As you know, I'm a huge fan of the Stanley thermos, I have one that'll keep coffee hot for hours in below zero temps and i've dropped it on the concrete floor of the barn more times than I can count without damage.

So, does it surprise you that Stanley makes a lunch box? Insulated and it has an indentation in the top of some of them for your thermos to fit.

I found them on Amazon, and every single reviewer gave it five stars.

Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Stanley thermos

The jessyf family favorite movie song from Steve Martin's 'The Jerk' - yes we go around the house singing this - too bad I couldn't find a video clip, just the audio, but y'all know Steve Martin so I'm sure you can put the picture in

Here is a link that might be useful: 'I'm picking out a thermos for you'

Yes, BF has a Stanely thermos. Do they make something for soup?? What about keeping other items hot?? But mainly soup. I always make soup and end up with a ton left over. Meanwhile, BF is freezing his buns off at work. I would sure like to hook him up with some hot soup! Maybe just a soup pot and some cans of sterno, lol!

I wholeheartedly second Annie's recommendation. My husband is often "in the field" at lunch time, so has taken to taking his lunch in the same lunch box that Annie linked to. When it comes to thermoses (or rather "vacuum bottles" because Thermos is a brand name)we always buy Stanley. The key with a vacuum bottle is to heat it with boiling water and let it sit for a bit before draining and putting your hot stuff in or chill it with ice water before adding cold liquid.
Jane

Totally go for it Annie! The lids are available on Amazon. The Stanley insulated soup/wide mouth thermos got mixed reviews. A lot of people complained it was made in China and was poorly constructed, not up to usual Stanley standards. Of course what IS made up to high standards these days?? I like the idea of getting him a matching lunch carrier and thermos though.

L, I got my wide mouthed Stanley a decade or so ago too, so they were probably better then. Most everything was. Sigh.

I'm glad they've kept the quality on the regular "old fashioned" Stanley.

You're taking pretty good care of this guy, L, you're gonna spoil him. (grin)

Annie

I'm trying Annie! ;)

Go wander around a sporting goods store or any store that sells camping gear...I am sure they have a wide variety of lunch type coolers and thermos bottles.

Have fun!!

Susie

A huge thanks to Annie regarding the Stanley Thermos. I can't tell you how many vacuum bottles I've bought just to ditch them because they wouldn't keep anything hot or cold for more than thirty minutes. I had totally forgotten about Stanley. I've already put my order in. I just wish the wide mouth was good and I would get one of those too.

Beverly

In camping supply stores they also sell those chemical packs that heats up after you add water in them. They get to be very hot for warming up food.

dcarch

All our guys in construction use coolers ,small ones.

Yeah, now I'm really debating. I'm wondering about this one insulated mug type thing with a clip on. He could clip it on his small lunch cooler.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermos leak proof food jar

This is an interesting option:

You can get a what's called "personal refrigerator", not too expensive.

It is a little bigger than a lunch box.It is an electronic refrigerator that's very light and runs silent.

It is both a refrigerator and a warmer. You pack your lunch in it, plug it in your car, it keeps the food and drinks cold. You get to work, you plug it in an outlet.

Before lunch time, you flip a switch, it heats up your food to about 140 degrees.

dcarch

For cold yogurt, try keeping an isulated can cooler in the freezer. Pop the yogurt in there and it stays pretty cool for a long time.

I'm no help on the hot stuff...I make coffee at my desk and have access to a microwave.

You might check truck stops though. They carry a wide variety of stuff for truckers on the road.

Deanna

I like that food jar you linked to LP. And I do like it has the little clip. I got Christy one that is similar a couple years ago and she does use it for soup in the winter. That one got pretty good reviews for the large mouth items. Even if it keeps things pretty warm, that is better than a cold lunch. I agree to try a sports store and see what they have that you could add. Those heater packs DCArch was speaking of would be nice stocking stuffers too.

I use a wide mouth Thermos for my soup when I take it to work. Just the other day I heated up some veggie broth, added some chopped veggies and a couple of tablespoons of rice that was at the bottom of the bag, and about the same amount of lentils. I boiled it on the stove for a few minutes while I made my breakfast, then added the soup to my thermos. By the time my lunch time came around, the rice and lentils were cooked, but it had expanded and soaked up enough of the liquid that it was no longer a soup, but more of a casserole. It worked, though. I've never had a problem with my soup (or casseroles) getting cold, but I don't keep it outside in the cold, but inside in a cold-ish office. (The boss keeps the thermostat set at 64 degrees.)

Oh, and what I do is to boil some water in a pan, put it into my thermos like y'all have said, then use the same pan the water was in to heat up my soup. By the time my soup is done, the thermos has had time to heat up.

Sally

I like that jar, too, Lpink. Is it stainless inside too? Anyone know? I read the info and it really doesn't say.

I could have sworn yesterday the price was $19.99 and now it's $21.30? Weird.

I like the other one they refer to below it, too. The black one with the spoon. Anyone have any experience with that one?

Thanks for the idea....I may just get one fr rTim's stocking! He gets tired of sandwiches so then goes out for fast food. He is in a truck all day, so no access to a nuker.

Linda

"----He is in a truck all day, so no access to a nuker.
Linda"

Try this:
http://thewavebox.com/

dcarch

I've got one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Nissan-16-Ounce-Stainless-Steel-Insulated/dp/B00009V4FI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1291301348&sr=8-2

And one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Nissan-16-Ounce-Stainless-Steel-Food/dp/B000K6DMCM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1291301359&sr=8-6

The food jar is just a regular screw-top lid, but it keeps things very warm. I do pour boiling water in it before filling it with food. It's cool to the touch even when full of boiling water.

If I were working in the cold all day, I'd be very happy to have a big bowl of hot and hearty homemade stew, or a nice warm roast beef on rye sandwich with a hot cup of au jus for dipping. You're an awfully nice GF, I think.

On-topic, I like those Japanese insulated bento thermoses with containers for soup, rice, etc. But no room for sandwiches, and rather expensive.

Yeah, I don't know how he does it, he's out in the HOT all day in the summer and COLD all day in the winter. He works inside homes as a carpenter, but a lot of times the electric, and heat or air conditioning is not hooked up yet, or the homeowners are not there and they don't want him using their utilities. So it's not just that he doesn't have access to a microwave, he often doesn't have access to even electricity, they run their tools off of a generator. That's why I think he needs an insulating lunchbox and a thermos. He does have one, (insulated lunch box) but it is very small, I don't think a soup thermos and the rest of his lunch would fit in the one he has. He also has one of those full size green Stanley thermoses for his coffee. I'm not sure if he wants to schelp a big thing around to work though. I'm definately getting him the thermos, I'm just not sure yet about a larger insulated lunch carrier.
Those bento things are cool, but you have to have THREE hot things, and you can't mix hot and cold things in them.