This year, there have been some nice trends in Bluetooth speakers: 鈥淭rue stereo,鈥� which lets you pair two speakers at once and play the left channel in one and the right in the other, is available in more and more models. While it may be a clever way of selling you two speakers instead of one, it makes the experience more like sitting in front of your home hi-fi system. Meanwhile, battery life keeps on improving across the board, and it鈥檚 kind of stunning how water-resistant these devices have become: All of the speakers below have an ingress rating of at least IP67, which means they can be submerged in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. If you鈥檝e ever combined a swimming hole and a large dog in the same outing, you know why this matters. All of which makes the new speakers highlighted here some of the best ever for outdoor adventures.

Update March 2025: We鈥檝e tested and selected new Bluetooth speakers in five categories, including a new best all-around pick of the Beats Pill.

At a Glance

• Best All-Around:
• Best for Parties:
• Best Value:
• Most Portable:
• Most Rugged:
• Best for Audiophiles:
• Best for Travel:
• How to Choose
• How We Test
• Meet Our Lead Tester

Better Beach Afternoons

A few years ago I visited an old high school friend in L.A. This was a friend you want to model yourself after: He鈥檇 founded his own company and designed his life so that work was done by 1 p.m. Then he鈥檇 pack up a self-designed and professionally fabricated 鈥渇un cart鈥� that rides on fat wheels. He鈥檇 trundle over to the beach and unfurl the built-in umbrella, roll out a cushy beach blanket, unpack a cooler full of cured meats and olives and a bottle of rioja, and tune his FM radio to a local station.

The whole ritual made me think of the last line from James Wright鈥檚 poem 鈥淟ying in a Hammock at William Duffy鈥檚 Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota:鈥� 鈥淚 have wasted my life.鈥�

The next time I visit Miguel, however, we are going to up his audio game. Today鈥檚 Bluetooth speakers are lighter than ever, and built to laugh off the ravages of water, sand, and accidental drops onto the pavement. No beach afternoon should be absent some smooth-sounding melodies: We鈥檒l take anything with a .

Here are reviews of seven of our current favorite Bluetooth speakers, depending on your needs and budget. We鈥檒l be updating the list over the course of the year. In the meantime, maybe you want to think about taking a 鈥渟ick day,鈥� shutting down the laptop, and finding some tasty waves.

Bluetooth Speaker Reviews

Best All-Around

Beats Pill

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Fun size and shape
鈯�聽Impressive sound
鈯�聽Long battery life
鈯�聽Not omnidirectional

It鈥檚 not hard to figure out what makes a speaker stand out. It鈥檚 the sound, stupid. Yes, I know, but what I love most about the Pill is the way I can grasp it in my hand like a tallboy of Rolling Rock or, going back to junior high memories, like a baton I鈥檓 passing to the anchor sprinter in the 400 relay. The design, which comes in five pleasing colors, might be the best of the year.

And the sound is, in fact, pristine鈥攚hat one tester described as 鈥渕ore open and detailed鈥� than the others in this test. That may be owing to what鈥檚 called a racetrack woofer on the inside, an oblong shape that makes the best use of a small space to produce big sound with less distortion. Gone are the days when a little two-pound unit like this was reserved for travel; this sucker sounds good enough to be your mainstay indoors and out.

The Pill was easy to connect, served brilliantly as a speakerphone, and, as one tester opined, gets 鈥渆xtra credit for aesthetics and a lack of any glitchy issues.鈥� If you get worn out swiping through your Bluetooth settings, you can use the USB-C cable to play music directly from your phone; Beats bills this as high-resolution audio, and we detected a slight improvement.

The speaker runs for an impressive 24 hours at medium volume, has a 鈥淔ast Fuel鈥� function to get two hours of playback from a 10-minute charge, and, if lost, can be located via the 鈥淔ind My鈥� apps on both Apple and Android devices. The soft silicone backing gives it a cushion against falls, and a lanyard lets you strap it around your wrist. One drawback: It鈥檚 not omnidirectional. While it stands securely on a flat base, it has to be pointed toward you to deliver the best sound.

In the end, facing off against an assortment of stellar-sounding speakers, the Pill edged out the others because, no surprise, it sounded the most crystal clear and mellifluous.

