how do you carry your lunch?

[jdd]

Some of what I bring is okay kind of bouncing and being tilted around in a backpack, but I bring other stuff that's not. It'll either leak pretty badly, or enough that there's some cleanup before eating, or microwaving and then eating something.

This works fairly well, but better with two containers than one. With one it often ends up tilted and, again, leaking. Today worked okay:

pic from another day, with a single container:

I do know there are thermos things that close tightly, but with those you'd have to heat the food before leaving home instead of microwaving at work. Maybe heavier than tupperware, too, tho I suppose they can be dishwashered okay.

I really only bring leftovers. Salad is kind of okay, but tomatoes can sometimes get juicy/watery. A mixed meat/veggie dish usually has sauce/juices, pasta about the same. And I do like my lentil soups--thick ones but also the hardest to carry. Some of it is stand-alone, some I take to the cafeteria and get rice and maybe some other dish on the side.

Comments or ideas? What do you do?

 

[joewein]

For food I have often hooked a plastic bag onto the smartphone holder, the Garmin or the stem on my handlebar, sometimes secured with rubber bands. This works better for food that has no risk of spilling, such as onigiri or bananas.

Have you considered getting a seat post rack for the bike? That way you could strap down whatever container you have and it wouldn't swing about.

I am currently researching saddle bags and seat post racks for brevets and the Arkel Randonneur Seat Post Rack got praise from several people:


This solution on the other hand would be overkill:

 

[TokyoTurtle]

A bit of context would be helpful here. Carry what lunch and to where? Commuting? Long rides?

 

[jdd]

A bit of context would be helpful here. Carry what lunch and to where? Commuting? Long rides?

TT--commuting (30mins), bringing lunch to work--and what I bring is always leftover something put into tupperware a night or more before and then refrigerated (not made/prepped specifically to bring for lunch, e.g., sandwiches). Other leftovers are various pastas, or other mains or veggies dishes.

Grilled fish or baked chicken travels easily, and I have that today already on top of rice (salad in the top container). Pastas can be on the drier side or more saucy. Roasted veggies carry easily (leave tomatoes out).

Most of that is at least kind of okay even if it tips. Plastic bags can be trashed, and on the bars they do seem to absorb some road shock. But vibration also sometimes makes the container inside slip around and tip on its side.

Soup is a mainstay, as is chicken curry. On weekends I can make a week's worth of these (some for lunches, maybe a dinner, too). Both travel better if there's rice ready to mix in before riding (or when prepping containers).

***
In writing about the containers slipping around, I've remembered that I have some 滑り止め mesh in a drawer. I'll be giving that a try.