Silicone fly box-dries

[Forestfishin]

Has anyone used a box similar to the one below with dries? It secures the fly well but the hackle is affected since there’s no gap between rows like the slitted foam I ve always used. Will this screw up the hackle on my dries? It’s a double sided box almost 2 inches thick so appears it was designed to accommodate dries since there’s plenty of clearance but want to be sure before finding out the hard way.

 

[Tigereye]

I have found that similar boxes with "hook keepers" ie foam, springs, clips etc have a tendency to mat dry fly hackle especially thin ones.
I use cheap plastic boxes with compartments for dries, available for <5 bucks at most hobbies stores. Pick one about 1 1/2 inches thick with 12 to 15 compartments and you are good.

I keep the type you show for nymphs

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Sometimes, holding a flattened fly in the plume from a tea kettle will fluff the hackle/tail/wings. For unused flies, I've used plastic boxes, electrical tape containers, ridged Styrofoam, slotted foam, not slotted foam... finding none any worse or better than the others. For used flies, I have more trouble with rusted hooks under the wing post than wrinkles in the fly material. Must be why I have such a crowded fleece patch. That reminds me...

 

[falcon]

Most of my dry flies are not fully hackled around the hook.like the Catskill style. I typically trim the hackle flush or go wing only. When storing fully hackled flies I use a compartment type box. Dont ruin nice Catskill flies using the wrong box.

 

[sandflyx]

I get a lot of customers come in with drys in those boxes with matted dry flies. I try to tell them that the fly is almost ruined by putting them in a silly cone box.

 

[Forestfishin]

Thanks for all the replies, confirms what I was thinking. Like the “silly cone” reference.

 

[CRB]

Those boxes are heavy too the compartment boxes are much lighter.

 

[Sylvaneous]

Yeah, I'm much more into parachutes and Comparadun styles or emergers, so nothing with a hackle around the hook shank.
But anyhow, dries are much more temporary. For how long to you want to carry Hendricksons, sulfurs, march browns, isonychias.... So a multi-compartment box allows you to add and subtract many dries very quickly. It doesn't look at nice as dries all lined up nicely. THat being said, I have a few slot boxes, foam and silicon that are are only seasonal dries: Hendricksons get used maybe 2 days a year, grannoms, and sulfurs, that are kept stocked and are separate from anything else. I grab them when the season calls for them, and then stash them when the time for them passes.
Syl