Best Lunch Boxes for Men in 2021: Beyond Brown Bag

The Stanley brand is as traditional as it gets for men’s lunch boxes. The Stanley Classic Lunch Box is an expression of that tradition. For years, it’s been America’s best lunch box for work. The box features single-wall steel construction with a tension latch closure and molded plastic handle. Its distinctive hammer tone finish comes in two colors — navy or classic Stanley green. A leaf spring mounts inside the rounded lid to hold bottles, big cans, or a Stanley mug or flask.

If the Stanley is loaded with a bottle in the lid, the 5.5-quart metal lunch box is big enough to handle a couple of small meal-prep containers, plus a piece of fruit and a bag of chips. It would also hold a big burrito and a piece of fruit; or a sandwich, a small container, and a piece of fruit. That’s all there is to it. The Stanley Classic Lunch Box is a simple tool built from an enduring American design that inspires nostalgia and implies practicality.

Its practicality is the question mark. Certainly, a steel lunch box offers utility for some — the Stanley Classic will resist denting and abrasive wear and tear (imagine a construction site). But my observations and testing showed that its detailed components might not hold up over the long haul.

Construction concerns begin with ⅛-inch gaps in the rear corners between the lid and the box, which look like a design flaw. The tension latch, though it shuts the box tightly, is very loosely built, and the metal links that attach the plastic handle dig into the plastic with surprising ease.

Born in 1913, the Stanley brand is an inspired, rootsy American tradition. But the brand has been manufactured in China since the early 2000s, and quality control problems now challenge its ongoing relevance. Read the in-depth review here.

The Lifewit Insulated Lunch Box is a worthwhile purchase. Its surprisingly effective insulation, solid features, and high capacity put it at the top of the heap of men’s lunch boxes. At first, I was skeptical of Lifewit. There are plenty of predators and pretenders in the Amazon jungle (not talking about the Rainforest). The Lifewit Insulated Lunch Box seemed suspicious online but looked solid right out of the box. Apart from a loose stitch on the brand emblem, the construction was solid. The stitching on the top zipper seemed especially stout, and both zippers operated with ease — no tricky corners or sticky spots.

A detachable shoulder strap and two carry handles that velcro together were attached sturdily, and the lining was sewn securely. The Lifewit really impressed me in insulation testing. The lunch bag kept ice for around 15 hours, which is amazing for a soft-sided cooler. It’s even more surprising that the bottom of the bag didn’t leak when the ice melted. This held true after repeated testing and abrasion. Put up to 17 cans (with room for ice) in the generously sized Lifewit Insulated Lunch Box, or pack a lunch worthy of an audacious bulking cycle. Read the in-depth review here.

I’ll say it with the utmost sincerity: the Igloo Playmate is a lunch box that needs no introduction. I can’t believe I just typed that sentence, but I think it’s pretty accurate. The Playmate is a generational icon, defining the American personal cooler dream from the beach to the barbeque to the back of the pickup truck.

Igloo delivers a timeless design in a hardbody insulated cooler that lasts. Having used one of these for years (not tested for this article), I discovered that the Playmate was durable, as well as easy to use and clean. Frankly, the push-button closure is fun to use, and the rotating lid action is satisfying — or else I’m just really easily entertained (which is highly possible).

Columbia PFG is a trusted name in fishing apparel and accessories. Its “Skiff Guide” insulated cooler constitutes a high-capacity, easy-cleaning outdoor lunch box option. The Skiff Guide Zipperless bag looks like a straightforward soft cooler, but several design innovations set it apart. It’s zipperless, features a hard plastic removable liner, and its exterior is highly stain-resistant.

The top-opening bag’s zipperless lid secures with one velcro attachment point, designed to be operated with one hand. When the bag is closed, a hard plastic liner inside the lid seats into the hard plastic interior shell — almost like a thermos lunch box. Though the liner won’t leak, I thought the closure system seemed dubious in terms of insulation and security. But customer reviews, by and large, report that the bag insulates sufficiently.

