Bagging a winner

Lunch boxes pack memories, and they pack value as collectibles, but how well do they pack food? We test five to find out.

By JANET K. KEELER

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2000

[Times photo: Patty Yablonski] The Arctic Zone Z-20 Meal Carrier sports a reflective lining and molded rubber handle as well as a sports bottle and cold pack.

The $155 that a 1967 Superman lunch box sold for on eBay last week is proof that what your child carries lunch in is more than just a sandwich holder.

It is memories. ("Remember I was the first kid in my fourth-grade class to get the Partridge Family lunch box? I was so cool.")

It is nostalgia. ("Remember the metal boxes? They were so much better than the cheap plastic ones you get now. Remember how the glass in the Thermos broke when you dropped it?")

It is a status symbol. ("Mooommm, all the cool girls have The Power Puff Girls!")

It is an investment. (At any given time, there are more than 2,000 lunch boxes listed on eBay, the online auction site. Many older ones sell for considerably more than their original price. Last week a plastic Dolly Parton model went for $36; 1960s vinyl "go go" dancers box, $76; 1950s Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, $100. "Where is that Partridge Family lunch box?")

A lunch box is a lot of things, for sure, but is it useful? Does it serve its function, that is, does food stay as hot or as cold as you want? Are sandwiches unsquished? How good is the lunch box (or more often, insulated vinyl sack) that you are sending your child off with in the morning?

To test how well some popular brands work, we bought five lunch boxes -- two Arctic Zone models, one Igloo, one Thermos and the new Ideal Box -- and packed them with such lunch items as Lunchables, beans and franks, sandwiches, leftover pizza, apples, pudding cups, cookies, potato chips, celery and carrot sticks. The lunches were assembled before 8 a.m. and left unrefrigerated until about 12:15 p.m.

At lunchtime, we awarded 1 to 4 brown bags in four categories (4 bags being the best):

• Appearance (material, appeal).
• Insulation (how well the carrier maintains the temperature, what came with it to keep foods hot or cold).
• Versatility (did it accommodate a variety of foods?).
• Portability (carrying handles, weight, can it fit in a backpack?).

Here's what we found:

ARCTIC ZONE Z-20 MEAL CARRIER

Arctic Zone Z-20 Meal Carrier

(Under $15)

Appearance -- 4 bags

Everyone who saw this space-age "meal carrier" loved it. From the molded rubber handle to the reflective lining, it is a thoroughly modern model that will find users in every age category. The vinyl outer shell can be cleaned with a wet cloth or sponge.

Insulation -- 4 bags

The Z-20, part of Arctic Zone's Z series of lunch carriers, comes with a plastic water bottle that is stored in an insulated side pocket, separate from the food compartment. A frozen bottle of water was still half frozen more than 4 hours after the lunch was packed. A small cold pack (that you must remember to freeze each night) comes with this bag and is stored in a mesh pocket. The carrot sticks and ranch dressing were as cold as they were when we packed them.

Versatility -- 2 bags

The food storage compartment has limited space. Traditional lunch fare such as a sandwich, chips, apple and a sweet are easy fits. A Lunchable and an apple would not fit together, even though the soft fabric provides some give. An outer zipper compartment is good for utensils and napkins.

Portability -- 3 bags

Molded rubber provides a comfortable carrying handle for the relatively lightweight bag, but the drink pocket creates some awkwardness because of the extra weight on one side. Condensation dripped off the outside of the drink pocket from the frozen water, which could cause problems for kids who want to carry the lunch box in their backpack. ("Sorry, my lunch box dripped on my essay.")

THE IDEAL BOX

(Under $10)

The Ideal Box

Appearance -- 3 bags

The new Ideal Box looks more like a make-up carrier than a lunch box. The hard plastic case and vibrant colors will appeal to young schoolchildren, probably 10 and under. It can be taken apart and cleaned in the dishwasher.

Insulation -- 2 bags

Unlike the others we tested, this lunch box separates cold and hot items and claims to keep them that way for "hours." On two tests we were disappointed. Piping hot franks and beans along with fresh corn were stored in the divided container that came with the lunch box and then placed in the "hot" compartment according to the directions. At lunchtime, both items were room temperature (a second test had the same results), and, because the container is on its side when the lunch box is shut, the liquid from the beans ran into the corn. On the lunch box's cold side, we put a CapriSun juice pouch, which was slightly cooler than room temperature at lunchtime.

Bagging a winner Lunch boxes pack memories, and they pack value as collectibles, but how well do they pack food? We test five to find out. Lunch 101 No matter how nutritious a school lunch is, the real test is whether it gets eaten. A+ school treats for special occasions The school year is nearing, which means it could soon be your turn to bring snacks to your child's classroom for a party, a holiday or just because. Author says what our kids eat is crazy Poor nutrition is to blame for many more problems than we think, says the nutritionist. She blasts the food industry and encourages parents to make better, more informed decisions.

