Question planetbox

lpperry

Active member

• Jan 29, 2014

• #1

I had never heard of planetbox before, but I was reading the packed lunch thread and saw all the awesome pictures of lunches packed in a planetbox.

It looks like it would be awesome for us. Right now, I have reusable bags that I pack food in and pack in a soft lunch box. It would be so much easier to just pack the food in the little compartments and not worry about the bags.

A few questions:

1. I send a sandwich and a yogurt every day. It would be great to pack the yogurt in the big dipper and stop sending the individual yogurt containers. Or I could do cottage cheese or applesauce instead of yogurt. Does the big dipper only fit in the spot where the sandwich fits? Can I send both a sandwich and yogurt/applesauce/cottage cheese? If I can't send both, then I don't think the Planetbox would be a good choice for us. Would yogurt have to go in the big dipper or does it work just in one of the compartments?

2. Do you just handwash the container each night and then repack?

3. My kids are in preschool right now. Is this a good lunch box for 3 and 4 year olds? Or is it better for elementary school.

4. Wow they are expensive! Can you ever find them on sale?

 

N

NVMBR02

New member

• Jan 29, 2014

• #2

1- the Big Dipper only fits in the sandwich spot. Yogurt would need to go in the dipper. You could use a rubber band to secure the dipper and put it in the snack pouch on the front of the bag. I think my kids would make a mess doing this though. I usually just send a silicone tube of yogurt or apple sauce inside the carry bag when I send it.

2- I run it through them through the dishwasher before dinner ( when I run it for the breakfast/ lunch dishes) I usually pack it in the morning.

3. My 10 year old and 8 year old have rovers. My 4 year old has a shuttle, which is a good size off her but not as divided. I am planning I getting her a rover soon and using the shuttle for myself because she wants the same one get siblings have.

4. Sometimes they have small sales, like 10% off a $200 order. And the shuttle and launch have been on sale in the past. Also, sometimes Pottery Barn kids coupon codes work on the ones they sell, they usually have cute prints.

 

J

jordansmom

New member

• Jan 30, 2014

• #3

I'm planning on getting DS1 a "lunchbox" soon to prepare for kindy lunch next year...I've narrowed it down to a Planetbox and a Yumbox which can be found on amazon. Probably worth taking a look at too!

 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

• Jan 30, 2014

• #4

Big Dipper can fit in outside pocket. We put yogurt inside the Little Dipper which fits in any of the compartments, as yogurts inside the Big Dipper would be a lot of yogurt IMO unless you've also got berries, granola, etc. in with it.

My 5 used a Rover for her 2 Kindy snacks and lunch. By grade one, it held one snack and her lunch, by grade two, it just holds lunch (but she doesn't need a snack anymore any way).

You don't need to fill the compartments full if they don't need that much. Or jam them fill of the eat a lot. The Shuttle would make a great size for Kindy kids if they just need snack or lunch. My kid went full days so needed both, this the Rocer worked well.

Ours go in the dishwasher at night and are clean for morning. Been doing this for 2.5 years and they clean up nicely.

PBK has some on sale right now with their older patterns of lunch bags.

 

amyd

New member

• Jan 30, 2014

• #5

My kindy kid uses one. He doesn't like yogurt unless it's fresh from the fridge so I don't send it to school. Even with the ice pack it wasn't cold enough for him. If you wanted to the the Big Dipper for yogurt, though, I've found that creative cutting can make the sandwich fit in other compartments. We have a Lunch Punch that makes the sandwich puzzle pieces and they'll fit in the long compartment. I usually send a sandwich, 2 granola bars, some crackers, and something sweet (half a muffin, small piece of coffee cake, cookie, etc). I save all the fruits, veggies and dairy for home since he's extremely picky about how food is served and how it looks.

 

T4K

Well-known member

• Jan 30, 2014

• #6

That PBK snakeskin is super cool! $55 and free shipping for anyone interested. Pink dot is also $55. For the record, I like the PBK material better than my planetbox material.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 30, 2014

• #7

We got our Rover when Leah was 3. It was a little heavy for her (some complaining about carrying it after school when she was tired). Now she's 8 and in grade 2 and still using it (it fits in her LLBean book pack, since her book load is low right now). We've been through 3 bags as the colors and features have improved, and bought a few extra silicone rings and magnets. The outside pocket fits her snack, and the inside has plenty of space for lunch.
I just got a Shuttle and have been using it for ME . But I think it might be a great choice for a pre-k kid...the dipper is big enough for yogurt or applesauce, and the square is big enough for a big bagel sandwich. I usually divide my box up with silicone muffin cups.
They sell them at Amazon if you happen to have gift cards there or whatever, too. The initial lay out is hefty, but the resale value is good if you ever get tired of them, and in comparison to my other kids' continual school lunch debits ($25 every two weeks for my middle schooler to buy school lunch with mylunchmoney.com---or various plastic containers I buy and then loathe washing because they never dry in the dishwasher....), it doesn't seem so bad in the end.

 

lpperry

Active member

• Jan 30, 2014

• #8

I don't mind cutting the sandwich differently to fit in a different compartment. Putting yogurt in the little dipper is a good idea, but how much does it hold? My kids eat an entire container of a yoplait yogurt cup.

I would have to get the Rover. The smaller one would be too small for my preschoolers. They eat a lot. They get packed a huge lunch and eat every bite. They have always needed lots of food.

