On the tech side of things, I'm looking at a raspberry pi 4. Apparently RAM is not a huge issue so 8 GB seems adequate. On that note though, would a PI 5 with 8 gb of RAM be better? The 16 GB is pricey. The docs are for a pi 4.

https://ethereum.org/en/developers/tutorials/run-node-raspberry-pi/

Consider the Raspberry Pi 4 with 8 GB RAM for your tech needs. While the Pi 5 with 8 GB RAM might seem appealing, the Pi 4 is sufficient for the task at hand and more cost-effective. Follow the provided docs for smooth operations.