Offline full installation from USB stick

[chris@pointyhat.org.uk]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it's possible to create an easy to update installation
medium on a USB stick i.e. one that contains the entire Debian distribution?

I am spending a lot of time away from a permanent Internet connection and
thanks to some paranoia caused by an exploding disk recently, I'd like to be
able to do a full offline installation without having to carry a pile of CDs
or DVDs around.  I'd also like to be able to update it occasionally from the
primary apt repositories without having to download the whole distribution
again each time.  Ideally the update process would be:

[apt repos] --jigdo?--> [usb stick] --aptitude--> [laptop].

I think this may be possible with jigdo but I can't find any relevant
information to support this use case.

Any help appreciated.

Best Regards,

Chris Smith