This is by far the best "lunchbox" I've ever gotten for my husband! I've always bought him the square cooler looking insulated lunch totes before, but none of them had strong enough pockets to hold his non-food items. And he carries a lot of stuff with him, so at the end of the day when I'd unpack his sandwich container and ice packs, I often was also unpacking flashlights, tools, gloves, and safety goggles.

And then I found this. I read reviews posted by REAL MEN who were satisfied with it, and decided it was worth the try. Here's my husband's favorite features:

* It has a handle on top, which is great since he would rather carry it rather than wear it as a backpack.
* It is super-insulated! The main compartment does a great job of keeping his food and drinks cool when I use two ice packs. (We use the kind that are shaped to fit around water bottles or soda cans.)
* He doesn't take a hot drink in the insulated drink pouch, but I will often heat up kolaches or Toaster Strudels, wrap them in foil, and slide them in the drink pouch. It keeps his breakfast warm until he is ready to eat.
*There are enough sturdy pockets for him to take nearly everything he needs with him.
* He's able to clip his safety goggles to the side, keeping them handy.

CONS:
*The only drawback for him is that the backpack straps get in the way. If only they were removeable!

One week in, this backpack cooler has been great. It's very well made and intelligently designed, with plenty of storage for all my lunch items and various doodads. The front pocket is just the right size for my 7" Kindle Fire and a couple of other items. The insulation seems to be of adequate thickness, and it has thus far kept my stuff cold when necessary, and it has not leaked water from the condensation of ice packs. The mocha color is great, and this is an attractive backpack that I have no qualms about hauling around- plus, the size is perfect. It's plenty big enough for what it needs to be, but not so large that you would hesitate to bring it on a day trip or wherever else you might need to go. I've found myself throwing it in my car when I take off somewhere... it's super handy! There a lot of thoughtful touches, such as a sturdy carabiner, and LOTS of pockets and pouches.

I purchased this backpack for $40 with free shipping from Amazon. At that price, it's a steal. I could have purchased something vastly inferior at one of the nearby big box stores (I looked there first)... but why? I would much rather spend the extra ten dollars and get a backpack that actually looks good and is built to superior standards for longevity. I'm going to use this for my lunch (and other things) every single day, so it only makes sense to invest in something worthwhile. I bring a LOT of food and water on the job with me, and this is way, way better than trying to jam it all into my old cooler (and it's much easier to carry, too).

On that subject, I was very pleased to see that the manufacturer guarantees this product for LIFE. The only thing that I didn't like was that it claimed damage due to "ordinary wear and tear" is not covered (I don't expect them to cover damage due to abuse, etc.).... I'm not exactly sure what that means. If one of the major zippers breaks after being used over the course of a couple of years, the backpack will become useless. Will the manufacturer do the right thing, and honor their word? Or will they shrug their shoulders and say it's a result of wear and tear? The backpack is very well made, don't get me wrong. But if I should have an issue and the manufacturer attempts to squirm out of their responsibility, my rating will promptly descend from five stars to one. Here's hoping that Picnic Time's ethics are as good as this backpack!

If you need a suitable backpack for bringing your lunch to work, or are looking for something for the beach and/or day trips... look no further! This is the one.

Exactly what I wanted. A backpack that is a complete cooler. Looks nice with sleek lines and a not too big. Holds everything that I need with room to spare. Neat features I didn't realize is that the top flap has 2 separated compartments. Additionally, under the flap there's the top cap of the main compartment has an interior separated compartment for drinks or what not. The holder in front for drinks has it's own separated insulated holder that has a full over the shoulder strap if you just wanted to carry a drink and not the full bag. Neat option - but I don't use it.

The inside of the main compartment there is a zippered pouch on the backside where you can insert your frozen cores. I wouldn't recommend hard plastic cores. I would suggest a bag type core that can flex because of the location of where you would store your ice core. If it's hard plastic, it wont bend with the curve of your back and can make for an awkward wear when you shoulder it.

Ultimately, I needed something that wasn't flashy, looked good while wearing a suit.

My husband and I love this bag. I bought one for each of us last year. I freeze 3 or 4 bottles of water or other drink, wrap them in a paper towel and put them in a plastic bag. I then pack sandwiches and salads around the bottles in the main compartment. We are truck drivers and sometimes work 16 hours a day. I can pack everything I need for work (logbook, gloves, change of clothes, anything that I would carry in a purse, etc). I even pack a Thermos 16 oz mug of coffee in the main compartment and it stays hot for about 7 hours. At the end of the day, if I haven't drank all of the water, they still have a large chunk of ice in the middle.

The only negative thing I have to say about this bag is it wasn't assembled very well. I have had to re-stitch the bag at many parts of the inside seams. I thought it was because I was over-filling it, but my husband doesn't carry nearly as much stuff as I do and I have to stitch his bag as often as I do my own. The price should be reduced because I have to keep rebuilding the bag, but it is still worth 5 stars.

Purchased the first one a couple of years ago. On my second one now. Great backpack for gear and lunch. A bit pricy, but worth the money. Will buy a third when I wear out the current one.