I would agree except that Scubapro is more widely supported (at least that is my perception and observation) and the OP did want a travel set which means it might need service in some far away place and I do think the Mark 2 Evo and S270 are more reliable and perhaps more rugged. I think the Mark 2 record through the years for being exceedingly reliable with little maintenance is not an exaggeration. And this is why I chose it for this purpose. Plus it is lightweight and compact without the additional expense of wonderful titanium
. Oh, and does not have a full diameter soft purge cover, which I hate though I realize I may be singular in that hate.
I would not begin to dispute the reliability of a Mk 2.
But, my personal approach to mitigating the risk of needing service on a reg while traveling and not being able to get it is, I take an extra 1st and 2nd stage.
Heck, I am skeptical that there is a shop anywhere here in the Columbia, South Carolina, area where I could go and they would have a Mk 2 service kit in stock. I definitely would not want to stake my vacation diving on the hope that what I bought/brought is so common that I will be able to get parts for it anywhere I go on vacation.
In other words, "might need service while traveling, and XYZ is more likely to have parts available where I'm going" is not a criteria for me when I'm buying a reg. I think it would be a stroke of luck for that seed of a thought to ever bear fruit. I think that criteria is a red herring.
Not to mention, just taking a spare 1st and 2nd means I can even "fix" a problem when I'm out on a boat. Counting on finding service and a service kit implicitly means losing possibly a whole day of diving while I'm off somewhere at a shop and waiting on them to fix my reg.
And for a MAJOR trip, I might also simply get a service kit or two for the regs I'm taking, so I HAVE the parts with me and the worst case is needing to find someone with tools and know-how.
I know people talk about end-users in the States not being able to buy service kits for regs, but, well, I've also seen plenty of posts about ordering such things from Europe. And I've also never had too much trouble getting them when I needed them, even when I was not affiliated with any shop. If one of my customers came into my shop and said "hey, I'm going to Fiji next month. Can you get me service kits for my regs, to take with me, for just in case?" I would have no problem hooking them up to ensure they are as well taken care of as I can do.