I totally agree with you, I keep only 5 snakes, and they are in natural habitat style enclosures (well, apart from the newspaper floors....
)
My snakes are mostly nocturnal, but while they spend most of the day curled up under hides, they are always in new places in the morning, and I regularly see them actively moving around, so I know they use the space they have, and I get a great deal more enjoyment out of them than I would if they were in racks.
I know many people utilise racks, and I'm not throwing stones, as I understand the reasons if you have many snakes, but they are not for me, I like mine to be able to move around change position.
My snakes like to climb as well, and while the tanks are not necessarily as long as the snakes, when they climb diagonal branches they do get to stretch out entirely.