Best For Parties

Treblab HD-Max

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Loud volume when wanted
鈯�聽Great value
鈯�聽One-dimensional sound
鈯�聽Confusing LED modes

When you need more volume and more bass, the HD-Max delivers. The sound is not as detailed or three-dimensional as the others in this guide, but that matters less when it鈥檚 about a crowd and, as the evening wears on, they鈥檙e getting down and boogying. Treblab鈥檚 newest offering has the power to fill a sizable outdoor space, and if you want to go a notch higher, a bass-boosting feature adds even more thump. 鈥淚t makes you feel like dancing,鈥� said one reviewer.

Two other fiesta-friendly novelties are a pair of multicolor lights on either end that can be turned off and on, and a bottle opener on the removable carry strap. It鈥檒l get 20 hours of play time if you keep it at 10 percent volume, but at 100 percent it鈥檚 certified for only 6.5 hours鈥攕till, enough to get you through the night, or, if not, you can always plug it in. (And the power goes both ways: If your phone is running out of juice, the HD-Max can charge it.) One thing that could use improvement: It鈥檚 hard to tell when you鈥檙e in indoor, outdoor, or bass mode; they鈥檙e indicated by a clunky system that involves deciphering a series of blinking LED lights.

These are small trade-offs when you consider that the HD-Max is a tough-built, five-pound, foot-wide boom box that retails for $200鈥攂ut can be found for 33 percent less than that. Others in its class, like Ultimate Ears鈥� , usually set you back $350 or $400. When the fun is over and it鈥檚 back-to-work time, the speaker has a built-in mic that works well for conference calls, with an average range of 33 feet. One tester said the HD-Max had 鈥渢he best combination of sound quality, volume, and portability鈥� in the test.

Best Value

Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Sound fills the room
鈯�聽Long battery life
鈯�聽Controls not all in same place

The German audio engineers at Teuful got together with the American guitar and amp brand Fender to make this thing of beauty. The sleekly designed Rockster Go 2 is smaller than a hardcover airport novel, at eight by four inches, but it pumps out some of the best, bassiest sound in this size range. Much like Bose鈥檚 鈥攚hose latest version weighs in at 1.3 pounds and costs $149鈥攖he 1.6-pound Rockster Go 2 amazed us with its 鈥渟traight-ahead sound quality and musical vividness,鈥� as one tester put it. It goes one step further than Bose with a button that engages what鈥檚 called Dynamore virtual stereo sound, an impressive, non-gimmicky feature that seems to magically move the music to the corners of the room. (Like the Beats Pill, this speaker is unidirectional, but the Dynamore feature does a lot to make it sound good from the front or the back.)

The speaker is supposed to last for up to a whopping 28 hours in Eco Mode (which reduces the bass), though you鈥檒l probably get more like the 15 hours it promises in regular mode at medium volume. Quick charging, however, gets you out the door faster if you forgot to plug it in the night before. A short carry strap enables easier toting, and GoPro users will appreciate the quarter-inch threading on the base, which is compatible with camera mounts. Although its range is only 30 feet, one reviewer remarked that 鈥渨ith a design that鈥檚 worthy of residing on your bookcase plus its rugged build, this may be the ideal indoor/outdoor speaker in the midsize range.鈥�

Note: The Rockster line includes two other, larger sizes: the $180 and the monster $480 .

Most Portable

Ultimate Ears Miniroll

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Very compact
鈯�聽Impressive sound for its size
鈯�聽Bungee strap is useful
鈯�聽Can get only so loud

Over the past decade, the 鈥渕ini speaker鈥� category has been trying and trying to achieve a level of sonic quality that sounds so much better than your laptop speaker that it warrants a purchase. With the Miniroll, we may have achieved the singularity. At less than 10 ounces and a fits-in-your-hand, five-inch diameter, this grab-and-go disc produced some moments of startling loudness for its size. Physics wouldn鈥檛 allow it to be in the same acoustic class as the others in this test, but testers were impressed by what it can do.

