FreshyBag

Although I don't normally pack a lunch - hey, I work from home - there are plenty of people who brown-bag it regularly.

This little black bag (called the FreshyBag) is a nice alternative to the basic paper bag. It's insulated and has two separate compartments so you can keep your squishy sandwich away from your heavier items.

When I first got this, I was a little puzzled, though. First, I thought the bottom section was for a freezer pack, but that makes no sense. Why put it under the food, and why put it in a completely insulated space? Duh. It's for your sandwich or whatever else you want to shove in there.

The second thing that momentarily baffled me was that the top section doesn't open from the top. Duh. It opens from the side. That seemed to be an odd, but it makes more sense if you're stacking foods in there. It's easier to see them and to remove just one item than if you open from the top and can only remove the thing from the top of the stack before you get to the next one and the next.

The bag is insulated, and it seems like a decent amount of insulation. I haven't tested it to see how long things stay cold, but it should be as good as any other insulated bag.

But one thing I really like is that it's completely machine washable. That makes so much sense for a bag that you're going to use to carry food. Because food can be messy, leaky, or sticky. So if your barbecue sauce container opens up and it gets all over inside the bag, you just toss the bag in the washer instead of trying to sponge out the goo.

When I first saw this bag, I thought it looked a little small to hold a normal-sized lunch, but it's actually pretty roomy. And since you can separate squishables from other things, you can make better use of the space.

Who's it for: People who carry lunch or other foods to work or elsewhere.

Pros: Nice bag. Sturdy zippers.

Cons: The name Freshy on the side is a little weird. Well, the font is weird. From a distance, I kept reading it as Fleshy.

Wishes: It only comes in black, which is fine with me. But other people might like other colors.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.