The lunch box is an item with a rich history, with children and adults alike bringing food carriers to work that feature classic characters or bands like Snoopy or the Beatles. While today these lunch boxes would be considered vintage collector's items, the lunch bag is far from a thing of the past. With approximately 18 million kids carrying lunches to school and 49% of adults bringing their meals to work, the lunch bag is an item more necessary today than it ever has been before.

Today, we have the added advantage of having a larger selection of lunch cooler bags that keep food cool and safe. One of the best ideas is to get an insulated lunch tote. These bags not only are roomy enough to hold anything you might want to eat, but they'll keep your food cool to prevent it from spoiling (or hot to prevent it from tasting gross). 

There are tons of high-quality options out there for insulated lunch bags that you can buy cheap, both individually and in bulk for events or groups. If you're looking to buy a new lunch bag or lunch bags, read on to learn how to choose the best insulated lunch bag for your needs.

Size? Shape? Purpose?

Have you searched all over the web to find out where you can buy cooler tote bags? The first thing to consider when selecting an insulated lunch bag is what, exactly, you'll be using it for. If you're sending your child to school with it, you'll likely need a smaller lunch bag than if you're taking it to work yourself. The bottom line is that you need to ensure that it's large enough to fit whatever portion size it needs to, but also not to get something so large that the insulation has a difficult time working its magic.

There are also a variety of shapes to choose from, and which ones you'll look into wholly depend on the size of the lunch bag you'll need. Square or rectangular crossbody lunch bags are ideal for adults who want to fit a thermos or larger sandwich into them, but this may not be the right choice for a child whose torso is the same size as the large lunch bag. Instead, smaller totes and handheld, grocery-bag-shaped lunch carriers are likely better alternatives.

It's All About Color

The next thing to do is to select the color of your lunchbox. If you want to show office or school spirit, consider getting a bag that features the corporate or school colors. If you don't want to do this or don't care, though, there are other ways to pick your lunch tote bag's color that may surprise you.

While picking your favorite color is a great, simple way to go, color psychology is extremely interesting and a unique way to choose the best color for your lunch bag. Did you know that shades of blue are appetite suppressants while yellow tends to put you in the mood to chow down? Think about that when buying your lunch tote!

Color wheel

Insulation is Ideal

When choosing a lunch bag, functionality is by far the most important factor. After all, the appearance of your tote won't matter if the food inside spoils- a cold, damp sandwich is sure to put a damper on your day (no pun intended.)

Luckily, insulated lunch totes will fight against this proactively by trapping the coldness of your ice pack within the bag itself. This cool insulation will cause your lunch bag to act as a portable mini fridge that prevents lunch meat or fresh vegetables from spoiling while you're at work or in class.

Team Spirit

Another great thing about ordering custom lunch totes is that you can buy them in bulk. This is an awesome idea if you have a group of people that have a common interest or goal. Whether you're part of a workplace or a school sports team, you can easily purchase matching lunch boxes that boast your group's mascot, logo, or team name. This is an awesome and unique way to boost morale and get everyone into the team spirit.

You can also purchase a bulk order of custom lunch boxes to give away at a marketing event or job fair. They're pretty inexpensive and are definitely unique- it's unlikely that any other companies you're surrounded by will have this awesome idea. Just print a picture of your logo on these promotional items and people will be carrying an advertisement for your business everywhere they go!

Get Your Insulated Lunch Tote Today

Choosing a lunch bag may sound like an easy task, but there are so many options out there that it can actually be tough to choose the perfect one for you. Luckily, when you decide to go with an insulated lunch tote, you'll be able to rest easy knowing that you've made the right choice.

Stay chill and bon appetit!