With an insulated lunch box, you won’t have to worry about getting fast food on your way to school ever again. With proper insulation technology, your food will remain at your desired temperature throughout the whole school day and help save you money. Any leftovers from your night out will easily store away for you to bring to school the next day.
Below are the four features that are essential for a quality lunch box that is durable, adequately insulated, and have large storage space for your food.
Insulated Lunch Box Features
Durability
You want to find an insulated lunch box that will last. Having a durable lunch box is one of the essential features to look for. The more durable, the less chance you have of the warm or cold air leaking out.
Proper Insulation
On our list, we reviewed seven insulated lunch boxes with proper insulation that can keep your food at the desired temperature. Many lunch boxes utilize material that doesn’t work as well as it claims, so you’ll want to make sure the product you’re buying can keep your food fresh. Many good lunch boxes use PEVA lining or an aluminum polyester blend, which keeps food fresh and is easy to clean.
Plenty of Storage
Having multiple compartments may allow you to create different sections. If the insulation is dispersed correctly, you might be able to keep hot foods in one section and cold food in another. On top of that, multiple compartments in larger lunch boxes help with storage and enable you to put more in your lunch box.
Transportable and Sturdy
Most lunch boxes are used to allow you lunch on the go. Having the ability to carry your lunch box without worrying about a broken shoulder strap or a ripped zipper is important. Ensure that the box you’re looking at has proper strength and that its features aren’t easily broken. Many lunch boxes have issues with zippers and the zipper track coming undone.
Top 7 Insulated Lunch Boxes Reviewed
1. MIER – Best Overall
The MIER insulated lunch bag is all about providing ample storage in a small container. It comes with a soft PU handle and a detachable shoulder strap, making the bag easy to carry.
The bag includes two separate compartments for food storage – an upper and a lower main compartment – each with proper insulation and BPA-free liner to keep your items hot or cold throughout the day. There is a front pocket for utensils or napkin storage as well.
The lining of the insulated lunch box is insulated PEVA, which is both eco-friendly and easy to clean. With dimensions of 10.2″ by 7.9″ by 11″, this adult lunch box will give you more room than you will need.
Our Honest Review
MIER is a trusted name in the lunch box world for a reason. Their products are always dependable and high quality, with this box being no different.
This might be their best lunch bento boxesbox yet, even as the maximum amount of storage space in such a compact device is unbelievable. The dual compartment storage offers you enough space to host two different meals at once, while the insulation allows you to keep them at different temperatures without cross-over.
Along with insulation, this lunch box offers one of the easiest cleans you’ll encounter. The PEVA interior lining is stain-resistant and easy to wipe. Any spill comes right off with the swipe of a paper towel or napkin. Speaking of napkins and paper towels, the ample storage space in this insulated lunch box allows you to store your utensils and napkins in separate pouches, further preventing any cross-over.
We did encounter a couple of durability issues while using this adult lunch box, mainly along the creases of the zipper. Some threads snapped under a decent amount of pressure, but very few situations would lead to that occurring to your lunch box.
2. OPUX – Best Value
Much like the MIER, the OPUX Insulated Lunch Box uses PEVA insulated lining to keep the environment steady. The PEVA lining is also quite simple to clean out and is leak-resistant. This device focuses on your food for interior storage with a side mesh pocket for your water bottle and utensils.
Durability along the zipper is reinforced with high-quality nylon and 600D polyester, preventing rips and keeping your lunch box active for years to come.
Our Honest Review
The strength of this box is surprising. When we first picked up this product, we saw the main compartment and figured it would lead to external compromises — we were wrong—the fabric used in the construction of this product allowed for ample interior storage without the threat of ripping. The zipper was sturdy, and the lining surrounding it was as well.
The insulation this adult lunch box provides is fantastic for keeping your food warm — the PEVA interior is once again easy to clean out if spills ever occurred. Our favorite aspect of this product was how simple it was to carry it around. The sewn-in shoulder strap makes the bag easy to carry.
