Get your high schooler a rugged soft cooler, not a hard lunch box

A rugged insulated soft cooler from Carhartt or Stanley is the best lunch box for a high school student, full stop.

Hard plastic boxes crack when they get dropped in the parking lot, don’t fit in a backpack, and look like something from the elementary cafeteria. A soft cooler handles the same abuse, packs flat when empty, and wipes clean when the yogurt explodes.

Get the bigger one — the “six pack” size that holds around 20 cans. That fits a full lunch container, a drink, and snacks without bulging. The Stanley version matches the giant water bottle every kid already carries, which counts for something. The Carhartt is duck canvas tough and looks like something a tradesperson would carry, which reads as cool, not childish. Either one runs $25–45. A Yeti is nicer, but you’re paying double for a kid who will absolutely leave it in the gym.

This is one of those spots where the mid-priced