You will be really limiting yourself to very few flyable days with this set up. You can still go electric, but I'd consider getting something of a .40 size equivalent so you can handle some 10-15 mph winds. Something that's going to weigh 4 to 6 lbs. As far as durability, if you learn with an instructor you won't really have to worry about it too much. I can think of 9 flying fields in Chicagoland.

I've seen a lot of people come out to the field with small, foamie, underpowered "phantom" weight airplanes. They don't so much "fly" them as they do manage them...i.e. just focus on keeping them upwind so they don't have to walk 400 yards when the battery dies.

The other option is to go the indoor route...nothing wrong with that. With that your options really increase for a plane, and you can really fly them instead of just battle the wind.