Are you trying to find lunch boxes that fit in a backpack? Then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve researched and rounded up the best options we could find.
Check out our top picks below…
Quick Summary
Best Lunch Boxes for Backpack Reviews
Safermeal Bento Lunch Box Kit
This is a great compact lunch box that can fit pretty much anywhere. It’s one of the most portable lunch boxes on this list, albeit it is a tad on the smaller size. In addition to this, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
This means you can buy the lunch box, use it for 30 days, and then decide if you like it or not.
Pros
- The box is made out of high-quality BPA-free plastic. This means that it’s generally much safer for your health and more eco-friendly than other boxes. In addition to that, the PEVA lining that makes up the box’s insulation is also very safe and ecologically friendly.
- It features 4 compartments, which is great for such a compact box. While there are multiple boxes on this list with a greater amount of compartments, this one has an excellent balance given its size.
- The Bento is entirely leak-proof and spill-proof. The lid of this lunch box is airtight, which helps prevent any spilling or similar from happening. If you’re prioritizing leak proofing, this is one of the better boxes on this list.
- It’s very compact- the Bento can fit into pretty much any backpack, including your kid’s school backpack. This is great because it can help you take your meal anywhere without having to worry about how to pack your bag.
Cons
- The insulation of the box isn’t the best. While this is to be expected of such a compact box, don’t expect it to keep your food at the same temperature for more than half a day.
- Because of being so compact, the box can also be a bit too small for some. It doesn’t carry enough to pack a full meal for someone who works a physically labor-intensive job.
Related Article: Best Insulated Lunch Bag for Adults (Top 7 Options)
Kids Basix New Wave Stainless Steel Snacker
The Kid Basix is made with children in mind, although it can help adults. The box has a sleek, grey design with a colored lid. This helps it not stand out too much while still maintaining a good visual identity.
Pros
- It’s entirely leak-proof. This box features an 18/8 food-grade stainless steel base alongside a plastic lid with an insulated silicone seal. This helps it lock in freshness and any spillages that might occur inside.
- The Kid Basix comes in three sizes. This is great because it lets you pick which one you want based on your food intake. The small or middle size will be great for your kid, while the biggest one is pretty much enough to feed the average adult.
- Washing lunch boxes can be a pain, but luckily the Kid Basix is made to be 100% dishwasher safe, meaning that when you’re done with it you can just put it in the washer and forget about it.
Cons
- While it does come in multiple sizes, all of these have only one compartment, which can be a significant downside to some. If you’re planning on storing multiple kinds of food in the lunch box, you might want to sleep on this one.
MAZFORCE Original Lunch Box Insulated Lunch Bag – Tough & Spacious Adult Lunchbox to Seize Your Day
The MAZFORCE lunch bag has been designed primarily with men in mind. It shows this with its strong, grey design and excellent functionality.
It has multiple compartments to ensure that you bring everything with you and a slot for your drinks on the side.
Pros
- It has excellent insulation due to the ultra-thick foam insulation and the outer cloth being an excellent insulator. This ensures that your food will be kept at a constant temperature during the daily grind.
- The bag is extremely practical. Not a single inch of space has been wasted, and the bag is designed to give it the maximum efficiency possible in such a size. There are two mesh pockets and a slim back pocket that will let you have some room for snacks.
- The box is made from BPA and PVC-free plastics and has undergone a variety of safety tests to ensure that it is eco-friendly and food-friendly. Furthermore, the company offers a hassle-free guarantee for any dissatisfied customers.
Cons
- The biggest downside of this bag is its cloth outsides. If you spill anything on top of it, you can expect it to be a fairly difficult stain to get rid of.
Insulated Lunch Box for Adults and Kids – Professional Work Lunch Bag for Men and Women
This bag is very much like the MAZFORCE, and in fact, when it comes to functionality, their designs are pretty much the same. On the other hand, this bag has placed more of an accent on girls and children than a manly, pure grey design.
Pros
- It is made of top-quality eco-friendly materials. This ensures that the lunch box is durable and can take quite a beating during the day.
- It has waterproof oxford fabric, which provides an excellent appearance, and fixes the MAZFORCE’s greatest flaw-the outside. The outside of this box is extremely easy to clean, and you can easily do it with a wet wipe.
