PlanetBox Lunchbox Review

When I was in grade school and middle school, I had to beg my parents to let me buy school lunches. Buying lunch was a special occasion, Mom normally packed us leftovers from the night before, usually Chinese food. I remember our hot-lunch thermos, packed with rice, leftover stir fry and whatever else could fit in. I only had the single thermos, so all the food was jumbled together and it all tasted the same, day in and day out.

I thought my own boys would enjoy school lunches, something different than what I cooked for family meals. Well, it turns out that they both dislike the glop the school serves and would rather have a packed lunch, every day.

To add variety, we alternate between sandwiches, salads and hot leftovers. For our hot lunches, we pack them in a Mrs. Bento from Zojirushi. For cold lunches, we were using small plastic containers, sandwich bags and a cold pack. Unfortunately, the sandwiches would get too cold (touching the cold pack), the chips smushed and fruits smashed.

We tried out the PlanetBox lunchbox system for a week. My younger child, still in 5th grade loved the design and called dibs. My middle schooler thought it was just a little too juvenile looking for him to take to school.

This isn’t our first introduction to PlanetBox, we actually purchased a set a few years ago, when PlanetBox first launched. We love the sturdy, dishwasher safe, one-piece metal container. It holds enough food for my 11 year old, and gives enough compartment to add variety to his lunch. As long as the food is not liquidy, each food stays in its own compartment (no touching!)

An included metal dip or salad dressing container fits nicely in the package. The entire thing is easy to clean – no lids to lose (other than the dip container) and clean up is rinse and stack in dishwasher.

You can create your own kit, based on size, number of compartments, design elements and accessories.

A cold pack fits in a pocket on the inside of the bag – which is perfect. It keeps the lunch cold enough without directly touching the food. That helps keep the lunch at the right temperature AND prevent soggy sandwiches.

With a cold pack and a drinking thermos, the package does get a little heavy. Add in the glass “shuttle” container with tight fitting lid for hot foods or liquidy foods, and it becomes uncomfortably heavy for the little ones. But I do like the slim design – it fits nicely in a backpack. The system is pricey, expect to pay just shy of $100 for an entire set delivered. But for a daily school lunch that will last the entire school year (and longer), it’s worth it.

Buy PlanetBox directly from their website.

PlanetBox Lunch Box Giveaway

PlanetBox provided us with a review unit for an honest review + one for a giveaway.