I have bar ends on my Fargo & Brifters on my Casseroll, over 8k miles on each and never an issue. Have all manner of trigger shifters on mtn bikes, no issues. I actually like the brifters more then bar-ends, just more convienent to shift then bar ends.

No part is going to be 100% reliable, the only thing that is going to get you out of a situation touring is your skill.

So what you really need is the ability to fix anything on the bike and really bikes are simple machines. If you can't disconnect all the brake & shifter cables, pull them back to the handlebars & then recable & adjust them, best to start practicing at home. Practice what you would do if the RD got bent or broken. What would you do if the FD got screwed up ( not likely), but what would you do. Just go thru the various parts and figure out how to get your bike going again. OH, and using a cell phone is out! Its just you & the bike in the middle of no-where, fix it!

Knowledge is much more valuable then spending hours and hours trying to figure out what the "right" bike or part is!