I'm very glad I splurged for this lunch box. We're in our third school year of using this lunch box and still going strong. It's very durable and easy to wash. I'll certainly buy another one for kiddo #2 when he's ready for school. Well worth the investment rather than buying a cheaper one and having to replace each year. It also holds a lot of containers, which was why I originally bought it.
This lunch box is the best 24 bucks I spent on school supplies last year. I should mention I removed the long shoulder strap from the first use. Grade K and 1 hands held the top handle to walk to their lunchroom. modest spills were contained inside and there was plenty of room for 2 drinks, lunch and snacks. Awesome product! I could probably get another year out of them, the interior white plastic liner is still perfect...but I'm happy to buy two more for this year. This lunch box out preformed any big store cheap-o lunch box by a mile. If I could request one small enhancement it would be to please make some girly prints in darker patterns. The lighter color fabric got dirty...nothing a front loader washing machine couldn't fix. I threw the lunch boxes in and they washed beautifully.
Sturdy and well constructed, insulates sufficiently and fun color patterns but poorly designed. Name tag flops into zipper track when closing the top; mesh 'pouch' in the lid awkward and items fall out of it. 3 soda cans fit nicely across the bottom, but leaves little room for anything else. A re-design is needed.
I bought this in blue for my kindergarten child because I banked on it lasting a couple years. It is stained badly on the interior white plastic and the outside--I hand washed it every day! The name tag is so badly stained I had to sew it to the mesh to keep it legible. BUT, its construction and wear are still in great shape. If you don't mind the stains--which she does because it looks "dirty"--it could continue to be used. Things I am doing differently for my second child: (1) Sewing the name tag flap to the mesh BEFORE her first day of class; (2) Expecting to buy a new one next year because they don't want "dirty food." Suggestions for llbean: make the interior and the bottom a light gray. Overall this was a good purchase: she used it from August through June and I learned from our experience. :)
