camcorder is a great idea. ANYTHING would be better. If you don't need a lot of zoom and good low-light behavior is not a concern, then the Xacti should be fine.

Camcorders are electronic devices. Flash memory is a bit more tolerant of rough handling, but these are still "precision" instruments. If you want something more rugged, perhaps a helmet cam - like a Contour HD - would be worth a look... No zoom, but easily mounted to lots of places leaving hands free to do important stuff.