Bustle: Make Grocery Shopping Easier & Safer With These Insulated Bags
It’s not just inconvenient when your cold or frozen groceries begin to thaw on the way home from the supermarket — warming food can also lead to spoilage, which can make you sick. Fortunately, the best insulated grocery bags keep your cold groceries cold on warm days and even keep your to-go food piping hot when you’re picking up an order from a restaurant.
When shopping for an insulated bag, your number one priority should be to find one that has crucial insulating layers. The best insulated bags use a combination of foil linings that reflect heat back toward the food, plus foam or other insulating materials to reduce heat transfer, helping to keep your items at a food safe temperature. Your bag should also have a zip closure so that you can seal it shut when you’re not packing or unpacking it.
In general, most readily available insulated grocery bags will have an interior capacity of 7 to 10 gallons and hold around 30 pounds. Single-use plastic grocery bags typically have a much smaller capacity, which means one reusable insulated bag can hold multiple plastic grocery bags’ worth of stuff. If you tend to buy lots of groceries at once, you may find that you need multiple insulated bags (or one extra-large insulated bag) to hold all your items.
Whether you’re looking for a tote-style bag, a budget-friendly pair of bags, or a stylish bag with a shoulder strap, here are the best insulated grocery bags to make grocery shopping easier and safer — and they’re all available on Amazon.
CleverMade SnapBasket Thermo LUXE Tote
The CleverMade SnapBasket Thermo LUXE Tote proves that insulated reusable bags can be legitimately chic. The 8-gallon bag can carry up to 30 pounds and has a supportive, rigid bottom. Its thermal insulation and reflective foil lining help preserve the temperature of your groceries.
Unlike the other bags on this list, the CleverMade SnapBasket Thermo LUXE Tote features a long shoulder strap in addition to sturdy top handles. Plus, the bag's patented SnapHinges keep the tote upright when in use — when the bag is empty, just push in the side hinges to snap it down flat.
It comes in two colors with a shoulder strap, plus six more colors without the shoulder strap. You can snag a cheaper non-insulated version of the bag, too, if you need something to carry nonperishable items.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: “I love not only the look of this shopping basket, but its functionality. [...] I feel like I probably save at least 3 plastic grocery bags each time I use this basket. Just used it yesterday and the store employee even commented on how much it holds. Snaps down and up easily, and it has been holding up well over the past couple of months. I highly recommend this basket, especially for those who go to the store frequently!”