Denise Madan, who along with fellow Florida mom Laura Renzi has developed the product, says the Ideal Box will keep the food hot for about 2 hours. She added that our results mirrored those done by Kmart, which is carrying the lunch box. However, the Ideal Box kept food hot longer than other plastic, non-insulated lunch boxes, she says.

The divided container is not suitable, she says, for foods with a lot of liquid, like the beans and franks we packed. Better choices would be chicken nuggets, peas, rice, pasta or spaghetti with thick sauce. Also, she says we would have had better results with the cold compartment if the CapriSun had been frozen.

All this is true, but it is information that should be included in the printed material that comes with the product.

Versatility -- 2 bags

Things you can't fit into an Ideal Box: an apple, an orange, a large Lunchable box. (Madan suggestions breaking apart the Lunchable, putting meat, cheese, crackers or other protein selections into divided container and the drink and sweet in the cold compartment.) The two food compartments, separated by plastic dividers, are less than 2 inches deep. The dividers can be removed to provide more space inside, but that eliminates the ability to separate cold and hot food.

Portability -- 2 bags

This lunch box can be carried comfortably over the shoulder with an adjustable cloth strap or by hand with a plastic handle. It was the heaviest of the lunch boxes we tested, and once it was packed weighed almost 4 pounds. The others were 2 pounds or less.

IGLOO SOFT-SIDE LUNCH BAG

Igloo Soft-Side Lunch Bag

(Under $10)

Appearance -- 3 bags

Igloo makes a smart-looking soft lunch bag, this one resembling a house with a pitched roof. It is sturdy and easily cleaned with soap and water. This industrial-looking model would likely appeal to older kids and even adults.

Insulation -- 3 bags

Igloo recommends a cold pack to keep items chilled. The insulation can't do it alone. Nevertheless, the CapriSun was colder in this lunch bag than in the Ideal Box even without a cold pack. Hot food needs to be in an insulated container, such as a Thermos.

Versatility -- 2 bags

The Igloo looks small from the outside, but the top part is big enough to hold a sandwich in a zippered pouch. A drink, small fruit, chips and Little Debbies fit comfortably in the main storage section. Anything more cumbersome, however, won't.

Portability -- 3 bags

The cloth handle is sturdy, but there is no over-the-shoulder strap on this lightweight bag, which is easily stowed in a locker or a backpack.

THERMOS BRAND POKEMON LUNCH BOX

Thermos Brand Pokemon Lunch Box

(Under $10)

Appearance -- 3 bags

For what it is, Thermos' plastic lunch box is attractive, especially to the Pokemon-crazed younger set. There are many cartoon-themed lunch boxes on the market, soft-sided and plastic, which are coveted by preschool and elementary school children and collectors hoping the value will increase. It would be difficult, however, to imagine this box lasting more than one year and maybe not even the entire school year as little fingers open and close the plastic latch.

Insulation -- 2 bags

The Thermos that came with the Pokemon box kept milk relatively cold, about as cold as a child would get from a small carton purchased at school. The remainder of the food was room temperature. A cold pack would help, but the lack of insulation won't keep it frozen for long. A frozen Go-Gurt, Yoplait's yogurt in a soft plastic tube, was cool, but the yogurt was runny in parts, and then another bite was clumpy because it thawed unevenly, our fault for not including a cold pack.

Versatility -- 3 bags

Despite the hard case, the Thermos lunch box can accommodate lots of different sizes and shapes of food. If you take the Thermos out, there's even more room. This is a roomy, deep lunch box.

Portability -- 2 bags

The small plastic handle makes it easy for little hands to carry. Bigger folks, especially those juggling backpack, coffee mug, purse, briefcase, etc., won't find it so friendly.

ARCTIC ZONE SOFT-SIDED LUNCH BAG

(under $10)

Arctic Zone Soft-Sided Lunch Bag

Appearance -- 3 bags

It's not the sleekest of Arctic Zone's many lunch carriers, but this bag is sturdy, easily cleaned and an all-around good performer. It has almost universal appeal because of its ease of handling and basic color combinations (black and red, black and blue, black and purple.) It won't stand out in the crowd, which makes it attractive to middle and high school kids who don't want to admit they use a lunch bag.

Insulation -- 3 bags

A minicooler for drinks is included inside the bag, and it maintained the refrigerator temperature of the CapriSun juice pouch. We added an ice pack along with the other food, and that chilled a container of applesauce that was packed at room temperature. This bag is well-insulated.

Versatility -- 4 bags

Because of its large, rectangle shape, almost anything you can think of will fit in this soft-sided bag. Besides the cooler (which can be removed), we packed a small Lunchable, carrots and celery sticks, small container of ranch dressing, four Fig Newtons and the applesauce cup. The bag was bulging, but the food weathered the squeeze.

Portability -- 4 bags

Adjustable shoulder strap and shorter handle are sturdy. This lightweight bag is easily carried by hand or in a backpack or stowed in a locker.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.