I had two reasons that convinced me off, I end up writing on paper a decent amount and my hand/wrist sweats some. Have a desk mat made it hard to write stuff down, and they would get discolored/need to be washed over time. I’ve got a razer manticor I’ve been using for like 6 years now, it’s a plain black aluminum mouse pad, I’m so used to it I even put it on the desk mat when I tried one. It’s easy to wipe off and slides really nicely.
For some of my keycaps I also have a thing I got at the container store I saw someone suggest on geekhack a while ago, it’s I think a picture box, essentially a case with smaller cases inside to put the keycaps in. The problem is you pretty much need two of the inside cases for a single keyset. I’ve been thinking of emptying it out and using for switches/parts instead.
Can you post a picture of the box container? I’m thinking u have the alphas in one box and modifiers in one… =)
Cardboard tubs, would probably be the best way to go for desk mats. flat stacking would be a close second, depending on how the materials of the mats hold up… If you want to go all the way, you could build a paper shelf inspired mat storage system, possibility with slide out trays, that could hold individual mats.
Paper shelf:
Rubber bands, may cause creasing and if they start to deteriorate, they could damage the mat it’s self.
Edit:
Just found this bad boy:
Dimensions: 48" wide x 30" deep x 88" high with 19 Adjustable Openings
6 or more $2,389.50 ea…Think they’d give us better pricing for a large groupe buy. lol
Also, this type system for craft supplies, might also be applicable:
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let’s just swap to end-game here. Put your mats in some of these. Bonus tip, they hold keyboards as well!
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If u want this kind of storage on the cheap side, look for nautical chart storage.
But still think my coat hanger idea is the cheapest way and u can have them on display or storage.
Ikea 800.789.38
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Lol! RandomFrankP is applying my idea. 
I use 2 qt kitchen storage containers for keycap sets that are non GMK. Stack GMK boxes, but trying to find a container to store rolled up deskmats in. Needs to be a minimum of 18”x10”x10” (LxWxH) in order to store 2 rows of 2/3 depending on how tight you roll the mats
I originally went the route of buying JTK keycap trays for my keycaps. I realized with the amount of sets I have, it is not only very expensive, but it still fills up too much space, considering a base kit alone would need two regular-sized trays.
What I do is store my keycaps in a ziplock bag and into a large tote. I was hesitant with storing my keycaps into plastic bags, but with the large amount of sets I’m accumulating, it is the best method when it comes to organization, space saving, and cost savings.
I part out each set into smaller bags (Spacebars, Alphas, Function Row, Numpad, Modifiers, and Novelties). I label each bag with a portable thermal label printer. Then I put them in a thick larger plastic bag and label the larger bag.
For deskmats, I use hangers that clamp, and store them into a garment cover.
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I use a cheap laundry stand from walmart with some cheap hangers (it was like 3 hangers for 2 bucks)
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Low budget containers. Teavana Tea. Consume tea, store things. 
holds 110 switches
never tried keycaps
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I am thinking about going to bags for keycaps. I am just starting to get too many boxes. However I was curious if people hang onto GMK boxes or just trash em. Some of them have some nice art work on there!
I cut the artwork/name out of the banderole and use it as a label for the keycaps (I use bins, but could work the same with bags). I recycle the rest of the box and trays.
E.g.,
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But two of those containers side by side would take up the same space as two staked GMK trays…
Surprisingly, these are more compact than they look, while still fitting a full-size GMK set in one tub.
Here’s the ratio: In my drawer, I can fit 18 tubs in the ~same space as 3 GMK trays stacked. It takes a little more space horizontally than the GMK trays, so even if we account for the extra unusable space and say 4 GMK trays, that’s still 18:4 sets in the same space.
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Ye, I like them both.
But I have to admit that I am the kind that keeps the boxes of stuff I buy, at least for the stuff that have some second hand value.
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Ha, somehow I managed to miss this thread until now. A perfect opportunity to repost the switch shelf from my last apartment;
There are more recent pictures of the collection on this site somewhere with more of @Seo_bun’s awesome stickers but my search-fu is lacking today - anyway you get the idea:
I very rarely use anything larger than a 68-key, so I use 12oz mason jars for some regional flavor to my storage. ( Howdy from moonshine country! ) If you’re into the mason jars but want to store enough switches for a full-size and a few extra, 14oz capacity should have you covered.
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I use these containers as well which saved me an incredible amount of space in the cabinets that store my keyboard stuff. I did end up keeping the GMK boxes just in case I need to sell them in the future. Thankfully I have room in a general storage space on my house so the GMK boxes went inside a few large cardboard boxes and got filed away, lol.
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Holy jesus I wanna be like you when I grow up.
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JTK’s new medium sized trays are a bit tempting. Seems like it can fit a base kit, unlike the standard sized trays.