8 Top Lunch Bags for Nurses | NURSING.com

Here’s the thing.

While many hospital policies say nurses working on 12-hour shifts should get at least 3 to 15-minute breaks and at least one undisturbed mealtime, you’ll be lucky to get any of that regularly.

You could demand for it but we both know that you can’t just take a break when your colleagues are swamped –which is more often the case than not.

The truth is putting your patient’s needs first as a nurse is a reflex action. That means that your breaks and mealtime are an afterthought –but you still need these breaks and as far as mealtime goes, you can solve that by getting a lunch bag you can carry around with you effortlessly.

So, we went nurse lunch bag window shopping and found 8 nursing lunch bags you can choose from for you, or to gift your best friend nurse:

8 Top Nurse Lunch Bags Reviewed

1. Lokass Lunch Bag

Because it’s hard to tell how long of a break you’ll get –enough for a full meal or just a snack –you could do with a bag with enough space to pack a variety of foods to eat when you can.

This is the Lokass Lunch Bag‘s best feature. It holds one 8 x 6 x 2.5 inches container, two 8 x 5 x 3 inches containers, 3 soda cans, and on top of it:

•  Has a leak-proof interior which saves you the trouble of messy spillages.
• The high-quality canvas material has a waterproof coat and is dirt resistant. You can use it for months on end without ever having to clean it and if you do, you can quickly wipe it and get back to work.
• The high-quality metal zippers also make it durable because when zippers snap, a bag is as good as useless.
• Lastly, you can choose between eight prints which cost between $15.99 and $17.99.

However, only one compartment is insulated. You can’t carry two types of food that you need to keep cold or warm. You can only carry one type or choose to deal with room temperature.

Plus, it does not come with a container so you’ll have to provide one.

A reviewer said, “Cute and functional.”

2. Opux Insulated Dual Compartment Nurse Lunch Box

This bag is quite roomy with the main compartment able to seat a dozen soda cans. But in case that’s not exactly what you plan to do, here are more pros to think about:

•       The expendable dual compartment helps you to keep your cold and hot foods separated.
•       You get to have more room for your napkins, bottles, and other accessories in the side pouches and front pocket.
•       The bag is predominantly made of polyester and nylon and the inside is lined with PEVA material. It’s environmentally friendly and you only need to wipe it to keep it clean.
•       It comes in twelve different shades including heather pink, heather green, heather purple, and heather red.
•       All these advantages will only cost you between $13.99 and $16.99 depending on the color you want.

On the downside, the Opux Dual Compartment Insulated Lunch Box sags awkwardly if you don’t fill it up. The nylon material, although it’s mixed with polyester, doesn’t last too long.

In fact, the lining begins to tear just a few months after purchase.

A recent review on Amazon reads, “Great bargain.  High quality for the price paid.”

3. MIER Adult Lunch Box Insulated Lunch Bag

If you’re driven by the durability in a lunch bag above every other feature, then you’ll find that value in this polyester-made bag. Here are more positive features:

•       It’s a waterproof bag with the inside divided into 2 compartments that allow you to separate your dry foods from the wet foods.
•       The interior seams are welded with heat to make the bag leakproof.
•       The zipper pulls open effortlessly making it easy to reach for food without using both hands when you’re multitasking.
•   You can attach or detach the adjustable shoulder strap to use your hands in moments.
•       A thicker insulation means your food stays crisp for hours.
•       There are extra pockets on the front and the sides for other essentials.
•       For the nurse who’d rather have a toned-down shade, this bag’s color variants make it a great choice.
•   It comes in two sizes –medium and large. The bottom compartment of the medium size alone fits six 355ml soda cans.

MIER could have done a better job with the MIER Adult Lunch Box Insulated Lunch Bag‘s color range.

The price is 19.99 for the medium size and 24.99 for the large size.

A reviewer says, “I really like the separate compartments.”

4. The Hot Logic Mini

It doesn’t seem fair to spend as much as $39.95 on a nurse lunch bag –but if you know what it’s like when the insulation on your bag barely kept your soup warm, you may want to check out this bag’s features:

•   You can heat your food whenever you can with the heating element and an adapter that fits in the car cigarette lighter plug.
•     You don’t need to pack warm food. Get it right out of the freezer and heat it at your pleasure.
•       This mini oven can also cook your food –a wonderful way to use your time on the road.
•       The interior is heat reflective and with reinforced seams and a double zipper, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll waste any energy when heating your food.
•       You don’t have to deal with timers or buttons either. It’s a one-step technology heating system.
•       It works with most flat-bottomed containers measuring 8W x6.7L x2.5H inches.
•       In addition to all those heating perks, it’s made of durable fabric.
•       Finally, it makes a thoughtful gift for a busy homecare nurse if you’ve been looking up gifts for nurses with little success.

There are a few turnoffs though. For example, you need a cigarette lighter port to use the Hot Logic Mini and unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a container -you’ll have to spend extra money to get one.

