Posted By janice on November 30, 2011

I didn’t attend the National Association of Professional Organizers’ conference in April, but the words “Bento Boxes” were on the lips of my colleagues who did attend. After hearing about them, I’ve been eagerly awaiting their arrival at Rubbermaid’s website. So earlier this month, I went online and purchased the X-large, medium and small Rubbermaid Bento boxes ($9.99-$26.99) in the saucy paprika color.

What it is: The Bento Boxes are fabric-covered storage boxes, but they’re not your typical storage boxes. They come in three colors, two neutral colors and the sassy paprika, a deep red color. Like the Japanese Bento trays, the boxes let you carve out smaller spaces to organize your things inside the box.

The X-large box is a nice size, and you could easily use one (or two stacked ones) for a low side table since the lid is very strong. The X-large, large and medium boxes have four dividers attached to the side. The small box has two dividers. All of the boxes have lids you can purchase separately, but the small box does not have a lid – which is really not needed anyway.

Why it’s awesome: The boxes are very sturdy, and you can flip the topper (the lid) to make a tray on top of the box. You can stack the boxes, use them on shelves or in your closet. To carve out storage space, simply pop out one or all of the four dividers in the box. If you don’t need a smaller space within your box, you can push the divider back up against the box wall.

Drawbacks: You have to buy lids (or toppers as they’re called) separately from the box. Also, right now, the only way to purchase the Bento boxes are online and at Fred Meyers (a store we don’t have here in Houston).  I’m sure as the product line continues to grow (hopefully with more colors!), the boxes will land in more stores.

Categories: Organizing Product Reviews
Tags: containers, Rubbermaid Bento boxes