My beads have put on more mileage going from one compartment to the next than when they were traded from Europe to Africa. I started out with flat trays spread far and wide with covers off to see the contents. I swore for several years this was the best way to organize these little critters. Finally an accumulation of dust and a lack of space to put just one more tray convinced me otherwise. I succumbed to the option I previously considered to be an inferior alternative. Vertical compartments. This way I could stack them up to the ceiling if necessary, but, hopefully my bead obsession never gets that out of hand.