Its kind of funny, when this thread first started I was thinking about suggesting something like this. But I did not want to start a big debate, and I don't use it myself. I have been looking at the those hubs and sort of daydreaming about it though, even to the point of starting to sell some stuff to fund it.
I ride with vintage SA AW hubs laced into 27s or 700c bikes all the time, and have thought about touring with them. As I agree on the adventure aspect of a breakdown, I have wondered about how easy it would be to locate a bike with an AW in it, and swapping the guts or even just one part if it failed. Even if you could not find a donor hub Harris cyclery sells parts and is just a phone call away. But I like to tinker with AWs, and not everyone enjoys working on the simplest IG hub ever made like I do.

As to the reliability of the more expensive modern hubs, just as a few cited journals and experiences cant be made to speak for all of them in use, I am hoping that a few posters here who seem devoted to them don't speak to the overall personalities of all of the users of these hubs.