Put the chips in their own hard container

The only reliable way to keep chips crunchy in a lunch box is to give them a rigid, closed container that’s roughly their size.

A sealed bag of chips has plenty of air, but air doesn’t hold up against a water bottle dropping on top of it. A hard-sided container takes the hit instead of the chips. It doesn’t have to be fancy — one of those small plastic meal-prep containers works, or a cleaned-out dip tub. The key is that it’s crush-resistant and just big enough for one portion.

Two extra tricks if you’re using a bag instead: put it on top of the heavier stuff, not under it, and crumple a napkin or paper towel into the empty space above the chips before closing the clip. That cushion absorbs a lot of the jostling.

And if you’re packing a bento-style box, use the one with the tightest lid for the chips. Loose compartments still let things shift around.

Crushed chips are a tragedy that’s 100% preventable. Your lunchtime self says thanks in advance.