Start the School Year on the Right Foot With These Best Lunch Boxes for Kids

Our Top Pick

Bentgo Kids Lunch Bag

$25 $20 at Amazon $30 $25 at Target View on Bentgo.com

We all know that lunch bags go through a lot during a school year. They’re kicked, thrown, and spilled on. That’s why we love this incredibly durable lunch bag so much. The water-resistant fabric and fully insulated interior can withstand less-than-ideal conditions. Plus, the zipper is easy to use for little fingers and holds up over time, while the sides are soft without falling in on itself when it’s empty.

Once you open the bag, you’ll see a spacious, mesh, zippered pouch that can hold multiple types of containers, utensils, condiments, or ice packs, and still have space for extra snacks. It’s generous enough that Allstar Stacy Rennie easily fit a Bentgo Bento-Style Lunch Box. “It has room for a slim ice pack [along with the lunch box] and we felt it stayed cold enough for the few hours we needed it before lunch,” says Stacy. 

Stacy loved how functional the exterior was as well. There’s a mesh drink holder that can be cinched tightly to keep smaller drinks secure, with large comfortable handles on the top and side. There’s also a removable strap if your child wants to wear it as a crossbody bag. If they want to throw it in their backpack, it can be clipped in to avoid getting lost.

The bag comes in multiple prints plus there are matching water bottles and bento-style containers for additional convenience. The prints are cute and classically child-themed and, while they will last for years, you may find your older elementary or middle schooler wanting to move to a solid color Deluxe Lunch Bag.

The Details: Nylon, PEVA; 11 x 9.5 x 3.5 inches; leak-resistant

Best Budget

L.L.Bean Lunch Box

$20 at L.L.Bean

L.L Bean is known for its high-quality products so it’s no surprise it makes a durable lunch box. What did surprise us was the price tag. Around $20, this lunch bag is an affordable option that will last. 

The bag itself is made of the same material as L.L. Bean backpacks—100% weatherproof polyester—and the interior has an easy-to-clean lining. It comes in eight bright colors and has the L.L. Bean logo monogrammed on the front. Instead of scrawling your child’s name in permanent marker, you could add a monogram of their initial and ensure it won’t be confused with someone else’s bag. 

When Allstar Amanda Scarlati tested this out, she could add a full lunch inside along with an ice pack, and it contained leaks better than others we tested. She felt the super thick interior lining would hold up to years of use and loved that the stitching prevented any crevices for crumbs and bits from getting stuck in. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a clip included to hold the bag or a strap to carry it but because it’s compact, it should fit in a backpack without a problem. The smaller size still conveniently works with Bentgo lunch boxes and similar containers. Amanda did feel that this would be best for younger children.

The Details: Polyester; 9.5 x 7 x 3.75 inches; leak-resistant

Best Insulated

Hydro Flask Large Insulated Lunch Box

$60 at Amazon View on Hydroflask.com

We trust Hydro Flask to keep our water cold and our coffee hot so it makes sense that they would also trust them with our kids’ lunch. This lunch box is different from all the others on this list because it is a hard case inside and out. That ended up being a pro and a con for Stacy’s kid—it stops lunch from getting smashed, but it can also be clunky and take up extra space.

Inside the nylon-covered BPA-free plastic case, you’ll find two layers of insulation that can keep food cold or warm for up to 4 hours. Stacy did test out the claim and found it truthful, but she worried that the ice pack band might break with use. It doesn’t have any other storage pockets, which may be a dealbreaker for some.

It does close with a sturdy zipper and has a flexible handle on the top for carrying. To clean, wipe down with a damp cloth and allow it to dry.

The Details: Nylon, polyurethane; 10.75 x 10.71 x 4.21 inches; leak-resistant

Best Large Capacity

Pottery Barn Kids Mackenzie Lunch Box

View on Potterybarnkids.com

The Mackenzie Cold Pack Lunch Box can hold a lot of food. It's two inches larger than Pottery Barn’s classic lunch box and makes good use of that extra space. “This one is nice because if you had larger Tupperware, a bento box or a thermos and other things, you can easily put the drink on the outside of the lunch box in the pouch to maximize the space inside,” says Amanda.

The lunch box has an exterior zippered pocket, an interior mesh zippered pocket, and a mesh pouch for holding a water bottle on the side of the lunch box. The cold-pack version also includes a nested ice pack that can be used as a divider, which Amanda truly appreciated. “It allows you to easily move it depending on what you have inside the lunch box and keep things extra cold,” she says. 

Amanda did find some flaws with this lunch box though. First, it easily leaked, getting water everywhere. There are also a lot of places for crumbs to hide. “This one also has a lot of cracks and crevices where food can get stuck,” she says. “Between that, the mesh liner and the velcro for the movable cold pack, this one is the most difficult to clean.”

It does come in multiple cute patterns as well as solid colors, with monogramming available. It’s a part of a larger system that all works together. You can get bento food containers, water bottles, and even a backpack to match—it’s all so cute that I almost want to keep it at home and ensure it all stays in mint condition. There are also straps to attach this to a rolling backpack.

The Details: RPET polyester, vinyl; 9.25 x 3.75 x 7.75 inches; leak-resistant

Best Freezable

PackIt Freezable Classic Lunch Box

$25 at Amazon $25 $20 at Target $37 at Walmart

This completely freezable PackIt lunch box removes the need for an ice pack. Yes, freezable! You put the whole lunch box in the freezer for 12 hours to fully freeze the nontoxic gel lining the walls of the lunch box. Thankfully, it is collapsible, which makes it easier to fit into even a small freezer. 

While there isn’t an interior pocket or a water bottle holder here, Amanda found it has a tremendous amount of space for lunch and snacks, plus a pocket on the exterior for utensils or napkins. It was somewhat leakproof, but not entirely. Amanda also noted that the gel lining does add significant weight, and makes it difficult to fit into a backpack. “This lunch box would probably be best for older kids who can stand the extra weight,” she says. “It would also be good for kids that have lunch later in the day because it would keep things coldest the longest.”

An additional downside is the low-quality zipper which kept snagging when used and might not be as durable as a YKK zipper. This comes in a wide range of colors and patterns though. Of course, it only works if you remember to put it in the freezer, yet, you can add some ice packs and it will still function well as a lunch box. 

The Details: Polyester, PEVA; 10.25 x 4.5 x 8 inches; leak-resistant