PackIt’s Freezable Lunch Bag is a unique entry that eliminates the need for an ice pack (or ice) from your lunch kit. The tote-style bag’s walls contain a non-toxic gel that freezes overnight. Empty the bag, fold it down (it collapses to about the size of a clutch purse), velcro it tight, and stick it in the freezer. The gel will be frozen in the morning, and the bag will be ready to keep your lunch cold.

It’s a compact bag, big enough for several small bottles or a sandwich, plus some miscellaneous small containers or fruits — perfect for those who like to keep lunch light. The PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag is an innovative concept, but the brand exhibits developing execution. Some reviewers complain of popped stitching or eventual leakage (seemingly from spills inside the bag — not leaking gel). Pick up the PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag if you need a compact lunch bag, and you’re looking for an alternative to ice packs or cubes.

The ThinkFit Insulated Meal Prep Lunch Box is all about bang for your buck. Around forty bucks gets you a robust insulated food bag, six BPA- and phthalate-free containers with snap-lock lids, a 23-ounce shaker cup with screw-on compartments for supplements, protein, and pre-workout, plus two ice packs and a push-button pill dispenser.

Wowzers! For beast-mode meal-preppers, this looks as good as it gets. At the price (granted, the ThinkFit MSRP is $60 at this writing) and quantity, I would be wary of quality. Some users corroborate my suspicion, but it’s a tiny fraction of a pretty big group — the vast majority of buyers are happy with ThinkFit’s quality.

The Corkcircle Nona Roll-Top Lunchbox is a unique entry in a saturated field. The Nona’s roll-top design is a nod to the classic brown paper bag aesthetic, updated for everyday reusability. Unrolled, it’s a foot tall, 9 inches wide, and 6 inches deep. Pack your lunch in the insulated bag, then roll the top down until snug, clip the buckle and cinch the strap. Carry it with a top handle.

The Nona is unique in its category for its size adjustability, which is a useful feature: the tighter you pack your lunch, the less it will be susceptible to squishing, spillage, etc. Corkcircle builds the Nona in three colors, including a vivid turquoise and a manly-man’s olive drab that gives the bag a utilitarian, army-surplus look. This unorthodox entry belongs anywhere you do and is a suitable choice for space-saving.

You may also be interested in these top-quality coolers for camping from our list. Check them out and pick your favorite.

Veteran-owned HSD is serious about quality and durability. Its Insulated Lunch Bag displays both on a military-style bag designed for the man’s man. Picture a soldier’s backpack reconstructed as a lunch box, and you’ve got it. In my experience, shoddy materials and construction often doom soft coolers to early deaths in the garbage. HSD (or HighSpeedDaddy) builds its lunch bags for the long haul with waterproof polyester, reinforced carrying handles, and heavy-duty YKK zippers.

The proudly veteran-owned and operated company adds utility to its lunch bags with PALS webbing for attaching extra items, a high-capacity front zipper pocket, and a detachable shoulder strap. A velcro panel for attaching pride patches drives home its manly aesthetic. 8mm polyethylene foam insulation (an upgrade from the typical 5mm) keeps your drinks and chow cold or hot. The medium size bag (featured here) holds up to eight cans. A larger size is available.

It’s hard to imagine a more manly lunch box for work than one made by a brand known for making tool bags. Enter the Husky 600-Denier Weather Resistant Insulated Cooler. Husky’s bag is a tough take on the insulated lunch bag designed to withstand the job site’s rigors.

Husky’s insulated cooler is built with the same materials as its tool bags, making it highly abrasion-resistant. Its 600-Denier fabric resists water and weather, and reviews overwhelmingly reflect its durability. That quality transfers to the interior lining as well, which various reviewers report is resistant to punctures and doesn’t leak water if filled with ice.

Bento boxes are the hippest lunch trend since Capri Sun and Fruit Roll-Ups (especially now that ‘90s kids who grew up eating corn syrup at varying stages of viscosity have joined the working world). Satisfy your inner instinct for order and portray your compartmentalized yet elegant sensibilities with the GRUB2GO Bento Box.

The GRUB2GO kit contains two moderately-sized rectangular bowls, section dividers, a discreet utensil holder, and a velcro closure strap. Styled in black or “executive black” and a bamboo pattern, the box delivers the calming, orderly aesthetic of its eastern progenitors.