Hello !
For a bit of background I'm going on a bike trip from France to Morocco and I'd like to create an audio diary/podcast.
I've thought about buying a zoom h5 but I'm not sure it's the best choice for the wind, the sound of my footsteps and all the noise that can come from recording in the moment...

I'd like the sound to be not too amateurish, but obviously I know It can't sound like I'm in a studio
I don't know if you've understood the aim of the project, but if anyone could give me their opinion on the equipment I'd be delighted !!
And if you know of any podcasts that have done much the same thing, I'd love to hear from you.

Ps sorry for my English, I'm French ahah

I can recommend the zoom H6, I´m using it with a pair of rode nt2a and fame single pro mics for room recordings, with low noise mics the sound of this zoom is quiet good. I would say the next big step you will get with devices from mixpre, the zoom essentials are still goes downwards in functionality and usability. The succesor of the h6 still has no stereo input.

nice regards

Zoom is a good choice. Visit their site for options.

Depending on how important portability is, you may want something smaller. I have an old Roland R-05.

https://www.roland.com/us/products/r-05/

Good sound, and easily can slip into a pocket. (I bought a small zippered case for it, not much bigger than the recorder itself. That makes it easy to toss into a carrying bag or backpack.) So if you don’t need pristine sound and you want something easy to carry, you might consider a smaller recorder. It’s also less likely to be dropped—an important consideration when you’re moving about.

you can get wind guards for the H6:

https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-WSU-1-Mi...0HY808A8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/ChromLives-Wi...05&sr=1-1&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Movo-WS-R30-P...i%2C105&sr=1-6

Zoom is convenient, but the sound quality isn’t the best.

If you really want to capture great audio, using the Austrian Audio MiCreator + Satellite with a smartphone gave me the best results. I recorded various sounds inside a client’s factory, and they were all perfectly usable as is. Another option is the Shure MV88. It's a stereo mic, so it’s convenient and not bad at all, definitely better than Zoom’s mics. However, if you can properly set up a mic in the field, the Austrian Audio option is the better choice. You can probably find several comparison videos on YT.

We use a H4n Pro which is a great machine, surprisingly high audio quality with the built in microphones, and you can connect condensers externally if needed. There are standard windscreens which work ok. Not sure this model is still made, probably the H5 is kind of the successor? Just check the boot times, this is the only terrible thing about the H4n, it takes something like twenty seconds (!) to boot up, which is a real stopper if you want to record something quickly. Other than that, all good.

You mentioned going on a bike trip, so I am assuming that small size and weight are essential considerations.

For my hiking and city ambience recordings I use a Sennheiser Ambeo Headset connected to the USB-C connector of an iPhone 15 Pro. The headset was designed for iPhones with a lightning connector, so I purchased the official Apple lightning to USB-C dongle. There are many companies that make "similar" dongles, but my research concluded that the Apple one was the only one that will work.

If you don't have an Apple USB-C equipped phone I would suggest one of the new generation mini recorders from Rode or Diety.

Both of these approaches allow you to capture audio very discretely and hands free.

I prefer the iPhone system as I can record, edit and publish from a single device.

Have fun on your trip, my daughter led bike treks in Morocco as a way to earn income as she worked on her PHD (high altitude kinesiology).