Our one issue with this adult lunch box was the flimsy walls. While the zippers and creasing around the exterior were durable and sturdy, the lack of structure made protecting your food difficult. One wrong placement and the lunch box would smash your sandwich.
It has room for a small ice pack to keep ice packs to keep your lunch cooler throughout the day. The size is excellent for long-distance traveling, and the design is simple to clean out if spills do occur.
3. MAZFORCE – Best Design
The MAZFORCE Insulated Lunch Bag is all about the design. This lunch bag is perfect for the active professional who needs lunch on the go in a sophisticated and office-friendly design. The foam core technology keeps your food temperature for hours and supports easy clean-ups.
The slim back and side pockets and stretchy interior mesh pocket offer you as much space as possible in this compact lunch container. MAZFORCE tests all of their products and guarantees this box will stand up to the elements – it’s waterproof and heatproof.
Our Honest Review
We were shocked to see how much smaller lunch boxes like the MAZFORCE could fit in a similar style to the MIER Adult Lunch Box. It stretches when it needs to, but not too much to the point where it can’t be closed and zipped correctly.
The large interior mesh pockets allow easy access to pack in your snacks and keep as much room left over for the big food containers. MAZFORCE focused on providing you with as much space as you need for lunch throughout the day.
Our favorite aspect of this lunch bag has to be the professional and sleek design. Though it has no bearing on the product’s performance, it’s essential to have a lunch box that works well in an office setting. Even the insulated interior is designed to be presentable. It keeps your food at the desired temperature for hours and offers a waterproof and leak-proof solution to spills and messes.
While the bag is undoubtedly made of excellent PVC and BPA-free materials and is built to last, be gentle with the zipper. With this lunch bag, you may have found yourself the perfect insulated lunch box. The storage space available for this tiny and lightweight box is incredible. The side pocket is big enough to hold a water bottle.
4. Carhartt Deluxe – Most Popular
This is another dual compartment insulated lunch box with a main compartment in the body and a secondary one at the top. The Carhartt Deluxe Insulated Lunch Cooler Bag includes a mesh wall to help separate the two separate compartments and a front pocket to help store utensils and napkins.
The case is 100% synthetic material, which stands up to the elements and is water repellent. With a sturdy insulated interior, this bag is large and can hold an entire 6-pack of beer in the body compartment alone, leaving room at the top.
Our Honest Review
Carhartt knows how to make a durable outdoor tool. From jackets to large lunch boxes, they’ve always been a leading name in durability and dependability. This insulated lunch box shows a focus on keeping up the Carhartt name with the recognizable orange exterior, which is water-resistant and supports long-lasting use. When you see the Carhartt orange, you know it’s a lasting product.
The large interior space is excellent as it offers separation between compartments and supports the storage of multiple meals. Their claim that the bottom could host an entire 6-pack was true, though you lose some of the headspace making further storage difficult. The insulation on this bag is fantastic as it keeps your items their temperature regardless of the external environment.
Though the lunch box is on the smaller end, the front pocket helps alleviate the pressure of finding space. Having a separate spot for storing your utensils and napkins is never a bad thing, and Carhartt implements that here. A one size fits all design as the shoulder strap isn’t adjustable, but it’s lightweight and easy to carry otherwise. If you’re looking for a durable and dependable lunch box, Carhartt has your back.
5. Wildkin Kids – Mom’s Choice Award Winner
The Wildkin Kids Insulated Lunch Box Bag ensures safety for you or your kids’ lunch while using the product. The materials in the box are PVC, BPA, and Phthalate free.
The quality and safety of this box were enough to win it a Mom’s Choice Award. Admittedly small, this insulated lunch box is perfect for transport – you can easily store it away without worrying about crushing or bending it. The interior is a classic lunch box design with a large main compartment and a mesh pocket to hold your ice pack or utensils.
