Depending on your age, you might be familiar with the saying “brown baggin’ it.” Might not. Regardless, it’s a good bet you’re not bringing your lunch to work or school in a brown paper bag, as was the custom when that saying was coined. There are a lot of great options out there for bringing your lunch, so we thought we’d write a bit about some that might fit with your personality.
For Stylin’ Women and Girls
We found Haute Lunch recently, and really love the chic style of their lunch totes. These lunch totes are designed in the U.S.A., and they also give back: on their web site, Haute Lunch say they’re proud to support Commit 2B Fit, a not-for-profit working to combat childhood obesity and promote overall wellness. Haute Lunch has a really nice collection online, and at the time of this writing you can get their Modern Zebra collection (pictured at right, with included charm below) through their web site or from a retailer listed on their “Find Us” page. Check them out!

For the Minimalist
We’ve evolved from paper bags to canvas! The ECOBAGS® Cotton Canvas Reusable Lunch Sack is reusable (well, yeah!) and machine washable. Grab some markers or fabric paint and customize it to your liking! We like that this is really affordable, and you can have your kids personalize it in their own style using colorfast markers or fabric paint. It is washable and great for throwing containers in. It’s not the best choice if you want to include things that need to keep cool, but it does fit the minimalist bill.

For the Compartmentalist
Do you like order amid the chaos of work or school? Check out Zojirushi’s Mr. Bento Stainless-Steel lined Lunch Jar. This is one cool lunch set: four microwaveable bowls slide into an insulated container. The insulated container slides into a cool black bag. It’s an excellent way to segment your lunch, and not have things get crushed up against each other. The containers aren’t dishwasher-safe, but we routinely hand wash small containers like this anyway.
For the Fashionista
Heading out for a day trip with the top down? Or are you riding a desk from 8-5? Regardless, we think Built’s flexible bags, like the French Bull Gourmet Getaway, are really cool. They’ll keep your food hot or cold for up to four hours (longer if you use insulated containers). There are many coordinating bags, too, if you’re bringing wine (Built NY One Bottle Tote), a companion just learning to eat (Built NY Comfy Bib), or both!
Tags: bag, lunchbox, tote, wine
More about Amy and Scott Dawson, creators of Lunchtaker.com: One of our core focuses is on nutrition and fitness. Our children both attended a parent cooperative pre-school where the morning snack was as healthy as possible, and our family liked the opportunities for new foods that arose in pre-school. As our children go through grade school, we are focusing on continuing the trend of ensuring we feed ourselves a variety of foods, all good for our bodies... read more...
Posted Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 7:30 pm and filed under Lunch Gear. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
