You can throw your lunch into almost any bag or container and tote it to work, school, or wherever you’re going. If you want it to arrive in edible condition or you are heading into the great outdoors you might want to invest in something a bit more sturdy than a paper sack.
The most convenient way to carry your lunch along with all the other sundry items you may need is a backpack designed to double as a lunchbox. In this category, you will generally find one of three types of backpack lunch box arrangments:
- Backpacks with a built-in lunch boxes
- Detachable lunch box backpacks
- Backpack coolers
If you are wondering which is right for you and what the best lunch box backpack on the market is, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we will break down what you should look for in a backpack lunch box, Offer our recommendations on what the best available are, and answer a few questions related to lunch box backpacks.
Don’t have time to sort through all the details and just want a quick recommendation of what backpack lunch box you should buy, we have you covered. In this table, we offer a quick list of what we consider the best the market has to offer.
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| Product Name | Why We Chose It |
| King Kong ZONE25 Backpack | Best Backpack With a Built-in Lunch Box Compartment |
| Yeti Hopper M20 | Best Backpack Cooler |
| J World New York Kids‘ Duet Backpack | Best Detachable Backpack Lunch Box |
| Coleman Soft Cooler Backpack | Best Budget Buy |
| Fuel Backpack Lunch Bag Bundle | Best Value |
| Pelican Dayventure Backpack Soft Cooler | Best for the Beach |
| Carhartt 2-in-1 Insulated Cooler Backpack | Best for Camping |
| RTIC Lightweight Backpack Cooler | Most Durable |
| Hydro Flask Unbound 22L Soft Cooler Pack | Best for Picnics |
| Primocean Laptop Backpack with Detachable Lunch Box | Best for Work |
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Best Backpack Lunch Boxes
Best Backpack With a Built-in Lunch Box Compartment: King Kong ZONE25 Backpack
The Zone25 was originally intended to be a meal prep bag but can be pressed into service in an almost endless list of roles including toting your lunch.
It is a full 25-liters bag made of food-grade TPU coated 1000d Nylon with close cell EVA insulation. It also features leak-proof zippers, a large top-mounted accessory pocket, a front pocket with slips for pens and pencils, and a 16-inch laptop compartment with padding to spare.
When used to carry heavy items you will appreciate the ergonomic shoulder straps and adjustable chest straps and at lunch, you will never go hungry for lack of space. Designed with a zone system there is room for an icepack, 6-pack of cans, and 2 meal containers.
KingKong even included plenty of extra straps and attachment points to make this a very customizable backpack.
The one negative that we have found with the Zone25 is that there is no false bottom in the laptop compartment. If you tend to drop your pack, or even set it down hard this could be a problem.
Best Backpack Cooler: Yeti Hopper M20
If you have been using or looking at backpack coolers for any length of time you have probably come across references to the Yeti Hopper BackFlip 24. As great a backpack cooler as it was it did have detractors and shortcomings.
In classic Yeti style, they listened to their customers, revamped the design, and introduced the Yeti Hopper M20.
To begin with, the tough-to-pull zippers have been replaced with a magnetic fold and clip closure that is very secure yet easy to open and close. They also made the M20 slightly smaller and slimmer for easier carrying and lowered the price point slightly.
What didn’t change is the great insulation properties that made the Backflip so popular. Ice and drinks will stay cold for over 30 hours when left undisturbed.
With a 20-liters capacity, the M20 offers plenty of space for food and other items and has plenty of mounting points for a picnic blanket. The one shortcoming we found is that the M20 doesn’t have the waist and sternum straps that were featured on the Backflip.
Cooler backpacks are becoming more common but Yeti is still way ahead of most of the competition.
Best Detachable Backpack Lunch Box: J World New York Kids‘ Duet Backpack
The name of this lunch box backpack is kind of misleading. It may have been intended as a backpack lunch box combo for kids to take to school but it is so well designed and engineered that it works great for adults as well.
Featuring a detachable lunch box with a decent-sized cooler area, secured with two buckles and velcro., it also has plenty of room in its main compartment.
It will easily hold a 14-inches laptop or tablet and has inner mesh pockets and zippered compartments for silverware and other small items like pens, pencils, lighters, etc.
