The Lunch Box That Fits Like a Book

The best lunch boxes for a standard school backpack are slim, rectangular bento boxes—Bentgo Kids being the surest bet—not soft-sided lunch bags.

Standard backpacks are deep, not wide. The main compartment is usually around 11–12 inches wide and maybe 5 inches deep. A lunch bag that’s round and puffy fights for space with textbooks. A flat bento box slides down against the back panel and leaves room for everything else.

Bentgo Kids is roughly 9 by 7 by 2 inches, which fits in almost any standard school bag. The tray has sections so food doesn’t touch, the latch is easy for little hands, and it’s leakproof enough for yogurt and applesauce.

If you need to send hot food, the OmieBox is a similar rectangular shape with a thermos built right in. It’s a bit taller, so just check that your backpack’s main pocket is deep enough. If it’s not, stick with Bentgo.

Measure your kid’s backpack before buying. A lunch box shouldn’t need its own backpack.