Reusable snack bags?

[2binak]

Does anyone use reusable snack & sandwich bags? If so, what brand and what are your thoughts on them? Do they keep your sandwiches and snacks fresh or does the food dry out? Are they easy to clean? Where did you buy them?

We feel so wasteful using saran wrap and ziplocs for lunches and snacks on the go so we would love to buy reusable bags, but there are so many out there, we're not sure which ones to get.

 

[annagirl]

You can actually wash your ziploc bags to reuse them (not recommended for raw meats, tho). They hold up fairly well to several washings before they split a seam. I turn mine inside out to wash and dry, then flip them back for reuse.

 

[dizneechic]

I use laptop lunches for all 3 of my kids, we're heading into year 3 with our original set. I love the fact that the kids open up their bento box and lunch is ready to be eaten, no opening the dessert and eating that first, then snack, then meal (and running out of time). I'm not a fan of having to wash out containers every night but that's just me being lazy and I knew I would be when using something of this nature. The food stays perfect and the kids really like the system, as do their teachers (my dd's preschool teacher hands out sheets on them now because it's so much easier on them at lunch time).

For school snack I usually send in yogurt and an apple so just deal with prepackaged inside of a reusable snack tote (no paper bags). Since all the snacks in the kids rooms get taken out and lined up, it makes it easier for my kids to spot theirs over the slue of paper bags, and they aren't throwing much away (yogurt containers get rinsed and recycled at school).

When on field trips though we do use disposable - ziplocks and brown bags. I would hate the thought of the other stuff getting lost.

 

[2binak]

The boxes look great for older kids' school lunches, but DH and I are looking for a bag that we can put just a sandwich in for work and snack bags that we can toss in our DD's diaper bag for quick trips around town.

I've found that after a couple of hours, ziplocs tend to make things like crackers smell and taste like plastic. That's one of the other reasons we'd like to stop using them.

 

[bookgirl]

Go to walmart or target or bed bath and beyound and buy the sandwich shaped boxes. They are narrow and fit well in a bag, you can stand them on end in most purses. Plus your sandwich doesn't get smooshed in a backpack.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/organizeeverything1_2064_1815228658

If you're really set on a "bag" , then these get great reviews, I don't use them because I prefer to use the boxes mentioned above or tupperware, but I see lot's of people talking about them on my green/frugal blogs.

http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/index.php

 

[dizneechic]

The boxes look great for older kids' school lunches, but DH and I are looking for a bag that we can put just a sandwich in for work and snack bags that we can toss in our DD's diaper bag for quick trips around town.

Ahh yeah, a wee bit big for a diaper bag.

I agree with the poster about the flat square tupperware style. I've used those in the past and they fit well in my slim backpack pouches. I used to keep a few ziplock bags tucked in as well so when giving them to the kids I would pour in a single serving since they could eat better (ie not spill) out of the ziplocks than the boxes used to tote them around in.

 

[Chelley00]

I invested in a bunch of the take n toss and reusable rubbermaid cheapy containers. This way if they lose them I'm not out much money, and we're not wasting plastic bags. You can find really tiny sizes that are perfect for holding a few grapes or carrot sticks etc. We haven't bought Ziploc bags for years, and I have 4 kids that have to pack lunches every day!

 

[2binak]

I invested in a bunch of the take n toss and reusable rubbermaid cheapy containers. This way if they lose them I'm not out much money, and we're not wasting plastic bags. You can find really tiny sizes that are perfect for holding a few grapes or carrot sticks etc.

We have the take n toss containers, but they don't hold things like crackers or rice cakes, which DD loves to snack on, without breaking them into tiny pieces. Also, our diaper bag is really more of a diaper purse, which doesn't hold the TNT containers too well since it's pretty small. I'm hoping a snack bag will work better since it would lay more flat than a container.

Bookgirl - I've seen the wrap-n-mats and have considered getting them - good to know you've seen good reviews on them!

 

[Ephany]

Go to walmart or target or bed bath and beyound and buy the sandwich shaped boxes. They are narrow and fit well in a bag, you can stand them on end in most purses. Plus your sandwich doesn't get smooshed in a backpack.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/organizeeverything1_2064_1815228658

If you're really set on a "bag" , then these get great reviews, I don't use them because I prefer to use the boxes mentioned above or tupperware, but I see lot's of people talking about them on my green/frugal blogs.

http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/index.php

Right now our Walmart has a ton of the different colored Crayola and WonderBread sandwich shaped containers in the school section. I think they're $1.50 or so? I've noticed the Crayola ones hold up better than the green dino or pink heart ones that are sometimes hanging on the zip lines near the bread.

Those bags look really interesting; DD takes a snack and a lunch most days and they need to be separate. She's really good about bringing home her plastic containers, and I'd love to get away from using ziplock bags when she takes crackers or something breakable. Thanks for the link!