MIER Adult Lunch Bag Review

We purchased MIER's Adult Lunch Bag so our writer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

If you work outside the home or are frequently on the go around mealtime, a good lunch box that holds enough food to keep you satisfied and staves off buying convenience food is essential. The MIER Adult Lunch Bag has you covered with plenty of food storage space, a lot of pockets to store condiments, and enough insulation to keep your food cold for most of the day.  

Design: So many compartments

This lunch box is made well, which was clear from the minute we pulled it out of its shipping box. All of the zippers are securely attached, and the stitching seams look strong. After appraising the quality of the lunch box, the next obvious thing was its sheer size. It’s huge! We could fit an entire day’s worth of meals in it—not just lunch and a couple of snacks—and still have space to spare.

It has two compartments, one that makes up the top half of the bag and another on the bottom half. It also has a small zippered pocket for utensils or condiment packets. Each section is large enough on its own to hold a workday’s worth of food (lunch and two snacks). We felt the extra space was a little overkill. But, if you are using this bag to go out to the beach, a picnic, or a meet-up with friends and their children, this bag is your go-to food tote.

Despite its massive size, which is larger than a gallon of milk, we were disappointed we couldn’t store an upright bottle in either compartment because of its split-level design. This design issue isn’t a huge deal if you’re taking it to work and don’t mind tossing your factory-sealed water bottle in on its side. But, if you’re like us and want to carry your baby’s 8-ounce formula bottles in it and need them to stay upright because they might leak otherwise, then this bag is not for you. Even knowing that it has a leakproof bottom, we don’t want the hassle of a mess.  

Aesthetically, it’s a good looking lunch bag, but it still looks like a lunch tote. It has a handle attached to carry it by hand or use the shoulder strap—a convenience if your hands are full. Also, if you’re not a fan of the shoulder strap, it’s removable.  

Material: Great quality

Every inch of this lunch box appears to be constructed from strong, durable materials. The exterior is a thick, canvas-like fabric, and each zipper is firmly attached. Inside the lunch bag, the manufacturer describes the compartment lining as a “food-grade safe polyethylene vinyl acetate liner” to keep food cold (or warm). The carrying handle has a non-slip silicone grip around it to help it keep its shape and give it some reinforcement, and the shoulder strap is the same as a standard shoulder strap on most bags. 

Size: Too big for mini fridge

This bag is so large that we would not want to show up to work and try to stuff this lunch bag into the communal fridge. It probably takes up the space of about four regular size lunch boxes. We can’t imagine that your coworkers would appreciate that. Thankfully, the bag has sufficient insulation that it doesn’t need a space in the fridge.

Outside of the typical office environment, there are many other ways to use this lunch tote thanks to its size. We can carry snacks, bottles of water, a six-pack of anything, and probably more snacks for a day out at the pool or a road trip for a family of four. It doesn’t take up a lot of floor space in a car. This container functions more like a soft-sided cooler than a lunch bag.  

We tested the large-sized bag (10.2 inches x 7.9 inches x11 inches), although MIER offers a smaller version, which they call the “medium” size (9.1 inches x7.1 inches x 10.6 inches). It’s just slightly smaller and would likely be better sized as a lunch bag for one.

Performance: Top notch

If you pack some cold food in this lunch box and include an ice pack, the food will still be very cold by the time you get to lunch. We put a cold bottle of water in the top compartment and the bottom compartment without an ice pack, and both were still cool four hours later (the one in the bottom section was colder). When we included ice packs (one ice pack in each compartment), they were still very cold after four hours, and the ice packs hadn’t melted yet. We think this makes for a top performance lunch box cooler.  

Cleaning: Not bad

It’s a spot-clean only bag, so, unfortunately, you can’t just toss it into the washing machine. However, the outer material is pretty easy to clean, and the bag’s interior is leak-proof plastic lining. It would be great if there were an easier way to wash this, but we don’t think this lunch box would survive the delicate wash cycle. We didn’t try it since we wouldn’t want to mess with the bag’s structure or insulation qualities.

Price: You get your money’s worth

This lunch box regularly retails for $50, but you can find it online for less—at about $20 on Amazon. The performance and durability of this bag make the cost a steal. With heavy use, you likely won’t need to replace it for a few years. If you use it only occasionally, we can see this bag being around for a decade maybe more. We imagine you’ll get a lot of use for the money. 

Competition: Take your pick

BALORAY Lunch Bag: (View at Amazon) If you’re looking for something to simply take your lunch to and from work or want something a little more stylish, this lunch bag does the trick. It’s only $14, but it lacks in cooling performance. Don’t expect it to keep your food cold from the time you clock in until you clock out, and don’t plan on holding much more than lunch for one.  

Carhart Deluxe Lunch Cooler: (View at Amazon) This bag is similar to the MIER Adult Lunch Bag but is a more manageable size for one person. You can store this in the employee fridge without worry, and it still has two compartments for you to store your food in. However, it costs about $25 and doesn’t keep food as insulated as the MIER bag.