C & H Lunch Cooler Bag Review

Storage Size: 5 to 6 liter (5.2 to 6.3 quart approx.) sizes

Construction: Plastic, rubber, and fabric composition

Cost: Budget-priced

Features: Overhead carrying handle, PEVA liner

Pros: Extremely affordable, Lightweight, Good performance for a lunch cooler bag

Cons: Limited sizes and color options, Few additional features

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Last Updated by Brandon F. on October 31, 2022

C & H recently sent us a set of their Lunch Cooler Bags for review.  The C & H Lunch Cooler Bag is intended to be used by those who want to pack their daily lunch or food for a small outing and need to keep the items cool or warm for relatively short periods.  The approach that C & H takes is very simple: they aim to provide a reliable, durable, and efficient lunch solution without weighing the user down with bulky and expensive products.  They hope that their proven performance and reliability will be more attractive than the larger, more expensive options that are loaded with various features.  The set comes with two cooler bags that are 5 liters and 6 liters in size.

Insulation ability – 

If it is not immediately obvious, small soft-sided lunch coolers are not intended nor designed to hold ice for long periods.  Their main focus is to keep items cool (or in some cases warm) for a few hours. This makes them great for people who take their lunches to work or for somebody who simply wants a small carrying case for a few drinks or food for a baseball game, family picnic, etc.

Because of this, you won’t find lunch coolers that have multiple days of ice life.  So it is important to not judge these types of products on the same scale as a larger traditional hard-sided cooler.

Now that we have that out of the way, the C & H lunch cooler bags do a very good job of keeping items cool for several hours.  The insulated PEVA material is surprisingly thick and plays a huge role in this achievement.  Cooling ability will depend on whether or not you want to put ice in the bag.  Without ice, your items will stay reasonably cool (or warm) for around 4 to 6 hours.  If you decide to add some ice, this number jumps up to 12 to 16 hours.  This is plenty long for the applications that this cooler bag is designed to handle so overall we left impressed.

Mobility and durability – 

In terms of mobility, this product is among the most lightweight we have come across and can easily be transported in just about any method.  When not in use, it is extremely collapsible and can be tucked away easily for storage purposes.  There is a sewn-on overhead carrying handle that can be used for transportation.

Many soft-sided coolers will have a “rib’ that provides additional rigidity.  C & H has decided not to use this in their products which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask.  The lack of a rib makes it very easy to store but it also means that your stored items won’t be as well protected from being squished.

Regarding durability, the PEVA liner is very tough and can easily handle the occasional bump or scratch.  At first glance, you might think that this is a very flimsy product but once you handle it you will change your mind as the material feels high quality.  The zipper components, a common weak point on budget soft-sided coolers, are also above average and build quality and we felt that they should last for a long time.

Our only minor complaint is the lack of features.  There are no external pockets, segmented internal storage spaces, or any sort of accessory.  This is a bare-bones cooler bag that is focused on one thing: keeping things cool/warm.  Whether or not this is an issue is up to the individual.

Visual Appeal – 

The cooler bags are very Spartan in appearance and don’t have a lot going for them in regard to aesthetics.  They come in one color (green) and this color encompasses a vast majority of the outside.  While some people will appreciate the simplicity of the design, our main gripe is the lack of additional color choices.  For those who don’t enjoy the color green, you will be out of luck.  We hope that C & H has plans to roll out additional color schemes.

Cost – 

One of the biggest selling points for the C & H Cooler Bag is its price.  It is extremely affordable and among the lowest-cost options out there.  At such a great asking point, it makes it much easier to overlook any small flaws and when you consider the performance and build quality, this product is a great value.  And it is important to mention that for this price you receive TWO cooler bags, making it even more of a value.

Overall Rating – 

The C & H Lunch Cooler Bag takes a very simple and proven approach and focuses on quality and performance over features and aesthetics.  The result is a simple and reliable cooler bag that is above average in ice/heat life and durability at its price point.  The lack of color choices and features may be negative to some but for people that only want a low-cost cooler bag that works, this is a strong buy in our opinion.