Lunch bag for work commute, is it worth it?

[Aabbaas]

I need to stop spending a fortune in pret or m&s during office days and be more organised with my lunches.
I have a long-ish commute (London), 1 hr and 15 mins or so, door to door. Office has a fridge but I am considering getting myself an insulated lunch bag to keep food fresh longer. I have seen some very lovely ones and wanted to treat myself to one but is it worth it? Curious to know how people use these. I don’t want to hold it with my hand as I commute with a backpack for practicality and comfort and want my hands free. They seem a bit too bulky to put in my backpack though once I also have the laptop, work stuff and change of shoes etc.
How does everyone do this? 😅

That's the kind of think I have , is it the same one ? Link posted yesterday at 21.55.

Definitely worth it!

When I had to take packed lunches, a nice lunch bag made me take pride in what I put in it.

https://amzn.eu/d/08fDsqkY

i use this. I wouldn’t say completely leakproof but I normally have a protein salad in the main compartment, overnight oats in a little one and fruit or snacks in the last. You can fit in a surprising amount of food! It fits really well in my bag because it’s skinny

i think I’d be tempted to have different solutions for different meals

I have one and I only have a 15 min commute. I have in mine an ice pack, my salad for lunch, overnight oats for breakfast, a bottle of salad dressing and some fruit. I leave everything in it so don't have to bother with the fridge, everything is there when I want it. Started using it during COVID and never stopped.

christ, you all eat a lot at work

It’s normal to eat…

When you mentioned yoghurt OP I can see why an insulated bag would be a good idea. I have never considered one so cannot suggest anything, sorry.

And I agree with you about the cost of McPret a Manger, as I call them.

I’d second the decathalon one with it integrated in (in full transparency I don’t use it as regularly anymore but it’s only because I use a hard cooler for my lunch as I need one to double as a seat)

I take a lunch bag. Bought a nice one in tk maxx. It’s kind of handbag shaped, saves any worries about leaking which has happened a couple of times. I take breakfast and lunch. I make my food the night before and put it all in the bag in the fridge. Never needed any ice blocks as keeping the bag in the fridge means that it stays cold.

I have a variety of cool bag type lunch bags that I use for various tasks. Very basic Thermos brand one fits 3-4 home cooked meals or sauce component of meals for one. I regularly transport this the 1.5 hr journey to DS. The meals are still fully frozen on arrival.

I have 2 cool bags Sistema and Smash brand that have chiller pouch inserts. They are more bulky to transport, I have used them for holiday travel with the chillers inserted, but don't rate overall performance much higher than the more traditional Thermos.

For school DC usually had Smash small rectangles or fold over top style lunch bags. Some of these are still going and are pretty good for transporting in a rucksack or laptop bag. I don't add a chiller to them. My journey to work is 45 mins.

I have a couple of capacious lunch bags that fit more meals in. I mostly just store containers in them at the back of the understairs cupboard, but their original function was to transport food I made for my late father 30 mins across town. Most are non branded and bought for capacity needs. Linings and closures make a difference to keeping stuff chilled for longer. Style over substance likewise, so I probably wouldn't buy a stylish lunch bag.

TK Max is quite useful for bags, containers and drinks cups. They often have last yrs colours on Ion8 water bottles. I definitely rate those.

I've worked in offices my whole working life and people eating is the norm, where is it that people can go for a 9 hour workday without food?

Ime there will always be someone eating something

I've never bothered with ice packs or fancy insulated rucksacks, I currently have a foil lined bag, as a PP said a bit like a child's lunchbox but for adults and containers with clip lids, never had any leaksk

PS I also rate Contigo for insulated cups. If you have access to a kettle, kitchen, staff room type setting then you may have microwave, kettle etc. I have herbal and fruit teas, I keep them in a tea bag tin

Haven’t seen anything that is excessive of 2 meals. OP is talking about taking breakfast and lunch as are many others.

Just imagine for one horrifying moment having someone like @hardshoulderr as your mother

I use a basic bag similar to this to provide some insulation and first line of defence against spills. amzn.eu/d/00j5LrgP

One point I would add - I’m all for taking food in and do but consider carefully where you’re able to store and heat it. In particular nobody will thank you for reheating food like curries or fish in a small space without much ventilation. The smells can really hand around for ages. I would start with plainer options, perhaps things that don’t need reheating, and see the lay of the land.

Shoes I keep at the office, no way would I carry in daily.

Agree that there’s nothing worse than stinky food unless you have a canteen area you can eat it in.

my colleague eats hard boiled eggs for breakfast and has orange and banana as snacks. Too smelly!!

Buy the clip lock containers, they are leak proof then just put in a plastic bag just in case. Same bag lasts weeks

I quite often skip lunch at the office, but I'll take in some yoghurt and berries for breakfast.

If that is all I am taking, I shove the tub in a breadbag (purely for leak control), and put that in my work bag. My commute is 1hr 30-45 and it is absolutely fine when I arrive.

I also have a small flexible insulated bag I do sometimes take lunch in. I used to add ice packs but no longer bother, just into my bag and then into the work fridge.

I agree with this ^
It’s trickier to buy a nice bag with a strap as the choice is limited. But It’s a good time to buy a lunch bag now as most places have discounts ahead of new school year.
i would also think carefully about size. Would you put water bottle into the lunch bag or would it be just for food? Where would you put soup ? If it’s a thermos type thing they are high so you may struggle to find a suitable one.
After a few mistakes I actually took 3 containers with me to see how they would fit into a prospective lunch bag.

I bought one of these (from Tkmaxx) https://uk.area-gourmet.com/lunchbag-on-the-go-iris-food-carrier-b3763/ not this stockist. It’s ideal. Insulated but relatively small and unstructured so fits in a larger bag easily and is really light.

I have my handbag then my lunch bag goes in a small tote bag along with my umbrella, raincoat, etc if needed. I then put the inner lunch bag in the fridge at work anyway

I only go in once a week. I put the rest of my breakfast coffee in a flask and fill a thermal bottle with sparkling water from my sodastream. Then I buy my favourite ready made sandwich from the deli on the way in. I used to use a lot of headspace on lunch bags etc. takes all that away from the day.

You have inspired me to get the contigo and take my own coffee rather than suffer the free coffee at work!

I really dont like to use brands but i will never go back from my contigo. Mine fits 2 mugs, is spill proof. So lasts all day. i never buy drinks out, saved me £££££s.

£19 for the contigo - that’s five days pret coffee!