Several years ago I was faced with a similar problem as that described by the OP.

I was going to go thru northern outback Australia and wanted to minimize mechanical problems. I had a custom expedition grade bike built that weighs 40 lbs by itself. I got PW 48 hole hubs that used the cassette. The frame builder made the rear triangle such that the rear wheel is NOT dished. Extra strong was the name of the game. Those 4X laced wheels are heavy but STRONG. They have stood the test of time and put up with abuse but are still true...

How much do you want to risk? A wrecked wheel will cost ya out in the middle of no-where. On top of that, we have a tendency to be penny wise but pound foolish. I paid extra and fortunately had only a few mechanical issues - but NONE with the wheels. Get 48 hole cassette based PW hubs and sleep easy while enjoying your bicycling adventure. That is MHO.