- The thick, two-component insulation system makes sure that your lunch will maintain its temperature for much longer than it would with most other bags. Some customers have reported upwards of 7 hours, while most seem to gravitate to a more modest 5-6.
- Having a great size and isn’t too big to fit into a backpack, it’s not too small as to be unable to keep all of the food you need for a working day within it. It also features an expandable bottle holder, which can help carry your drink with you.
Cons
- It’s not very good for carrying multiple kinds of food. This is because it relies on mesh compartments, so if you’re carrying, say, soup, you’ll probably want to avoid using those, so the rest of your food doesn’t get wet.
Read Also: Best Lunch Boxes for Nurses (Top 8 Options)
Lille Home 32OZ Vacuum Insulated Stackable Stainless Steel Thermal Lunch box
The Little Home has a great, gender-neutral design. If you’re looking for a lunchbox for the whole family, then this might be the one. It also comes with a convenient guarantee, so if you’re dissatisfied with the lunchbox, then you should just shoot the company an email and get a hassle-free refund.
Pros
- It offers one of the best temperature isolations on this list. It maintains the temperature pretty much perfectly for up to 6 hours. After that, it’ll still maintain an “acceptable” temperature for a few more hours. If you’re looking for a lunchbox that can last you the whole day, you need to look no further.
- The company is very transparent about the building materials. Both the interior and exterior are made from rustless SS304 steel, which is BPA-free and retains no flavor or scent. It’s also very easy to hand-wash.
- The bag is entirely spilled and leak-proof. Each of its stackable compartments comes with heavy-duty silicone seals that help lock in any fluids that might otherwise escape.
- It features multiple compartments, which lets you keep a variety of foods within it without them mixing. This is great if you’re thinking of bringing one lunch box to, say, a family picnic.
Cons
- The cylindrical design isn’t very space-economic in a backpack, so you might want to sleep on this one if you carry a small one.
- It’s not made to be washed in a dishwasher. Luckily, it’s very easy to wash by hand, although this might present an issue to some customers.
Pedeco Stainless Steel Divided Bento Boxes Leakproof BPA Free Lunch Box with 3 Compartments
The Pedeco is made with function in mind first. However, it still maintains an excellent design. This is an excellent lunch box to get if you’re looking for a lunch box that has an excellent function while still maintaining an artistic style.
Pros
- The box has three relatively sizeable compartments. Given its compact size, this is a great thing because it lets you have a balanced and nutritious meal, rather than being forced to bring just one sort of food.
- It’s probably got the best leak-proofing of all the boxes so far. There’s a silicone sealing ring you can put on all three compartments. This means that the innate leak-proofing of the box is complemented with an additional layer of protection.
- The box is very easy to clean due to being pretty much all stainless steel. All three compartments are removable, which makes washing super easy. You can also remove the metal parts of the compartments and make the box microwaveable.
Cons
- It’s on the small side. It doesn’t exactly let you carry a full meal if you eat a bit more than the average person.
See Also: Best Lunch Boxes That Keep Food Warm for Hours (Top 8 Options)
Carhartt Insulated Soft-Sided Lunchbox
The Carhartt is a well-made yet straightforward bag. While its design isn’t the most exciting one, it goes great with certain outfits. Furthermore, it helps complete the “image” of some professions, such as lumberjacking.
Pros
- It’s great for both kids and adults. The soft-sided insulated design makes sure that your kids won’t hurt themselves if they fall on it, or it falls on them.
- It features a fully-insulated interior designed to keep your food fresh from when you leave your house until lunchtime. This can often be for longer than 6 hours, making this bag an excellent pick for keeping your food fresh until you’re ready to eat.
- It has a sturdy handle at the top of it, making it a great option if you don’t always take your backpack with you. It also makes transporting it easier without having to put it back into your backpack.
- It uses very durable synthetic fabrics with Rain Defender to ensure that it’ll withstand rugged use. Furthermore, if you spill something on the bag, you needn’t worry because of the material’s hydrophobic properties.
Cons
- It’s a bit too big for most backpacks. If you’re looking for a bag to fit into your kid’s school backpack, you might be better off looking at a different bag.
- It doesn’t have many insulated areas. With only a main pocket and a mesh pocket, this isn’t the ideal lunch bag to carry if you’re looking for a varied meal.
Further Reading: Top 8 Best Lunch Boxes That Lock
JanSport Lunch Break Galaxy
The starry sky look of this bag is bound to make you the center of attention anywhere you go with it. The design is, simply put, unique. You won’t be finding another lunch bag with this kind of design on the market.
