Great lunch boxes and backpacks to take back to school

Bentgo

Gone are the days of sending your child to school with a warm tuna sandwich and dry chips. This new trend of bento style lunch boxes has made school lunches something to look forward to. My daughter loves hers as it means she can have different, smaller snacks as well as a nice dip to eat them with.

Sometimes she will eat carrots and celery with a delicious ranch dip. Most of the time, though, she gets chocolate sauce with strawberries and oranges. It is also easy to clean and completely dishwasher safe, making it ideal for everyday use.

Bentgo

Not all students are young and need bright colors. If you’re an older high school student or mature college student, you might want to bring your lunch in something a little fancier. This stackable bento box comes with a set of cutlery and separate compartments for more grown-up food like spaghetti, dinosaurs and… maybe leftovers? I don’t know what adults eat, I’m a man-baby who likes baked beans on toast.

Amersun

While the Amersun is a pretty standard looking lunch box, it does have a few nice features. I love the front pocket that can be used to store things separate from food. My kids use it to store dirty cutlery so it doesn’t make a mess on all their snacks. The insulated main pocket is roomy and, if you use a freezer block, will keep your food chilled until lunchtime.

This box also comes in different colors and patterns. Whatever your child likes, there’s probably a model to suit their style.

A thermos

A thermos is well known for keeping cool things cool and hot things hot. This lunch box uses this technology to great effect, and the separate compartments allow you to place your Bentgo box in the base, while leaving room for chips, a drink and maybe even a pencil case and notebook if you need one. Both areas are lined with waterproof material that insulates the bag, so you can use a freezer block to keep things really cool.

Thrive

All of these lunch boxes so far have had some kind of insulation that will allow them to maintain a temperature well. This pack of four reusable ice packs can be used to keep food chilled and because there are four. you’ll always have one ready when you need it.

ReZip

Having to buy hundreds of Ziploc style bags annoys me. I don’t like how much waste they produce and I don’t like how much they cost. These reusable silicone zipper bags save both money and plastic as they are machine washable.

At first I was worried that the seal wouldn’t be as good as a standard bag, but it works great and keeps my kids’ food fresh all day.

Walmart

The Mandalorian is a huge part of the culture right now, with Grogu – once called Baby Yoda – taking center stage. This fun backpack has plenty of room for your young Padawan to store all his books and notes, while the chibi-style lunchbox can be detached when it’s time for breakfast. It’s about a foot tall, so it should be fine for anyone starting full school, although I think kindergartners might struggle a bit if it’s full.

Canis

The first day of kindergarten is a milestone that can affect how your child progresses in their school career. Start off with some fun fun with these cute little animal backpacks. They have several different places to store things and have mesh pockets on the side for your child’s water bottle. They are so colorful and light, I wish I had one when I was a boy.

Newhey

Although it’s not technically a backpack, it’s a nice bag for a student. It fits your laptop, notebooks and almost anything else you need. I’m a big fan of the vintage look, and this wax canvas repels water, so your electronics should be safe as you run to class.

Trailmaker

I hate that this exists. I hate that my kid might need one of these someday. But they do exist, and some schools now require them to make guns easier to detect. So if your family needs one of these, that’s good. The stitching is strong around the plastic so it won’t fall apart, and there’s a mesh pouch for pens and pencils. The shoulder straps are also well padded so at least your child can be comfortable.