Buy the ugly lunch box

For a construction site, the most important lunch box features are hard-shell durability, a latch that won’t break, and insulation that keeps food cold even after being thrown into a truck bed.

Don’t waste money on a soft-sided cooler with a zipper. Zippers get jammed with dust and die in a month. Velcro dies faster. You want a rotomolded or heavy-duty plastic box with a rubber gasket and a metal or reinforced plastic latch. Think Yeti-style or a contractor-grade cooler, not a lunch tote from a big-box store.

Also look for a box that seals tight against dust and rain. On site, your lunch will sit in the sun, get knocked over, and probably get stepped on. A good seal keeps grit out and keeps ice from melting too fast. One more thing: size it to fit wherever you store it on site, whether that’s a gang box or the back seat of your truck.

A cheap lunch box is a false economy. Your sandwich should survive worse than you do.