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Choosing the Best Meal Prep Bag

A cooler bag lets you transport refrigerated products without problems – even if outside is 30 degrees above zero. With its help, you can, for instance, take ice-cream or soft drinks with you to the beach. Such a bag is indispensable when it comes to organizing summer picnics. In cooler bags you can transport baby food, and it will maintain the required temperature. In addition, it allows you to travel freely, with fresh products. To say it in one word: a mobile cooler is a wonderful thing to have – for any occasion.

What Kinds of Cooler Bags are There?

When choosing a cooler bag, first of all, it is necessary to determine the type of bag you need and its capacity for transportation of products. The information below was taken from this source. There are also reviews of the best meal prep bags.

We distinguish between three main types of mobile coolers.

A simple isothermal bag

It is a bag of a simple, reliable shape, usually made of fabric materials with water-repellent features. Inside a thermal bag there is an isothermal interlayer, which maintains a certain temperature, and several cold storage units. Bags can hold between 3 and 72 liters of contents. They are compact, light and ideal for lovers of outdoor picnics.

Thermal Container

In comparison with a conventional isothermal bag, the container has a larger capacity and ensures that the temperature is maintained for a longer period of time. Thermal containers are made of materials of thick structure; they include a rigid insulating layer and cold storage units that correspond to the volume of the container.

The capacity of the container itself can range between 3 and 190 liters. With its help, you can, for example, transport frozen products from storage to a retail outlet. Such thermal containers can also be useful for fishermen due to the fact that some of the containers are equipped with a ruler for measuring the length of the caught fish. Containers are very practical and can serve you for more than a decade.

Coolers for Cars

A car cooler can be compared to a mini-refrigerator which is charged from a car battery. They are more expensive than the previous two types of bags but they have a greater capacity and volume (up to 220 liters). And they are able to retain the cold for a very long time. It is the best option for travelling drivers.

Material of Thermal Bags

It is important that the bag walls are sufficiently thick. After all, it is the thermo-insulating layer that enables the bag to maintain a certain temperature of the products. If the walls are rather thin, the products might get spoiled very soon. For example, an inexpensive bag with thin walls will preserve the cold for a maximum of three hours. A container with thick plastic construction and a wall thickness of about three to four centimeters will remain cool for about twelve hours.

Cold Storage Units for Cooler Bags

An integral part of a cooler bag is the cold storage units. Most often they look like plastic briquettes with saline solution inside. These units maintain the temperature inside the bag keeping the contents fresh. Before going out of town, during summer, these units should first be placed in the freezer of a house refrigerator, and afterwards they can be put into a cooler bag. Modern units are compact enough: they can be built into the bag’s cover top or into the bag walls.

The most important question here is – how many units do you need for your bag? The general rule is: for every three liters of bag volume you need one cold storage unit. It is recommended placing the units into the bag at the distance of ten to fifteen centimeters from each other in order for cooling to be optimal. Of course, if you put more units in the bag, the cooling will be more effective, but keep in mind: the units take space in the bag, and they increase its weight.

The most ordinary and inexpensive models of isothermal bags are not equipped with cold storage units at all. It is a standard option for those who do not plan to go on a long trip out of town. In any case, such a bag will ensure preservation of food for two to three hours, but to arrange a longer trip, you can simply freeze the water in a plastic bottle and use it as a cooling unit. Nevertheless, use of proper cold storage units is always preferable – they are able to double or triple cold retention time.

It is worth emphasizing that cold retention time of the bag depends on several factors:

  • Thickness of the insulation layer
  • The number of units and their presence in the bag
  • The temperature of the environment
  • Fullness of the bag
  • The number of times you open and close the bag during transportation

Automobile refrigerators, which have very thick walls and charge cold storage units from a car battery, can maintain suitable temperature for several days, even in extreme summer heat.

Convenience of Using a Thermal Bag

Pay attention to the zipper – it should let you quickly open and close the bag in order to avoid its contents to become warm. It goes without saying that for convenient transportation the bag must be equipped with handles and a shoulder strap. If the bag is heavy, it is preferable that it has rollers: in this case it can be easily wheeled. A built-in lock will protect the contents of the refrigerator and keep them safe. Modern models of mobile refrigerators are equipped with a quick-access valve. It is convenient and effective because upon opening such a valve, the products get warm much slower.