Polarizer.... or Tripod? :S

Soo im going on this thing called Semester At Sea
basically its a college campus on a cruise boat. we go to 10 diff south american countries over the summer(while taking classes).

need less to say im stocking up on my camera gear, and i have a question.
i got/getting back a sigma 24-70 2.8 with the 82mm filter size(huuuge)
i have a uv for protection
Should i get a nice circ polarizer(like bw mrc) about $200
or a 3021bn pro with 488rc2 head about $230(with rebate)
-i have a crappy ass video tripod right now.

gear:
rebel xti(w/grip)
sigma 24-70
canon 75-300 usm cheap thing
canon 50 1.8 mk11
680b mono+head
420ex flash

please give me your opinions
-eric
p.s. keep in mind im a poor college student

Actually, you need both, but the tripod will be somewhat easier to improvise around. There's no substitute for a polarizer for reducing glare. You can use monopods, bean bags or all kinds of solid objects (trees, fences, etc.) to substitute for many occasions when you'd otherwise use a tripod.

I'd get the tripod then buy a cheaper CP, a cheaper CP while not the best can still get the job done in a decent enough fashion but imo a good tripod will make a world of differance for you. Just my 2 cents.

Kurt

thanks