Think of the places it can go: With its eminently handy built-in rubber strap, the Miniroll can bungee right over your bike handlebars, onto your belt loop, or鈥攁 habit I鈥檝e acquired solely on account of this speaker鈥攐ver the shower curtain rod, so I can keep clean while keeping up with the news. As secure as the strap is, a bouncy bike ride might eventually dislodge it, but with its sturdy build, we wouldn鈥檛 be too concerned about damage鈥攁nd its crazy-long range of 131 feet means you won鈥檛 lose connection when you turn around to retrieve it. A PartyUp feature lets you pair multiple Minirolls together for more power or a stereo effect.

Anyone debating whether to pack a speaker for an overseas flight can be confident that the Miniroll鈥攚ith its 鈥渞oad-friendly size and shape鈥� and at 1.25 percent of an airline鈥檚 50-pound weight limit鈥攊s well worth the consideration.

Most Rugged

Turtlebox Gen 2

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Extremely tough
鈯�聽Easy to tote
鈯�聽Smooth sound
鈯�聽Not cheap

Like Pelican and Otter, Turtlebox thinks in terms of durability that will see you through any terrain on earth, if not other planets. Case in point: The company claims that they were able to park a six-ton monster truck on this speaker, to no ill effect. Encased in super-hard plastic and completely waterproof (even floatable), the Gen 2 has quickly garnered a following among fishermen and watersports enthusiasts for more than being tough. The 120-decibel speaker is 鈥渂oth incredibly loud and impressively refined,鈥� one tester observed. Indeed, our team was hard-pressed to find many differences in audio quality between the Turtlebox 2 and the other top scorers in this year鈥檚 test. The unit also plays for 25 hours at lower volumes and about six hours at max volume, such as what you鈥檇 need for a big party.

During LCD Soundsystem鈥檚 鈥淭ribulations,鈥� the bass tones flowed smooth as silk and distortion-free, thanks to the 6-by-9-inch woofer, and, to our surprise, the high and midrange sounds also came across with great clarity. With five color options and an ideal form factor鈥攁 lunchbox-size 9.5-pound boombox with a hard nylon handle coated in rubber, plus rubber bumpers on the undercarriage鈥攖he Turtlebox Gen 2 gets just about everything right, and its fairly high price tag is less scary when you consider its durability.

Best for Audiophiles

Bose SoundLink Max

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Very rich, loud sound
鈯�聽Long battery life
鈯�聽Easy to pair
鈯�聽Needs 5-volt charger; standard USB-C is slow

For those who were wowed by Bose鈥檚 1.3-pound SoundLink Flex (our 2022聽Editor鈥檚 Choice winner), this larger and far more powerful 4.9-pound edition of the SoundLink will be true love. It punches above its weight, with rich bass and perfect balance in the higher registers. While the addition of a rubber-coated rope handle is both convenient and cute, the sticking-to-basics features from this classic brand made it a bit less fun than other party-ready units in this test. Where Bose beats them, though, is with more subtle orchestral and ambient tracks. Max Richter鈥檚聽The New Four Seasons聽came through with a dynamism and presence that was a notch above.

Battery life is 20 hours, range is a passable 30 feet, and Bose鈥檚 app is more versatile than those that accompany most speakers, with EQ settings to suit your tastes and listening environment. IP67 water and dust resistance means it鈥檚 fine being dropped in the pool for up to 30 minutes. The SoundLink Max does cost a lot for its size, but for those among us who like to just sit and focus on great music, it may be the most ideal鈥攁nd ideally sized鈥攑ortable speaker to date.

Best for Travel

Klipsch Nashville

Pros and Cons
鈯�聽Great sound in small package
鈯�聽Nice design
鈯�聽Bass can get distorted

Ten years ago, it would鈥檝e been inconceivable to hear sound this deep and loud coming from a speaker so small. Such are the advances of science. Klipsch鈥檚 Nashville is the Goldilocks among a new trio of IP67 water- and dust-resistant speakers from the brand (alongside the larger Detroit and the smaller Austin). All of them sound great, but the Nashville won us over because it overdelivers for its size, a mere 2.4 pounds and seven inches wide. A pair of 2.25-inch full-range drivers鈥攐ne on the front and another on the back鈥攃reate what the company calls 360-degree sound, so it works nicely in the center of a room as opposed to a bookshelf.

