5 Lunch Boxes That Will Keep Your Lunch Cold All Day

Depending on the people you work with, the office refrigerator might not be a safe place for your lunch. (How anyone can “mistake” your lovingly assembled kale salad for their #saddesklunch is beyond us!) Or maybe your job has you on the road most of the day, driving back and forth to appointments, and you don’t have fridge access? Or maybe you just have a long commute? You need a lunch box that’ll keep your food cold. Like, really cold. For a long time.

These lunch boxes will keep their cool until you’re ready to eat.

1. Freezable Uptown Lunch Bag, $25 at PackIt: Put this bag (and all the other PackIt bags) in the freezer overnight to activate its built-in freezable gel. When you wake up, the walls of the bag will be frozen and ready to keep your food cold for up to 10 hours. This messenger-style bag has a handy strap, an exterior zip pocket, and interior slip pocket.
2. Coleman 24-Hour 9-Can Cooler, $10: The brand says this lunch bag will keep contents cold for 24 hours in 90-degree heat. We’ve used it for a work day and had zero complaints. Bonus: It’s big enough to hold a large lunch with a few drinks, but it’s not so big and bulky that it’s awkward to tote around during a commute.
3. Icetec Collection Freezable Lunchbox, $20 at Built NY: Another stylish bag that goes in the freezer ahead of time, this one also keeps food cold for up to 10 hours and looks decidedly purse-like.
4. Lunch Box, $20 at L.L. Bean: Technically meant for kids, the solid colors make for legit options for adults, too. This particular lunch box won the top pick from our friends at The Sweethome, but they didn’t say just how many hours it kept the food cold. However, we do know that, when paired with an ice pack or two, it stays cold until a respectable lunch time.
5. Hopper 8, $200 at Yeti: For people who are serious about their lunch (or drink smoothies all day long?), there’s no better brand to turn to than Yeti. The company has a cult following because many campers and hunters insist their (expensive) coolers are the best. This soon-to-be-released lunch box is meant for day-long wilderness expeditions, so you know it’ll be able to handle your work day.