A soft cooler clipped to your shoulder strap is the best hiking lunch box.

The best lunch box for a long-distance hiking day trip is a small, insulated soft cooler that clips onto your backpack strap.

Hard lunch boxes are overkill. They’re heavy, don’t compress, and sort of bounce against your hip awkwardly when you move. A soft-sided insulated pouch is lighter, flexes to whatever you stuff in it, and most are built with a loop or clip made exactly for hanging off a shoulder strap or hip belt.

Just check the clip before you buy. Look for a real metal carabiner or a thick plastic snap, not a flimsy hook that’ll break off on a branch. Also get one with a water-repellent shell if you might get caught in rain. Insulation is worth it if you’re hiking in sun for a few hours.

You don’t need a huge bag to carry lunch. Something that fits a sandwich, an apple, and a snack bar is plenty. And the good news: you’ll still use it on normal days.

Future you doesn’t want a warm tuna sandwich.