Firstly, when skiing without trails, you are very depending on the snow circumstances. Snow can be very fluffy, and sometimes be so loose that you can't even form a snowball. Other times the snow can be thick and pretty solid. Other times, the snow can be very loose, but have a hard crust on top that can carry you sometimes, sometimes not. The snow can also be very icy and under these circumstances you need steel sides when you want to move on a slope.
As you see, advising to buy 1 type of skis is a bit of a challenge. I have several pairs of skis. I have narrow skis to use in prepared trails. But the widest type of these trail skis (the cheapest pair), I also use in marginal circumstances in the wood, e.g. when 15 cm wet and solid snow has fallen, then I just take these skis and go skiing on gravel roads or grass (like the local golf course). These skis have very comfortable shoes and bindings.
I also have a pair of back country skis (Åsnes Rago), which are the widest type that still fit into a trail, and have steel sides. These skis are very solid and I can use them with a heavy backpack. But under the most fluffy snow circumstances, they sink very deep into the loose snow and I can't use them. These skis have BC bindings and are not very comfortable to ski on, because they are so stiff and heavy. When I go up a hill, using fish bone technique, I tend to get blisters. I always need to tape my feet before using these skis and even then, my heels get sour. When I just move on flattish circumstances it goes better.
People who ski a lot in the woods to photograph animals, tend to have wider skies that don't fit into trails anymore. Then can carry you in fluffier snow.
My husband has a pair in between, those are a bit narrower and therefore lighter in weight than my BC skis. They can be used with comfortable shoes and are more pleasant to ski with. But these are less solid than my BC skies and not equally fit to use with a 10-15 kg backpack. These lighter bindings can also break with you carry a backpack.
I can advice you one thing, buy ski poles that have a wide ring on the underside and where you can grip the handle at some different heights, or can adjust the length of the poles in some way. If you intend to climb a hill from time to time, you might want to use shorter poles then on your way down. I have a pair of poles with a long handle bar, so that I can hold it 20 cms lower than normally. Other people might have poles that can be made shorter. You might want to buy a pair of ski poles that is quite light weight, but still solid.
So, what kind of snow do you usually have in your area? Very fluffy or pretty solid?
Do you intend to ski with a day-backpack or with tenting gear?