Pros
- Its design is superb, and this is perfect for those of us that are a bit more eccentric or for children looking to have fun at school. With that being said, it can be a bit “much” for a professional environment.
- It’s made of 100% polyester, meaning it’s extremely food-friendly and eco-friendly. The bag won’t retain any scent or taste from the food you put in it.
- The box is deceptively large, able to house an entire adult’s meal with ease. Furthermore, it’s extremely good at laying flat for such a large bag, which means you can easily use it as a tray if need be.
Cons
- Some customers have complained about the bag not being very durable. On the other hand, others have not had this issue at all.
Bentgo Fresh – New & Improved Leak-Proof, Versatile 4-Compartment Bento-Style Lunch Box
The BentGo Fresh is an excellent lunch box made with kids and adults in mind alike. The design is nothing special, just blue with a logo; however, it comes with a 2-year guarantee of satisfaction.
Pros
- It has built-in portion control because of its compartments. It lets you monitor both your and your kid’s food intake. This makes it an ideal lunch box for those that are on a diet or simply trying to watch how much they eat.
- It’s entirely leak-proof, and with its compartmentalization, this means that the entrees, sides, and snacks you pick for your meals will never go mixing with each other. Spilling into your backpack is also pretty much impossible.
- You can either keep the 3-compartment structure if you need a room or add an additional divider, making this bag into more of a 4-compartment one.
- The company gives a percentage of all profits from the bag to Feed the Children. The company has amassed over $150000 for the charity since 2017.
Cons
- The design is quite lukewarm. While it might be great for kids, it isn’t precisely suited for professional purposes.
PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag with Zip Closure
The Packit will always stand out. The company behind it has cracked the code behind making unique yet professional lunch bags that can also go to your kids. The designs are varied, ranging from simple stripes to rabbits and pandas.
Pros
- The bag uses PackIt’s patented cooling tech, which includes freezable gel. This gel is built into the bag, meaning that you won’t need to use your money to buy additional ice or gel packs ever again.
- In order to use the PackIt Lunch bag, all you need to do is put it in the freezer overnight. The walls will have frozen in the morning, and the bag will be ready to cool your stuff for up to 12 hours.
- The cool environment of the bag is ideal for keeping dairy, fruits, etc. The healthier your diet is, the more the PackIt will be perfect for you.
- It features a zip-top closure to keep all cool air in and warm air out. It also has an excellent handle which you can use whenever you’re not putting this lunch bag into a backpack.
Cons
- Despite the bag’s design quality, it doesn’t have any compartments, which might turn quite a few people off of buying it.
OPUX Premium Insulated Lunch Box | Soft Leakproof School Lunch Bag
The OPUX premium has a simple yet robust and practical design. If you think a meal isn’t complete without a drink, you’ll love the side compartment on this bag, meant to store a variety of drinks.
Pros
- It carries pretty much anything you want, wherever you want it. The design is mutable, making it ideal for office environments where you don’t want to stand out. On the other hand, the solid colors of the bag keep it from being boring elsewhere.
- The bag’s ability to keep food cold or hot for hours means the bag’s insulation is first-class, and it’ll make sure your food and drinks are kept at optimal temperatures. The bag uses premium thermal lining made out of 600D polyester fabric.
- The bag also has a front pocket for eating utensils and a buckle hand strap you can tie to backpacks or suitcases. This is great if your backpack is already full, but you still want to carry a lunch bag.
Cons
- Some customers have complained that the bag isn’t very sturdy. However, many others seem to have found no issues with this.
Rubbermaid LunchBlox Lunch Bag, Medium
If you’re a fan of sticking to one brand for all your needs, then the Rubbermaid lunch box might be perfect. It was made specifically to accompany their LunchBlox food containers and ice packs.
Pros
- The bag has been designed to work with other Rubbermaid products, such as the LunchBlox food containers, ice packs, and other products. This is great if you feel like trusting one brand with all your stuff.
- The bag is very lightweight, which is great when traveling longer distances. This is especially useful if your backpack is already pretty heavy.
- It features two additional compartments made for bottles and eating utensils. Do keep in mind that the LunchBlox containers, utensils, etc., are sold separately from the bag.
