Another vote for selling your 8x10 'inheritance' and getting a 4x5 system with the proceeds. If you get an 8x10 to go through the free film you will then be stuck having to buy 8x10 film - figure around $10/sheet for 8x10 film ($6-$14); some folks get by for less with X-Ray film).
The upside of 8x10 is you don't need an enlarger as contact prints are large enough to be hung on the wall and admired.
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My university experience with 'girl friend as pack mule to carry LF gear' (not the way I sold the oportunity to her (or even thought of it that way to myself)) was that the GF quickly get sick of the enterprise and walked off down the trail with the tripod, not be seen again until I got back to the parking lot where I found the tripod leaning against my car and the (ex) GF getting on the back of some guy's motorcycle.