I lucked into a Hotz deep space mat, but I am wondering what the best way to store it might be. It came to me folded in a trade. Is that the best way to store this thing?

... away from cats.

Wrap it around a wooden dowel, use a couple of rubber bands.

I keep mine folded up in my minis' case. The fold lines mostly come out after a few swipes before starting to play.

You can probably find a thick cardboard tube (for mailing posters and the like) a little over 3' long, but I haven't looked into it.

I roll mine up around a cardboard tube and put it inside one of these: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000KJOD18 .

Fits like a glove.

Nice!!! I love my hotz mat.

Got me a plastic tube from an art supplys store for a good price. It extends out to 6foot so I could buy a epic scale mat.....maybe

If you place a thin fabric the same size over the painted side prior to folding or rolling it helps prevent piling. The painted side kind of sticks to itself. I like my Hotzmat because it offers great friction for my minis. They never slide around durring gameplay.