Give the chips their own room and pack them on top

The trick is to pack crushables in their own rigid container and put them on top of everything else, not buried. That’s the whole secret.

It’s really about stacking order and creating a hard barrier. If you’re using a standard lunch box, put your heavier stuff (like a water bottle or a thermos) at the bottom, then the sandwich, then finally the chips or crackers in a hard-sided plastic container or even a sturdy Tupperware. The rigid walls take the squish, not the chips. If you don’t have a spare container, a paper bag folded over the top of the chips can help, but it’s not as reliable.

A few other small moves: fill any empty space with a cloth napkin or a piece of fruit so things don’t slide around and jostle. And if you have a bento-style box, use the separate compartments — that’s exactly what they’re for. Avoid overfilling the box so the lid doesn’t press down on the fragile stuff.

Crushed chips are a tragedy you can prevent with ninety seconds of forethought. Your sandwich will come out intact, and your chips will still be chips.