Vaya Tyffyn Lunch Boxes: An Updated Tradition

In our continuing efforts to reduce waste, we’re always on the lookout for new reusable options. Sometimes though, the old standbys are the best. For example, reusable stacked containers are traditionally used in much of Asia to carry meals to school, to the office, or to work in the fields. My grandfather carried one, my mother carried her school lunches in one, and they’re still commonly used in many places.

This traditional stacked lunch box is known by many names in many places, but in India it’s known a a tiffin box. What’s a tiffin, you ask? Well, “tiffin” is an Indian English word referring to a type of meal, usually lunch. So naturally, a tiffin box is what you use to carry your tiffin in!

Inspired by those same stacked metal containers, Vaya Tyffyn has updated the traditional tiffin box with modern stainless steel containers, leak-resistant lids, appealing designs, and a vacuum-insulated case to keep your food hot or cold.

One of the first things I noticed about these lunch boxes is how many cool designs they come in, both kid-friendly ones like pandas, dinos, cats, and the unicorns below (Kay’s favourite!), as well as more adult-oriented designs like the classic silver/black combo below, maple wood grain, and more.

My children’s school strives for litterless lunches, and I’m totally on board with that. These lunch boxes are a cute and classic way of transporting their lunches to and from school without leaks or waste.

Each copper-coated stainless steel container comes with a removable partition that lets you choose whether to carry one main or two smaller snacks/sides in each container.

The leak-resistant and BPA-free lids with integrated gaskets fit snugly. The containers stack tightly on the base, and the insulated outer shell goes over everything with stainless steel latches to hold the whole thing together and keep the heat or cold in, as the case may be.

Vaya Tyffyns come in two sizes, with two or three stacked containers. The two-tin 600 ml TyffynKyds size is just right for my 6 and 8-year-olds, but I don’t imagine they’d hold enough food for an adult. Fortunately, Vaya Tyffyn also makes a three-tin size (1000 ml) as well.

When it comes to cleaning, the inner stainless steel containers are dishwasher safe, but the base and outer shell should never be placed in water. Hand clean with damp cloth only please!

You can also purchase a zippered BagMat with a removable strap to carry your Tyffyn lunch box, snacks, napkin, utensils, and water bottle in.

The bag unzips into a clever wipeable placemat with a little pouch to carry utensils in.

Vaya Tyffyn advertises that their VacuTherm insulation keeps hot food hot and cold food cold up to 5-6 hours. I typically pack the kids’ lunches around 8:00 am, and their food is still hot or cold at noon so that seems about right. But it’s important to know that the containers need to be either both hot or both cold. The insulation is in the outer shell of the Tyffyn so if you mix one hot and one cold container, they won’t stay at temperature.

I don’t find it helpful for things like sandwiches because of the oval shape of the tins. Square sandwiches fit better in square containers! If you do want to pack a sandwich, you’ll likely need to cut it in half and place each half in a separate container, which seems like a waste of space to me. But these work great for sending hot dishes like stew, curry and rice, chili, or lasagna, and cold dishes like potato salad, yogurt, fruit salad, even jello!

Gift It

Vaya Tyffyn lunchboxes and accessories are available on Amazon or on the Vaya website.

Disclosure: I received sample items for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.