I use tubs myself and generally recommend them if some one asks me since they're easy to create a good environment like you mentioned. I just believe that they should optimally be housed in a large enclosure with small hides. There's a few reasons why I think it's important that they can stretch out and move around. A muscular snake will lay more eggs then a fat one and a picky eater will eat more readily once housed properly. Those are just some of the facts that make me believe we should house them in larger enclosures.