In this battle of choice regarding clipless vs flats I went for neutral ground in the form of proper dual pedal. (One side clipless and other flat). I like the versatility that with a flip of the pedal I am ready for what comes my way. In the trails I ride I like to have the freedom of flat pedals in certain technical and jump sections, while also enjoying the efficiency on the longer flat areas clipless provides. The one benefit I have also seen that during races were traffic forces you to stop in harder technical sections, I can flip to flat pedals and get going much faster than racers that first struggle to clip in. The con however is however flipping the pedal when caught on the wrong side, but on my level I find this manageble. I went for the Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000 which I paired with Scott Sport Trail shoe. Perhaps a solution to your problem as well.
