Greetings!
I just read the thread on "toe tags" and somebody mentioned flies that didn't do well being shipped in ziploc bags, flies with bushy hackle, and the like. Well, this summer I've been shipping many of my flies to Texas (where my boyfriend is working for the summer) and elsewhere, and I've found a way that is maybe a little more expensive, but really works for keeping the flies from getting squashed.
If you take a little jewelry box, the kind you get when you buy jewelry from the store, and glue or tape that spun-cotton layer to the bottom of the box, you can stick the hooks into that - then when you turn the box upside down they won't fall, just be suspended nicely. You put the lid on the box and then it doesn't matter which way the box gets turned or pressed on in shipping, that space around the flies will be protected.

A little more time consuming, but worth it I think, especially if the flies are ones you are really proud of and put alot of time and effort into.

I'm a visual person, so I'm including a photo to illustrate what I've described.

_DSC1681.jpg

Hope it's helpful!

Karli-Rae