I was loading some bullets today and it came to me how much I like the plastic belt strips Federal puts in their ammo boxes. I got hold of a large number of them for 223, and have been using them instead of boxes for quite a while now. I have thrown away most of the cardboard, and usually just toss them directly into my shooting bag, one of the new style soft fishing tackle bags. They have a smooth strip near the top where you can write loading info. When I load my bolt gun I usually hold the rifle with my left hand at the balance point with a plastic strip under my fingers on the right side of the rifle. Then it is easy to pluck bullets from the strip and put them in the magazine.
I use a fanny pack when a hunt big game, and a strip just fits into the front pocket, keeping ammo upright and easy to grab without a rattle. Some of the 10 round strips for the new fat cartridges are a nice fit for 45-70s