Frigid Rigid and other brands fly off shelves, despite cost
Frigid Rigid and other brands fly off shelves, despite cost
The urban legend confirmed as authentic begins with a boat fire. “Everyone present at the dock,” the charter captain later wrote, “was amazed what was found after the Islamorada Village Fire Department put out the fire on our vessel.” Amid the boat’s ruins sits a charred ice chest, its lid open and a clear look at ice floating inside. “I am enclosing some photos, please see for yourself,” the captain wrote of a Frigid Rigid ice chest surviving the dock fire. His pictures were posted to the Frigid Rigid website (frigidrigid.com).
Art Link is tickled by such unsolicited testimonials sent to the Frigid Rigid offices in Fort Myers. “I’m still amazed at the stories we get,” says Link, president of the firm that manufactures ice chests, freezers, refrigerators, accessories and watercraft. “It’s our best sales advertisement.”
Welcome to the new world of super-pricey ice chests, $5,000 solar refrigerators and small boats that can cost more than a used Mercedes. Companies such as Frigid Rigid, Yeti, Tervis, Pelican and others own the market on extravagant ice and tackle coolers, drinking cups, truck boxes and some small watercraft.
Even companies known for less expensive outdoor items―Coleman and Igloo, for example―sell $400 ice chests. Bait and recreational shops can’t keep enough of these items in stock. A $40 Yeti drinking tumbler is gone as quickly as it is stocked, says Frank Baptisteller, camping manager at Bass Pro Shops in Fort Myers. “When [customers] realize the products hold ice longer in this heat, they’re sold,” he says.
Owners argue that shelling out extra bucks is great, but only if products endure, hold ice for days―or survive a fire. “I’ve got a 95 Quart Frigid Rigid,” a writer named Scizzle wrote on a blog called The Hull Truth. “One of the new ones with their upgraded foam; Icelandic or something. I love it. Just took it out yesterday; it was 85
“Worth every penny in my opinion. It is a little heavy, but I’m a big boy, I think I can handle it.” —Blogger Scizzle on Frigid Rigid ice chests
degrees and in the direct sunlight all day on the boat and the ice didn’t melt. Worth every penny in my opinion. It is a little heavy, but I’m a big boy, I think I can handle it.”
Frigid Rigid started as a garage project in Key West. The founder, a charter skipper, was upset that ice chests in 1980 couldn’t keep ice for a day trip, Link says. Frigid Rigid had a cultlike following, expanded its line and ultimately was purchased by Link. He has grown the business to include dozens of coolers and accessories, even a special container to ship transplanted organs. He exhibits Frigid Rigid products at boat shows, always selling out his display and taking orders for more, he says.
Rigid boats (rigidboats.com) are the same sturdy construction, but they’re pricey. Link sold a custom 17-foot runabout for $50,000 because of its exceptional craftsmanship and superior design, he says. An 8.5-foot Rigid dinghy, with accessories and engine, runs almost $13,000. Yet, Link says, he can’t keep up with demand. “People want quality, and they’re willing to pay for it.”
The key to a good ice chest, Link says, is a thick lid sealing firmly to the body, a design that Frigid Rigid pioneered. A wet foam blown into the framing keeps ice further curtained from heat. With a simple and effective rubber hinge, the device seals tightly―and it lasts for years, Link says. He has older coolers in his office that still seal like a bank vault. His firm, he says, has tested Frigid Rigid and competing products in direct sun, reporting its 65-quart cooler retained some ice through one week. “I’ve had my Frigid Rigid coolers for 15 years over 3,400 boating hours and they are still like new,” a blogger using the name Fish Magnet writes. “It’s a no-brainer in my book. The only negative is that they are a little heavier so if that matters for some reason, get something else.”
Mason Wider at Whitney’s Bait & Tackle on Sanibel says a 45-quart ice chest for about $400 is a deal. “You buy one and never need another,” he says. “They’re heavy duty and keep your stuff cold.”