Here's the recipe for the bombproof wheels on my LHT:
36-spoke Mavic 319 hoops laced 3-cross to Shimano XT hubs with DT Swiss forged stainless steel triple butted spokes.

I used to take in a few miles of singletrack on my old commute, with loaded panniers, occasionally getting a bit of air off a jump, and I weigh 240lb. I think I trued them up twice in 6 years.

Bottom line, you can ride them hard enough to make your ears bleed.