There are many meal prep bags on the market, making it easier to eat healthier food while on the go. However, with different features, designs and options available, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which is the best one for you.
This article will give you more information on how to choose a meal prep bag, what features to look for, and a review of some of the available bags currently on the market.
Do I Really Need a Meal Prep Bag?
If you already carry a bag to work, you might be wondering why you can’t simply pack your lunch in there. Meal prep bags are specially designed for storing and carrying food. They offer better storage and may help keep your food fresh and insulated.
What’s more, as our bags become stuffed with the latest gadgets, paperwork and personal essentials, it’s becoming less practical to carry food in our bags. Meal prep bags offer a practical, stylish solution.
Finally, if you’re on a diet that requires you to eat specific foods at specific times of day, a meal prep bag allows you to store and carry it all with you. This can make sticking to a new diet easier.
Advantages of a Meal Prep Bag
Keeps your food insulated and fresh for longer.
Larger bags offer extra space for storing essentials along with your meals.
They allow you to carry your food to work, saving you money on buying meals out.
It can be easier to stick to a healthy diet when you can prepare and carry your own healthy meals with you.
What types of Meal Prep Bags are available?
The Lunch Box
These compact bags are designed with just enough space to store your lunch effectively. They are often small enough to fit in a gym bag or backpack, but still offer insulation to keep your food fresh. The smaller design makes these meal prep bags most suitable for those who commute and want to minimise the load they carry, while still packing a healthy lunch each day.
The Backpack
The backpack design is perfect for on-the-go individuals who are on their feet most of the day. The two-strap design keeps your hands free and they often have space to carry other essentials along with your lunch. This means it can be adopted for every day uses, such as going to the gym, commuting, or even going on a family day out.
The Single Strap Bag
The single strap design means you can carry the bag at your side. These may be less comfortable than the backpack design, and so might not be best suited for long commutes. However, these are usually the most spacious of the bag designs, and so gives you more options for storage and carrying important essentials.
How Do I Choose a Meal Prep Bag?
Size
It’s important to think about your personal needs when choosing a meal prep bag. If you want to store all your belongings in the bag, the lunch box style probably isn’t the best for you. However, if you’re looking for a compact bag to keep your lunch insulated, this design may be a good option. If you eat multiple meals and snacks throughout the day, you’ll need a larger bag to accommodate this. But if you only need space for one, small meal, a smaller bag would better suit you.
Comfort
As well as size, it’s important to think about comfort. If you have a long commute each morning, the backpack style is a good choice. Personally, I find it much easier to carry a bag on my back rather than at my side to avoid strain. As well as this, the single strap bag may be more cumbersome to transport, making your commute less comfortable.
Quality
Another important aspect is the quality of the bag. It’s true that you get what you pay for. So if you’re looking for long term use, it may be wise to invest in a higher quality bag. Whereas if you’re looking for a one-off buy for a short trip, a cheaper bag might be a better option.
Appearance
Although the aesthetic does not affect the practicality of the meal prep bag, appearance can be an important factor to consider. Bright, neon coloured bags may be a good option for the gym, but a plain black bag might be a better choice for a professional office environment.
Insulation
Most high-quality meal prep bags are insulated. But in most cases, the insulation simply consists of strips of foam. Even the highest quality bags can get worn over time, so trustworthy companies will offer a warranty. Make sure to look out for this feature when purchasing your bag.
Customer Service
If you’re planning on investing more than $50 in a new meal prep bag, it’s a good idea to contact the customer service team first. Ask about the warranty and if they have any discounts available. You’ll be able to gauge the level of customer service they offer and whether they’re a good company to invest in.
If you’ve now decided a meal prep bag is right for you, we’ve reviewed five options currently on the market. This will help you decide which bag best suits your personal needs.
Meal Prep Bag Reviews
InsigniaX Neoprene Bag
This compact meal prep lunch bag is made with highly durable neoprene and is designed to last. It features a single top handle and heavy-duty zip, making it easy to transport and comfortable to carry.
It comes in either black or navy, which are both understated, perfect for an office environment. It also features a flat base, meaning the bag is less likely to tip over when filled with food. This is a good option if you wish to store the lunch bag at your desk or in a locker.
The simple, insulated interior design is meant to keep your food warm or cold for longer. And the slim but spacious interior offers ample room for a meal on the go. With a size of H: 11.8″ x W: 6.1″ x L: 11.5″, this lunch bag is a good size for an average lunch. However, it isn’t recommended if you carry multiple meals or lunch boxes for your entire day, since this lunch bag is designed to carry one lunch box and snacks.
The company also offer a money back guarantee, so if you are not 100% satisfied, you’ll get your money back.
Overall, this meal prep bag is a good option for those who want to transport their lunch to work and keep it insulated. This is also a good option for children to take their lunch with them to school or trips. However, this lunch bag is not recommended for those who want to carry larger meals or multiple meals for the whole day.
PROS
- Compact size so easily transportable
- Comfortable to carry
- Money back guarantee
CONS
- Small size not suitable for large meals
- Flimsy design may cause bag to tip when stored
Fit Bags
This insulated lunch bag has an intelligent insulated design which keeps food warm. Or simply add the ice packs to keep food chilled for longer. The manufacturer boasts up to four hours of keeping food chilled or warm.
This bag comes with 3 portion control containers, 2 reusable ice packs, smart shaker bottle and pill organizer. This is perfect if you’re following a nutrition plan including shakes and supplements.
