Plastic shopping bags are one of those things that haven’t been improved on since… ever?  Sure there have been attempts to improve their biodegradability, but that’s hardly the limit to their inherent weaknesses.

This is especially well-known in Japan where premade soups and bentos fly off the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores like premade hotcakes.  Using a traditional plastic bag to carry a curry rice bento always gets tilted onto its side so that it ends up looking like a crime scene when you get it home.  You’re luck if the curry actually stays inside the container.

Lunch Vehicle may be the answer to this problem, taking plastic bags to the next level with its innovative design which has been influenced by tried and tested heavy industry techniques.

Designed by Japanese company Asurabbit (say that three times fast), the Lunch Vehicle is based on the lifting principles used when transporting goods by crane.  Crane technology has been in use since ancient Greece and has long needed to keep things on the level.

Using two common hitches and applying them in the best way for plastic bag transport, Asurabbit (hehe) has developed two types of bag each designed to fit certain spillable items.

●Bridge Type

It’s called the bridge type because when loaded it looks like a cable-stayed bridge.  It uses a basket hitch technique that evenly wraps around the bottom of the container and holds it in place by exerting even pressure on the four corners as long as it’s placed in the center of the bag.

This is best used for meals with wide and shallow containers like most bentos and should keep your potato salad from crossing over into your rice.

●Crane Type

Named after its resemblance to a crane holding a load, this bag relies on the choking hitch which uses the contents’ own weight to tighten the sides of the bag keeping it stable. This bag is more useful for deep dishes and hopefully will keep your soup inside the bowl where it belongs.

These bags are still in development but should be available for sale in the near future.  If Asurabbit’s (pffffbbbb) research pays off then we may be looking at the spill-free future of plastic bags.

Original article by Yayoi Saginomiya on Pouch.
Asurabbit: Website (Japanese)

▼ A video demonstrating how to use Lunch Vehicle