I swear by Sherpas. It is probably just because I am a forester by profession and that is what everyone swore by when I got started though! Nonetheless, my Sherpas are like old friends, and I can't see replacing them anytime soon.

I have a few buddies (and my girlfriend) that have switched over to plastic MSR shoes and just love them. For a bigger guy, the extensions are plenty in most snow conditions. I am 6' 2" and 225 lbs and my girlfriends shoes work fine for me.

One of my best buds just completed a "snowshoe trip of a lifetime" on Dec 21. He and four other friends did a 10 day, 120 km trek over the Purcell's to celebrate a 50th birthday (my friend's brother). Anyway, my buddy was using his plastic MSR shoes and had no complaints.

Cheers,
Canuck