Some stores give away or sell those quilted tote bags with aluminum foil lining for keeping your cold items frozen. They don't close tightly and are no match for the summer heat. The small amount of lining is not enough to stop the heat from seeping in, and before long, your popsicles are puddles. Unlike a portable cooler, they do not have any insulation, and they offer no protection again spills or breakage.
A portable cooler is the answer to keeping your groceries cold and the planet safe. So do you invest in a large hard cooler or a soft cooler bag?
What's the Difference?
Hard coolers are double-walled and filled with insulation. This insulation is what keeps the food and drinks cold. They are rigid and heavy, often proving unwieldy. When used to hold food after grocery shopping it is highly likely that you will have to leave the cooler in the car and fill it up after you leave the store then take everything out of it again when you get home.
A cooler bag, on the other hand, is soft and collapsible when not in use. They are made from heavy fabrics and lined with insulation to keep their contents cold for hours. They are also leak-proof so if something spills inside the bag you don't have to worry about it getting all over your car and creating a mess. A cooler bag is lightweight and easy to carry around so you can take it in the store with you and pack your groceries as you check out instead of standing in the heat putting groceries in a hard cooler. These portable coolers are also sturdy enough that you won't have to worry about anything breaking during transport so you can be confident your eggs won’t break on the way home.
Soft Cooler Bags Are Easy To Store
A hard cooler will have to take up a sizeable permanent spot in your trunk or backseat unless you remove it and put it back each time you grocery shop. This would be a huge chore as hard coolers are large and unwieldy. A soft-sided cooler can be rolled up when not in use without taking up hardly any space in your home or vehicle.
Keep your soft coolers handy by rolling them up and storing them in a large bag. When you go to the grocery store, just grab the bag and throw it in your cart. When you check out, open your soft coolers and load them up right there. Since they are lightweight and portable, it is easy to move them from the shopping cart to the trunk of your car without straining yourself. If you have a hard time with heavy items, simply put less food in each one and make sure to use the shoulder strap for extra leverage. It's perfect for everyone, especially children and those with poor muscle tone.
What size should I get?
Hard coolers come in a few sizes, but any of them that will be big enough to hold a pack of chicken or a couple of gallons of milk is going to be extremely heavy and awkward to move. With the Voyager portable soft-sided cooler, you can choose from three different sizes. The small bag can fit a 12 pack of canned soda and a five-pound bag of rice. This is perfect for quick trips to the store for some ice cream and popsicles. It would work great for lunch meat, cheeses, and all the fixings if you wanted to stop at the store on your way to a picnic or game. However, for the serious shopper, a bigger bag may come in handy.
The medium bag can hold two 12 packs of canned sodas and a ten-pound bag of rice. A standard large package of chicken will fit nicely into this particular bag along with plenty of other items. Next time you find a great deal on meat, you will have plenty of room in the cooler to stock up on your favorites without worrying about them getting too hot before you can get home. This bag is an excellent size while still being lightweight enough to be portable and convenient.
The large bag can hold 48 cans of soda as well as two ten-pound containers of rice. This bag has plenty of room for anything you may want to put in it and would work exceptionally well for gallons of milk and coffee creamers. This would be the heaviest in the group when full, so consider whether one big bag or two small ones may be better for you. All of the bags have adjustable shoulder straps to make putting them in the car a breeze.
Hard coolers don't offer the convenience that soft-sided cooler bags do. Soft cooler bags are the perfect solution to keep all of your groceries frozen from the store to home even if you need to run other errands in between. They are comfortable to use and stylish, making them the perfect choice for men and women alike. When you are done, roll it up and leave it in the trunk for your next trip to the store, playground, party, beach or to the perfect picnic with that special someone. Your food and drinks will stay cold for hours even in the dogs day of summer.