating the
convenience and cost-effectiveness. You should try renting one and give it
a day in court. They go on eBay for around $350 new, including minijack
cable.