An example of their lunch: turkey and cheese sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread (with lots of meat), cheese stick, a yogurt cup, a fruit (a lot of strawberries or grapes, a whole apple, or whole banana, or whole orange), applesauce pouch (or a second fruit), and cashews/craisens. Plus a small dessert. Sometimes cheese and crackers instead of applesauce pouch.

I would like the planetbox so I could do cottage cheese or applesauce instead of the yogurt every day. They would love peanut butter or hummus, or ranch, to dip carrots, apples, crackers, but I have never found a good container for it. I was excited about the little dipper for that.

If I used the little dipper for the yogurt, can I put something thick like peanut butter or hummus directly into a compartment? I know ranch would be too liquidly.

$55 at PB still sounds like a lot of money for a lunchbox!

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 30, 2014

• #9

I'd get like the lunchbots dippers or a second little dipper for doing multiple dips, it would just keep things clean and separated better (we do a lot of hummus or nutella in our little dipper)

 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

• Jan 30, 2014

• #10

You could order extra Little Dippers and use two, one with some yogurt and one with some cottage cheese. The Little Dipper won't hold a whole container of yogurt. We buy big tubs and just full from that. But I treat most store bought yogurt as a dessert since it has so much sugar and limited bacteria, so I'm fine with them not having a lot.

If you want an entire container of yogurt, try it in the Big Dipper with elastic band around it, out in outer pocket and then make sure the ice pack is on top of the PlanetBox and not underneath, so the underside of the yogurt is touching it.

Just a note that the dippers can be hard to open. They tend to vacuum seal in which makes it hard to get the lid off. They will probably be tough for pre-schoolers. I wish PlanetBox made containers with clips. I've got some other stainless containers that have clips and they are easy for kids.

 

lpperry

Active member

• Jan 30, 2014

• #11

Good idea about two little dippers. I could do that or cut the sandwiches differently. I definitely want one these lunch boxes! Maybe I can find someone selling one.

The teachers help the kids open everything at preschool, so if they can't get their dippers open, it shouldn't be a problem. They would probably have less they need open than the kids who bring a bunch of packaged stuff that they can't get open.

 

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gigi

New member

• Jan 30, 2014

• #12

My kids eat like your kids do, maybe even more. I have a rover. In hindsight I would have got the Launch. That way you could put your yogurt cup right in and have room for sandwich and fruit. Honestly, based on the amount you are sending, the rover will be too small. It is too small for my kid...I have to work HARD to fit everything in. If the launch case had room for snack and drink, I'd have bought it. I bought the rover on a great sale at PBK. I love the quality of the box itself, but the case is already ripping and really it is just too small. My son used the zoo lunchies bag daily for 3 years and my daughter is using the same bag now 3x a week, still in perfect condition. The Planetbox's bag is starting to rip and it has only been used since September, which is disappointing. Thus, my reco is a rover and buy a bag from somewhere else. One other thing to keep in mind is these boxes are HEAVY, too heavy for a preschooler to carry himself when loaded with lots of dense food IMO.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 30, 2014

• #13

The Launch or Rover fit in the ebags slim lunch box and might fit in this BNY http://www.ebags.com/product/built-ny/cargo-series-lunch-bag/263286?productid=10271341
I'm not a fan of 'sleeves', so I'm constantly on the hunt for other briefcase-shaped bags to fit (zip around, flip all the way back, so the flip-open ease is never compromised)... anyone can sew and want to make zip-around neoprene bags for planetboxes and sell them on etsy?

 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

• Jan 30, 2014

• #14

Holy cripe, are those dimensions right? eBags says that Built is 21" wide and almost 9" thick! 21.3" x 12.2" x 8.86"

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Feb 5, 2014

• #15

TechnoGranola said:

Holy cripe, are those dimensions right? eBags says that Built is 21" wide and almost 9" thick! 21.3" x 12.2" x 8.86"

Click to expand...

ROFL! That's a heckuva typo :spit:

I caved and ordered a Launch the other day... I line up my lunch assembly line every morning now and I was getting sick of the not-shiny ziploc/easylunchboxes in DS' lunch bag, when my shuttle and dd's rover are so pretty . Now I need to convince dd1 that she should carry one, maybe she will next year to highschool...

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Feb 6, 2014

• #16

...and the Launch has landed. It fits in the rover bag (dunno why they don't market them together?), and holds way way way more food. The bottom right square holds a sandwich, so dh put tons of crackers and cookies and cheese in the big rectangle, and veggies in the little rectangle. Starch-tastic, but I wasn't awake early enough to pack it and ds will probably love it....

 

G

gigi

New member

• Feb 6, 2014

• #17

joolsplus3 said:

...and the Launch has landed. It fits in the rover bag (dunno why they don't market them together?), and holds way way way more food. The bottom right square holds a sandwich, so dh put tons of crackers and cookies and cheese in the big rectangle, and veggies in the little rectangle. Starch-tastic, but I wasn't awake early enough to pack it and ds will probably love it....

Click to expand...

OMG, really? It fits in the Rover bag?!? I will now buy one, because my kid likes the rover bag because of the snack pockets on the outside but needs more food! Thanks!

 

J

jordansmom

New member

• Feb 11, 2014

• #18

I just got an email from Planetbox- $14 off your purchase of a Rover complete set with red carry bag! Use code RED14 from the 11th to the 18th.