One Amazon reviewer calls it a ‘home health miracle’.

5. Insignia Insulated Lunch Bag

Picture this: A lunch bag with a strong exterior and insulation reinforced with foam padding and aluminum. It’s a really great starting point if your top considerations are durability and insulation that could keep your food warm for an entire shift.

However, those two features alone don’t make a lunch bag worthy of a nurse’s schedule, so here’s more to the Insignia X lunch bag:

•       The material used to make this bag is 600D polyester –it’s not only resistant to wear and tear, but is coated with PVC to make it waterproof.
•       The waterproof exterior also keeps your lunch safe from external elements.
•       It’s a compact size fit for the nurse who likes to travel lightweight.
•     The shoulder strap allows for multitasking when you’re carrying it or just as a helpful shift from the hand grab when you need it.

However, the interior lining barely makes it beyond a handful of uses and the zippers are weak. You need to get a Tupperware container too because it doesn’t come with one.

It’s only found in red and black so it may not be your top pick if you don’t like red –unless the 13.99 price tag is too good to resist.

A reviewer said, “So good. My first use of this bag was impressive.”

6. Lily Pulitzer Thermal Insulated Lunch Bag

As far as boring bag designs go, the Lily Pulitzer Thermal Insulated Lunch bag is certainly not one of them. It has a bold print in 5 vibrant colors that may be just right for a nurse with a bubbly personality.  Beyond the aesthetics:

•   This tote is made of quality polyester, EVA lining, and metal hardware for durability.  The Viva La Lily variant is made of cotton and metal hardware.
•     When it comes to functionality, you get to interchange between the adjustable shoulder strap and the hand grab. Both are made of thick cotton.
•       The interior is insulated to keep your food at your preferred temperature and the thermal inside is easy to clean.
•       The double zipper close is an added layer of protection for your food on the go, plus, you can open it almost from end to end for easy packing.
•     It packs enough food for one person and a water bottle. The external pocket makes storing and reaching for small essentials like napkins and silverware effortless.

One hard-to-ignore disadvantage is that Lily Pulitzer doesn’t promise you a leakage-free time with this lunch bag. You’ll also have to provide a food container, and while at it, and choose to live with only one compartment.

Finally, $29.95 is a little too much to pay for a lunch bag with a single compartment and no guarantee of preventing leaks.

One Amazon reviewer says it has great insulation and comfortably carries a container of salad, bag of strawberries, and cheese stick, crackers, and a large icepack.

7. Baloray Lunch Bag for Women

Sometimes, simple classy works well for a nurse lunch bag too. Baloray seems to have hacked that style with this bag with the black and white stripes and a warm pink with brown handles variants. In addition to that:

•     The inside comfortably fits three small to standard size food containers, two 330ml soda cans, and four small fruits. It carries enough food to last you through a 12-hour shift.
•       The front protrudes outward creating more space for your phone car keys, etc. The back pocket is slim but will also fit a few items.
•   It’s made with oxford cloth material, so it will take a long while before it develops signs of wear and tear.
•       The interior is lined with aluminum foil material which makes it leakproof.
•       Its insulation will keep your food warm or cold for six and a half hours.
•       It features an adjustable and removable shoulder strap and a pair of lightweight grab handles.  It also has double zippers.
•       Cleaning the inside of the Baloray Lunch Bag for Women is as easy as wiping it with a damp cloth.

Here’s the catch. Every food item you want to carry has to go into the same compartment. You’re also stuck with two shades of colors to choose from.

The price is $15.99 for the pink variant and $17.99 for the black and white stripes variant.

A satisfied reviewer said it was the best lunch bag ever, acts as a purse, and is very spacious.

8. STNTUS Insulated Lunchbag

STNTUS chose to divide the color palette on this bag between four dark colors and two bright ones. While that doesn’t do much for you if you’re looking for a wider color range, these functional aspects seem to make up for it:

•       It features an insulated double-decker that is reinforced with a PEVA lining to keep your food cold or warm for up to eight hours.
•       The double tier allows you to conveniently separate your food.
•     The bottom deck can fit two one-liter Tupperware while the top deck can fit a bunch of grapes, an orange, and a can of soda.
•       There’s additional space in the front zippered pocket and two meshed side pockets.
•       You get two carry options with a padded, adjustable, and removable shoulder strap and a strong padded top hand handle.
•   The exterior nylon material and PEVA interior lining are both waterproof and easy to clean.

Even with these STNTUS Lunch Bag pros, the nylon material barely makes it past a year without developing wear and tear.

The purple and navy blue varieties cost $18.99 each while the navy, grey & dark, gray, and dark cost $15.99 each.

A reviewer says,” It’s amazing. Works well in keeping your food warm or cold and I love how it’s flexible material so once it’s empty you can fold it smaller.”

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Sources:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/nursing-shortage
2. https://thrivecuisine.com/lunch-boxes/best-lunch-boxes-for-nurses/
3. https://www.statnews.com/2016/09/23/nurses-break-patient-care/