Although I could rave about our Sherpa brand shoes I can’t recommend then since they are no longer made. Sherpa shoes set the standard for the modern snowshoe, but cheaper manufacturers led to their demise when the refused to sacrifice quality. We have had ours for more than 15 years, use them often and they still look like new.
They work well in powder and the cleats are long enough to work on hard pack. They are excellent for hill climbing with the assist of a pole. We have bushwacked with them without getting caught up or falling. They are easy to put on and we haven’t had much trouble with them coming off which is a plus since putting them back on in the woods is not easy.
I know this may not help much, but might give you some ideas of what to look for.
