Chips go on top; berries get a hard shell.

The easiest way to stop crushing delicate lunchbox items is to stop stacking anything on top of them and give them a container that takes the hit instead.

Vertical stackers work, but you don’t need to buy a fancy gadget. A simple hard-sided container with a lid for berries does more than any cushioned divider. A small glass or plastic food storage box is practically a mini armored shell — the fruit stays safe even if the whole lunchbox gets tossed around.

Chips are a different story. They don’t crush well no matter what you put them in unless they’re protected from pressure from above. The classic trick is to pack chips in a separate bag and lay it flat on the very top of the lunchbox, after everything else is already in. If you’re using a bento-style box with tiers, put the fragile stuff in the top tier. Vertical stackers are fine, but they only help if the delicate item is on top.

If you’re packing a soft-sided lunchbox, use structure: put a sturdy container or a rolled cloth napkin on the bottom, then place the chips or berries above that. The real enemy is space shifting during transport, and a hard container solves that better than anything soft.

The short version: don’t rely on cushioned dividers. Use rigid containers and stack fragile things last.