Have you ever stopped to ponder the many varieties of lunch totes on the market today? Of course you haven’t. After all, why would you? The next time you need to shop for a lunch bag, you’d be doing yourself a favor by checking out your options. Unlike the brown bags and square boxes of yesterday, today’s lunch totes come in a wide range of designs, functions and pricing options.

For starters, let’s talk a little bit about personalized lunch totes. Now, to describe this, think of a miniature backpack with insulation so it acts more like a heavy-duty cooler than a book carrier. Now, if you dare, imagine the outside of this bag adorned with your child’s favorite cartoon characters, colors, his or her name, or any one of a hundred other possibilities. Not only are these bags stylish and personal, but they’re also functional on multiple levels. If your child has siblings, personalization ensures that they won’t be getting their lunches mixed up.

Then you have lunch bags that are essentially beefed-up versions of those plastic boxes. They’re relatively the same size, the same shape, but are made of softer material (like canvas, vinyl, cotton, etc), are more durable, and offer far better insulation. For roughly the same price, you can have something that lasts a lifetime instead of simply a school year. These lunch totes are worth every penny due to their ability to stave off the dreaded soggy sandwich. Everything else is simply a bonus.

If you’re environmentally conscious, you can easily find lunch totes made of eco-friendly materials, like recycled, biodegradable, and much more. You can compare these bags to the reusable grocery bags available. A kid might not be crazy about the eco-friendly take on brown-bagging, but many adults take the environment very seriously.

Lunch totes are available in a wide range of styles. It makes for a very trendy way to keep your food fresh until you’re ready to enjoy it. Forget about the ultra-expensive designer handbags for a moment; this updated take on the classic lunchbox is far more functional and can be just as stylish. Designer lunch totes are available for the trendy adult, so it’s not always about your kids and their lunch. Mom or dad can treat themselves, too, for a small investment.

You can also find almost any lunch tote at a discount price. Regardless of the tote you’re looking at, a discounted price awaits you. With so many sites on the web, it’s easy to compare when you’re shopping. The price you see an item for on one site may be on sale at another. By putting your browser to work, you can save big bucks when shopping for lunch totes.

Even if you don’t have children and don’t take your lunch to work with you, a lunch bag can be a great investment for many other reasons. Maybe you go to the beach, the ballpark, on camping trips, etc. If so, there’s nothing like a lunch tote to keep your drinks and snacks cool and fresh.