The bag is durable and waterproof, so great for days out. It has an adjustable and detachable strap, so you can adjust the bag to fit. It also has a small zip pocket on the front where you can store your phone or keys. However, this compartment is small, so you may not be able to store many other belongings inside.
The bag is easy to wash and dry and is stain-resistant. This is a great feature if you prep a lot of liquid-based meals such as soups or curry. It also features an large elastic pouch on the side which could be used for a drink bottle.
Overall, this a good quality bag for day trips with the family. However, the bulky design may make it cumbersome to take on long commutes.
PROS
- Durable and waterproof
- Adjustable and removable strap for comfort
- Stain resistant
- Comes with containers, shaker bottle and pill organizer
CONS
- Small compartments not suitable for storing personal items
- Heavy use may cause seams to tear
InsigniaX Lunch Bag
This meal prep lunch box is made with durable polyester and features foam padding with aluminium insulation. This means you can pack a warm lunch in the morning, and it will still be warm for you to enjoy at lunchtime. It has an adjustable and detachable strap for comfort and easy handling, perfect for trips with the family or commutes.
It has a spacious interior with plenty of space for your lunch, as well as a front pocket and two side pockets for extra storage. This is great for carrying your phone, as well as drink bottle with you on the go. And even with the extra storage compartments, the compact design keeps the bag looking stylish.
Although single strapped bags are usually quite bulky to carry, this compact option is great for commutes. It offers a stylish solution to the usual heavier side meal prep bags. However, the smaller size does mean this bag isn’t ideal for carrying multiple meals and is best suited to carry just two lunchboxes of the usual bento size.
This lunch bag comes with a money back guaranty, so if you’re not 100% satisfied, InsigniaX will exchange or refund your lunch bag.
Overall, this is a recommended bag for those looking for a compact solution to the bulky single strap bag. It’s a good option for commutes since its lightweight and has a spacious interior for your meals. However, this is less suited for someone looking for an all-in-one meal prep bag, since there is little space for other essentials.
PROS
- Spacious interior
- Compact design easy to take on commute
- Money back guarantee
CONS
- Not much space for extra storage of personal items
- Small design means you can’t carry more than two meal boxes
Evolutionize Backpack
This backpack style meal prep bag features a lower insulated compartment with two ice packs, and a large main compartment for workout gear and personal items. It also features a large back compartment which can store a laptop up to 15.6″. As well as all that, it also has extra pockets for smaller items like keys and a wallet.
The backpack is easy to carry with adjustable shoulder straps and has an expandable zip. It’s made from polyester, with dimensions: 34 x 20 x 46 cm (L-W-H).
The backpack comes with three meal prep containers included. These are great for portion control due to the shallow size. They’re BPA free and dishwasher and microwave safe. Cutlery utensils are not included but can easily be carried in the food storage compartment.
This bag is quite large compared to other meal prep bags on the market, so if you’re not looking to store extra belongings with your food, this bag may be too large for your needs. However, for those who want to store and carry multiple meals as well as gym gear or work material, this meal prep backpack may be a good option.
Overall, this backpack is recommended for its organisational qualities. There’s no need to carry extra bags as this has plenty of room for food as well as other belongings. It is a little bit more expensive than alternatives, but the benefits may be worth the price tag.
PROS
- Plenty of room to carry meals and all personal items
- Room for a laptop
- Comfortable to carry
CONS
- Larger design, not suitable for those looking for compact bag
- Quite expensive compared to alternatives
Isolator Fitness
The bag has four fully insulated, stay cold, compartments. One front loading compartment, one top loading compartment, two zippered, insulated side compartments, two mesh pockets sewn to the spine, one mesh pocket in the top loading compartment and two sleeves to hold the isobricks. All these compartments offer ample room for your meals, snacks and drinks for the whole day.
This bag is high quality and hand sewn in the USA. It’s available in a range of colors to suit your personal style and comes in different sizes to fit your meal prep needs.
The heavy insulation technology is boasted to keep food cold for 12-16 hours. This is longer than competitors, so may be a good option if you work long hours.
The meal prep bag comes with a lifetime warranty on the American made zippers and stitching, giving you peace of mind when investing in this bag.
The bag also comes with six stackable, reusable meal prep containers, which is a great added bonus. One slight drawback is the compartment is made specifically for the Isolator containers, so if you have other containers, they may not fit as well.
Overall, this is a recommended bag for fitness minded individuals. It has plenty of storage for different meals and snacks for the day, as well as extra room for drinks and shakes. It is quite expensive, but the high-quality design may be worth the investment.
PROS
- Hand sewn in USA in a range of colors
- 6 meal prep containers included
- 12-16 hours insulation
- Life time warranty
CONS
- Bulky design
- Other containers may not fit in the bag
- Expensive option
Which One Did We Like the Most?
Although all the meal prep bags reviewed have unique advantages and limitations, our clear winner of this roundup is the EDC backpack.
The spacious backpack offers plenty of room for your prepped meals, as well as your laptop, paperwork and personal belongings. This makes it a great option for commutes to work. It’s stylish design suits both men and women, and the padded back offer added comfort.
It comes with two ice packs and 6 meal prep containers, so you have everything you need to start your meal prepping. It’s a great option for commuters, going to the gym, or going on a trip. The spacious design gives you plenty of storage space, while still being suitable for long trips or plane journeys.
Although it does require a little more investment than other meal prep bags available, the extra features and high-quality finish are worth the price tag.