We participate in a local Classical Conversations community. During the school year, we meet for class each Monday morning from 9 AM to Noon and eat lunch as a group afterwards. Last year, I found myself carting a Land's End tote full of various glass lock, rubbermaid and ziplock containers. I also tutored and have a child in diapers, so in addition to the tote found myself carting my white board, resources box and diaper bag as well. Multiple trips to/from the car to the classroom left me exhausted before the day had even begun.
Thus this year I decided I needed to be more streamlined. Since I need to pack three lunches every Monday, I wanted something like a bento box that would be easy to load, close and go instead of fiddling with multiple containers and searching for matching lids.
First I ordered a LunchBots Trio from Amazon $20.99 with Prime shipping
I also ordered the children's cutlery set travel that was short enough to fit in the box. The cutlery set is very sturdy and came with 2 forks and two spoons, which is perfect. Unfortunately Amazon sent me the wrong item on the LunchBots, so I returned it and decided to start looking for something larger anyway and came across this Bento Style Lunch Box review on another blog site.
The PlanetBox Shuttle stood out to me as a similar option to the LunchBots but with the benefit of a hinged lid with a latch instead of a separate lid. I liked the idea of having something metal, all-in-one and easy to clean.
The offer 3 different lunch boxes, which you can order with or without a travel bag. Utensils, dippers (for transporting sauces, juicy fruit, and other watery items), travel bags, and cold packs can also be ordered separately.
Originally I wanted to get the Rover (pictured) as it was their original design and seemed to be the most popular but they are pricy:
- Basic: lunchbox and magnets ($39.95)
- Plus: lunchbox, magnets, and small and large dippers ($49.95)
- Complete: lunchbox, magnets, small and large dippers, and carry bag ($59.95)
I knew it would be a tall order to justify to my husband why we were spending over $120 for two Rover Complete systems plus shipping. Plus, I had yet to see one in person and hoped that the quality was as nice as described.
In May they had a 25% off sale on the smallest lunchbox system, the Shuttle (below), which basically saved me $10 per box, so I decided to order two for my boys (5 and 2) and give it a try.
- Standard: lunchbox, magnets and tall dipper ($34.95)
- Complete: lunchbox, magnets, tall dipper and carry bag ($39.95)
They arrived in 3 days and were small but very sturdy and well made. My boys had no problem opening and closing the latch but needed help removing the lid of the dipper (sauce container). I've now used them about 3 weeks and have to say that I really like them.
Pros:
- Helps visualize packing a complete lunch
- Easy to clean in the dishwasher
- No searching for containers and lids
- Able to fit a regular-sized PB&J by either cutting it into thirds or quarters and creatively stacking
- Travel bag is easy for my two year old to carry himself.
Cons:
- No water bottle pocket on travel bag
- Cannot fit a whole sandwich without cutting
- two compartments limit variety of food- although you can use silicone muffin cups to make two smaller compartments.
- No extra room in bag for a banana, cookie, etc. to be packed
I'd like to order a Launch (below) for myself as I'll need to pack myself a lunch but it's expensive. I am debating if I should go ahead and bite the bullet or keep struggling with the tupperware and wait in the hopes that it might go on sale in the near future. However, I definitely think we would get a lot of use out of it and will be putting it on my Christmas list:)
- Standard: lunchbox, tall dipper, and magnets ($49.95)
- Plus: lunchbox, magnets, tall dipper, and satellite dish ($59.95)
- Complete: lunchbox, magnets, tall dipper, satellite dish, and carry bag ($69.95 and up depending on the style of bag)
All in all, I would definitely recommend these lunch boxes if you have the money to spend. Based on owning the Shuttle, I think they are well made, practical and make packing a lunch much easier.
PlanetBox actually has a back-to-school special on now where you can save 10% on any system now until July 19th!
FYI: Shipping is about $7 per system and obviously decreases the more you order.
The following specifications are from an email I received from PlanetBox customers service when asking about whether to order my son the Rover or Launch lunchbox.
"We offer three systems specially tailored for different appetites. The PlanetBox Rover is designed for children and adults with smaller appetites who love variety. The Rover has 5 compartments and comes with 2 optional Dippers. The Rover itself holds nearly 4.5 cups of food, which happily satisfies many customers.
The PlanetBox Launch is designed for folks with larger appetites. The Launch holds 30% more than the Rover at nearly 6.5 cups of food, and is designed to hold a 3 course meal. The Launch also comes with a Tall Dipper, which is perfect for dips and dressings. You can also use the glass Satellite Dish in your Launch if you have foods you want to reheat in the microwave or oven.
PlanetBox Shuttle is the newest addition to the PlanetBox line, and can be used as a companion to PlanetBox Rover or Launch. It’s about a third the size of PlanetBox Launch, and features two compartments which hold approximately 3 cups of food. It’s great for snacks and small meals on the go!
Here are the specific dimensions of our 3 lunch packing systems:
PlanetBox Launch Approximate Specs: Weight: 22 oz
Compartments Volume Filled (ml) Cups Filled Dimensions (inches)
Small Side 280 Fits more than 1 cup 2.5 x 4.5 x 2
Side 450 Fits 1 ¾ Cup 3.75 x 4.5 x 2
Main 800 Fits 3 ¼ cup 6.75 x 4.5 x 2
Total 1530 Fits almost 6 ½ cups 10.25 x 7.75 x 2
PlanetBox Rover Approximate Specs: Weight: 20 oz
Compartments Volume Filled (ml) Cups Filled Dimensions (inches)
Treat 25 Almost an ounce 1.5 x 1.5 x .5
Long 200 Fits ¾ Cup 6 x 1.5 x1.5
Veggie 180 Fits ¾ cup 2 x 3.5 x 1.5
Fruit 195 Fits ¾ cup 4 x 2 x 1.5
Main 445 Fits 1 ¾ cup 4 x 4 x1.5
Totals 1045 Almost 4 ½ cups 10 x 7.5 x 1.5
PlanetBox Shuttle Approximate Specs: Weight: 11.3 oz
Compartments Volume Filled (ml) Cups Filled Dimensions (inches)
Side 235 1 Cup 4.25 x 2.35 x 2
Main 470 2 cups 4.25 x 4.25 x 2
Totals 705 Fits almost 3 cups 7.75 x 5.2 x 2
Big Dipper – Holds 1 cup (4 x 1.5 inches)
Little Dipper –Hold 1/3 cup (2 x 1.5 inches)
Tall Dipper – Holds 1/3 cup (2 x 2 inches)
Satellite Dish – Holds 1 ¾ cups (6 x 4 x 2 inches)"
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