Cons
- If you don’t feel like trusting the same company with too much, you might find the bag is lacking in places.
Waxed Canvas Lunch Bags Brown Paper Bag Styled
The traditional movie lunch bag design is timeless. The brown seems boring at first, but the visual design of the top of the bag makes up for this. Another point for the convenience of this bag is the zipperless design.
Pros
- The bag is very eco-friendly, made with CZYY durable waxed canvas. It’s made to be used over and over again and help save the planet this way. Furthermore, it’s extremely easy to clean, just wipe it with a cloth or rinse with water.
- It’s got an excellent size. It fits easily into a backpack, but it still isn’t too small to house a proper meal. The bag is also zipperless, so there are no worries about your food getting caught in.
- It’s super simple and unassuming. It is made out of the hand-waxed heavy-duty canvas. The bag is waterproof and can take anything you can dish out on it.
Cons
- Due to being zipperless, some customers have complained that intensive use involving flipping the bag can sometimes lead to spillage. On the other hand, many users have faced no such issues.
Vaya Tyffyn 33.5 oz, Dew, Vacuum Insulated Lunch Box with Bagmat
The Vaya Tyffyn is beauty incarnate. It’s probably the most beautiful of all the lunch boxes here. The sleek, segmented design goes with pretty much anything, and it oozes an air of quality(which it has in spades.)
Pros
- The Vaya Tyffyn is made to keep food warm for up to 5 hours and uses multiple vacuum-insulated compartments. This is one of the few boxes on this list that underestimates itself, as many users report it lasting for upwards of 7 hours.
- The box is made up of 3 containers, which are then segmented into two parts, totaling six compartments. This means you can carry up to 6 different kinds of food in it without facing any mixing. These containers are also entirely spill-proof. The box is also dishwasher safe, so you can always just put it there when you’re done.
- The box also carries a 1-year warranty with it. It’s common for well-designed products like these to have flaws when it comes to durability, but the Vaya Tyffyn seems to be facing no such issues.
Cons
- If you don’t have a dishwasher or use it rarely, this box might be a pain to wash, as washing 6 containers by hand can take quite a while.
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What to Consider When a Lunch Box For Your Backpack
Compartments
You always want to think about how much stuff you can fit in your lunch box and how many ways you can arrange it. You don’t want to keep all of your sauces in the same place as the rest of your food if you can help it.
You also don’t want your drinks to be spilling out into your food, so you should make sure that they’re kept in different compartments. Things like these are why you should be thinking about the number of compartments.
Design
The design of your lunch box is always important. You might be thinking, “what’s the point if I’ll just keep it in my backpack anyway?”
Well, while this is true, you’ll still take it out when you eat. You want the design of your lunchbox to go with you rather than going against the rest of your outfit.
Leak-proof
Picture this: you open your backpack after working for a while. You’re stressed out because of one thing, and you find that your drink has spilled into your backpack and ruined it.
To prevent this kind of thing from happening, we’ll be looking at the leak proofing of these lunch boxes.
Portability
If you didn’t care about the portability of your lunch box, you might as well take your fridge with you. The less you have to carry in your backpack, the better. Portability isn’t only size, however, as the shape of a lunch box can also alter its portability.
We’ll also pay a passing glance to whether or not the lunch box is practical if your backpack is out of commission.
Durability
Do you want to buy a new lunch box every two months? Unless you’ve got some strange fixation on buying lunch boxes, you probably don’t. This is why you want a lunch box that can take a bit of damage.
Your lunch box will inevitably end up falling here and there, and you don’t want it breaking when that happens.
Price
The same way you don’t want your lunch box to break, you don’t want it to break the bank. What you’ll be looking for is the most value for your money. You want to get as much performance out of the lunch box for as little money.
Size
If you’re going to put your lunch box in your backpack, common logic dictates it needs to be smaller than said backpack for this to work. Naturally, you also don’t want it to be so small you can’t fit your lunch in it.
Depending on how much you eat, the Goldilocks zone for your lunch box is going to be different, but we’re here to tell you how big the box is, at least.
Insulation
Finally, one of the most important things to consider when getting a lunch box is whether or not it has the capability to keep your food warm/cold depending on the way you want it to be.
If you packed up ice cream, you don’t want it to melt, and if you packed warm soup, you don’t want it going cold either.
Related Article: Top 14 Best Lunch Boxes That Look Like Purses
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
