Nothing floats, and still remains as visible at longer distances as an in-tact (milkweed) floater. Stuffing floaters into containers damages them and they won't float as well.
Little strands float okay but they usually aren't visible at longer distance simply because they are no longer full sized. One of the beauties of pristine floaters is they can sometimes be seen for up to 100 yards under ideal lighting conditions. I don't think enough hunters pay attention to wind behavior that's beyond 20-50 yards because that's their shooting range.
Best in all situations is to have a pristine floater, just as Mother Nature designed them.
Is a clumped-up, kink-up milkweed floater better than a puff bottle? You bet...every day of the week.
Is a damaged milkweed floater as effective as one freshly plucked from the pod? Nope. Tiny differences? Maybe.
But I'm a particular bowhunter when it comes to details. Consistently successful bow hunts are usually a product of attention to details.
The only benefit that I see from using a container is in wet weather. But if it's wet outside, I just clip my pod to somewhere that it stays dry.