Stephanie,
I have used sno rim pads here in Maine and can usually get the complete Winter out of them. (Just started putting them on this week, will start taking them off in March).
I have had good luck with the black Castle pads,(they seem a little stiffer than some of the others). My standard method of attachment is brass rivets in each heel, 2 in the toe, and I use the last nail holes as "nail rivets" to help hold it all together on feet size 1 or larger. Try to leave yourself a good length of brass to work with and peen it out quite wide but don't over tighten it so much that the pad puckers. I have noticed that the ones I get too tight are the ones likley to fail.
I'm thinking we all need to go work in Florida for the Winter
Dave