Do those pedals come with shin guards....OUCH!

There is no ideal system. My own favourite are MKS with clips and straps with a standard pair of sneakers. Im not a powerful rider and prefer spinning low gears so don't really feel the benefit of stiffer shoes as much as others.

If you are heading on a long expedition out of bikeshop country you should consider the failure mode.
Platform and toe-clip systems are pretty resilliant to failure.
Clipless systems have 3 points of failure.
Cleats can wear out and fail to disengage (so take spares)
Cleat bolts can shear
Bolt holes in the sole can crack.
This is not a big problem for regular rides but if you are riding across continents with few bike shops, it should be.

I use Grip King pedals on my touring bike.