Update:
Well I have 3 sets of wheels with these hubs and 2 sets have been great and one has been giving troubles!
The one that was giving issues was always an issue with bearing preload. On one ride the whole axel started to wind up and eventually snapped, leading to a walk home and me thinking about switching to DT Swiss 350 hubs! So I decided to strip it down and the problem became obvious, the freehub bolt had been miss stamped/formed at the factory and this was not working properly. I ordered a new hub and stripped out the innards (cheaper than order the spares individually) and since then I have done a 3000 mile tour in the SE Asia and lots of local rides all with out any issues.
So I think the design is sound but you must check / test the hub for QC issues before setting off on a tour!!
A question about servicing on a tour? I have just had the bearing cleaned and re greased easily at a bike shop in the North of Thailand but I'm unable to remove the free hub because it needs a 14mm hex key which are very hard to find and too heavy to carry as a tool on a tour.
Does anyone know how to add some lube to the free hub mechanism with out a 14mm hex?