The S-shaped shoulder straps of the J World New York Kids‘ Duet Backpack make it very easy to carry and the fact that the entire lunch box backpack combo weighs in at less than 1,5 pounds is just icing on the cupcake.
Best Budget Buy: Coleman Soft Cooler Backpack
If you are on a tight budget then the Coleman Soft Cooler Backpack might be the ideal lunch box backpack for you.
While much cheaper than other backpack models on our list it has all of the ket features that would make it an ideal dedicated lunch backpack. The main compartment is spacious enough to hold a full case of drinks along with ice packs.
This compartment has welded seams to prevent any worries you may have about spills or leakage. Of course, it is also well insulated and will keep most items cool or warm for 10-hours or more.
There is also a secondary compartment and side pockets giving you plenty of room for travel mugs, cell phones, silverware, and pens or folders.
Not fancy or with many bells and whistles, still for day to day use it performs its job well and with reasonable durability.
Best Value: Fuel Backpack and Lunch Bag Bundle
When you look at all the different factors that make a great lunch box backpack the Fuel Backpack and Lunch Bag Bundle, checks all the boxes. No, it is not at the top in any particular area. However, it’s adequate in all of them at a price point that is more than reasonable.
The well-insulated lunch bag fits nicely in its own little pocket keeping it away from school or office supplies. The main compartment can carry a 14-inches tablet or laptop with ease and there are side and mesh pockets for all those little items that tend to get lost when left loose.
Best of all it can often be found for less than thirty dollars and even off-sale is rarely priced much above forty.
Best for the Beach: Pelican Dayventure Backpack Soft Cooler
To be perfectly honest we listed the Pelican Dayventure as the best for the beach but it came very close to being the top overall cooler backpack.
Pelican uses dense closed-cell insulation technology that is reported to limit thermal transfer to 2.5 degrees over a twenty-four-hour period. They also construct the Dayventure Backpack out of military-grade canvas that is completely waterproof and puncture-resistant.
If that wasn’t enough, consider that this backpack cooler has two compartments to separate hot and cold items as well as provide plenty of extra space for any accessories you might want to take along.
Comfortable to carry, even walking sand the Pelican Dayventure Backpack Soft Cooler is ideal for the beach but would be just as much at home in any environment you could possibly ever want to visit.
Best for Camping: Carhartt 2-in-1 Insulated Cooler Backpack
Our pick among the best backpacks for camping is the Carhartt 2-in-1 Insulated Cooler Backpack. This unique design features an insulated lower compartment that is independent of the main top compartment.
Capable of holding 12 drink cans plus cold packs it has plenty of room for your lunch. There are also water bottle holders built into each side and three catch pockets across the front for keeping pens, pencils, cell phones, or other small items organized but accessible.
Best of all it is made by Carhartt to the same exacting standards that have made the company a household name among people who are tough on their clothing.
If you want a lunch box backpack that will stand up to daily use even in the roughest conditions this is the backpack for you.
Most Durable: RTIC Lightweight Backpack Cooler
RTIC’s motto is “Overbuilt, not overpriced” and their Lightweight Backpack Cooler definitely lives up to that ideal.
The entire pack other than the closed-cell, high-density insulation is made of food-grade polyester canvas making it water and abrasion-resistant. Luckily for those among us with fumble fingers, it is also easy to clean.
Other niceties include multiple interior and exterior accessory pockets for your cell phone, water bottles, corkscrews, etc, and padded shoulder straps for easy carry.
Not the fanciest bag on our list but engineered to last and is very functional.
Best for Picnics: Hydro Flask Unbound 22 L Soft Cooler Pack
Hydro Flask is better known for its cups and water bottles than for cooler or backpacks. With their intensive knowledge of thermal transfer prevention though it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the company has ventured into offering a backpack cooler.
One of their first offerings is the Unbound 22 L Soft Cooler Pack and we have to say we have been impressed.
With a temperature shift of only eight degrees every twenty-four hours it has excellent thermal retention to keep food hot or cold. The pack only weighs slightly more than three pounds, is water-proof, abrasion-resistant, and has three external mesh pockets to help keep things organized.
The only negatives we found are that the straps are thinner than we would have liked and the pack itself lacks sufficient padding against your back. These are, of course, a matter of taste.
Best for Work: Primocean Laptop Backpack with Detachable Lunch box