Our Honest Review
Just because there’s a focus on the kids with this product doesn’t mean it’s not great for adults as well. This insulated lunch box is fantastic for all ages and sizes in terms of design alone – you can choose a base color like Whale Blue, or you can customize with cooler designs and crazy animals. Wildkin has designed the perfect for kids and adults alike.
This insulated lunch box is perfect for the person on the go looking for a one-meal storage option. The size is small enough that it can be stored away easily without taking up too much space, yet it can still hold a decent-sized container and a small ice pack to keep your food cooler.
Wildkin uses premium quality fabric to ensure that this adult lunch box will remain in use for years. We loved how easy it was to clean this bag if spills ever occurred, and the insulation keeps your food and ice packs cooler throughout the day.
If you’re looking for a compact and easy-to-transport lunch box, then this is a fantastic product for you. It makes lunch fun again and can keep food safe from harmful products that other boxes use. The exterior is durable and will keep food safe from being crushed, while the interior keeps it fresh all day long.
6. Lifewit – Easy Carrying
The Lifewit Insulated Lunch Box uses seamless hot pressing on the interior insulated walls. This prevents the tearing of any seams, leading to leaks and compromised insulation on other products as there are no seams to break. The insulated PEVA interior guarantees freshness for up to five hours. 6mm EPE foam prevents damage from occurring to your items. The exterior is both water and dirt-proof and is easy to clean.
Our Honest Review
A decently new trend and still rare to encounter, this lunch bag use seamless hot pressing to remove the chance of the interior walls tearing. The last thing that will happen to this box will be the tearing of the interior. We love knowing that our food will stay fresh all day long without a chance of temperature or liquid leaking.
The interior might seem like the heavy lifter of this product, but the outside carries its weight as well. Being made out of 600D water, dirt, and leak-proof Oxford fabric, this large box is one of the most durable on our list. It won’t be compromised on the outside from the elements, and it is protected on the side from spills and leaks. Lifewit placed its focus on creating lunch boxes that will be the last ones you buy.
Although we adore the durability of this product, it does struggle to hold its shape and can fall in on itself if not packed correctly. Other than the product’s internal structure, this is a fantastic large lunch box for anyone working on the go in need of a way to keep food fresh all day long.
7. UPPER ORDER – Most Durable
The UPPER ORDER Reusable Insulated Lunch Box has a made-to-last zipper that can withstand continuous, rigorous usage. It comes with a wide shoulder strap that contains an adjustable padded cushion.
The interior material is heavy-duty polyester aluminum foil, which helps keep your lunch fresh and prevents rips and compromises. The exterior pocket is perfect for storing away your phone, pens, and other work materials during the day.
Our Honest Review
Our favorite part of this lunch bag has to be the interior. It’s quite a unique pattern from the rest of the lunch bags on this list and uses a different insulation material. The polyester aluminum lining keeps your food cold or warm for hours before it even starts to even out. With this material, you receive a sturdy and durable interior lining resistant to rips and tears. The mesh can hold for slim ice packs to keep your lunch cooler.
There’s nothing more frustrating than having your zipper break off of your insulated lunch box or having the zip track open, ruining the whole box. With this made-to-last zipper, you won’t have to worry about that. The zipper stays on track no matter how often you use the insulated lunch box. Along with the durable zipper comes the durable shoulder strap, which is invaluable for assisting in easy transport.
Though this is a bigger model than their previous versions, the space available is lacking. It’s great for a one-meal experience. Besides the lack of space, this is a fantastic lunch bag that works to be durable and dependable.
Overall
Many lunch box manufacturers make unique, insulated lunch bags and lunch totes. Some of the best-insulated bags are from MIER or Wildkin. Carhartt also is a reputable name when it comes to durability. Online markets like Amazon have a fantastic selection of lunch boxes for affordable prices. To heat your lunch, you may be interested in electric lunch boxes.