The tough build鈥攚ith cushy rubber cladding all around鈥攊nstills confidence in its durability, and its 24-hour battery life makes it even better for carrying through remote places without power. The Nashville has a 40-foot range and can be wirelessly linked together with up to 10 other compatible Klipsch units. We also like the built-in mic, which allows it to work as a speakerphone, courteously pausing your music on its own. 鈥淭he cool retro looks don鈥檛 prepare you for how thoroughly modern this speaker sounds,鈥� one tester said.

How to Choose

When shopping for a new Bluetooth speaker, first consider whether you鈥檒l be using it indoors, outdoors, or both. Check its to get an idea of how much water and dust resistance it offers; these are typically reliable. Next, think about how much you鈥檒l be carrying it around鈥攂etween house and backyard, say, or moving from campsite to campsite鈥攁nd whether you鈥檒l be on foot (carrying a pack or duffel, or not) or on wheels. Then consider what makes sense in terms of weight and dimensions. As a general rule, the heavier a speaker is, the more volume you鈥檒l get out of it, but playing it loud isn鈥檛 always a necessity鈥攕ome of you will be entertaining large groups, but others will just be setting it up for mellow creekside cocktail-hour listening with your partner.

If you鈥檙e someone who moves around a lot, a speaker with long battery life might also make a difference. These days most new models will play for a good 10 hours or more even at high volume, but some are longer-lasting than others, as detailed in the models reviewed here. Finally, more and more models offer 鈥渢rue stereo鈥� linking, where two or more speakers can be paired to play at once but in stereo; this makes smaller models with this option a little more attractive than before, because if you later decide to invest more, you can give your soundscape an appreciable boost.

Finally, don鈥檛 assume that if one of the speakers in this list doesn鈥檛 sound great to you, it鈥檚 your fault. Different folks have different tastes, and some types of music sound better鈥攐r worse鈥攐n certain speakers. If you make a purchase and are feeling lukewarm afterwards, keep an eye on your return window and don鈥檛 feel guilty if you have to exchange it.

How We Test Audio Equipment

• Hours of Testing: 246
• Test Environments: Running, hiking, dog walking, cycling, windsurfing, skiing, rock climbing, yardwork, car camping, conference calls, video streaming, noisy coffee shops
• Highest Elevation: 10,152 feet, Leadville, Colorado
• Lowest Elevation: 5 feet underwater in Lake Pleasant, Arizona
• Most Listened-To Tracks: Childish Gambino: 鈥淟ithonia,鈥� The Cure: 鈥淎lone,鈥� Drugdealer and Kim Bollinger: 鈥淧ictures of You,鈥� Fontaines D.C.: 鈥淔avourite,鈥� J Dilla: 鈥淲orkinonit,鈥� Kenya Grace: 鈥淪trangers,鈥� Magdalena Bay: 鈥淚mage,鈥� Slowthai ft. James Blake and Mount Kimbie: 鈥淔eel Away,鈥� Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: 鈥淐hallengers鈥�

The first thing we do with any Bluetooth speakers is attempt to pair them with our phones without consulting the user manual: The quicker, more intuitive, and easier the sync, the more points scored. Then we put them through hours of testing doing the kinds of things 国产吃瓜黑料 readers do鈥攕oaking in remote hot springs, inviting friends over for outdoor dance parties, playing audiobooks while riding a bike, etc.

Our team turns in reports on each product tested, providing a score of 1 to 10 for five different measures: sound quality, pairing and connectivity, fit and comfort, rain and drop protection, and user friendliness. Scores are averaged, with more weight given to sound quality and (knowing our audience) how well they stand up to the elements. Note: Battery life estimates in these reviews are based on manufacturer specs; it鈥檚 difficult to confirm those numbers, given the time involved and variances among user habits (different volumes, different uses, different functions enabled). Actual results may be 10 to 20 percent lower, judging from averages experienced in general testing.

Meet Our Lead Tester

Will Palmer has been testing gear for 21 years for 国产吃瓜黑料, where he was managing editor and copy chief for nine years. Based in Santa Fe, he has been a runner since 1984, and while the mile counts have decreased over the years, he鈥檚 kept motivated to head out the door on the hottest, coldest, and wettest days by the opportunity to test the best new products鈥攁nd to commune with the junipers and pi帽ons.

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It鈥檚 hard to believe that a few years ago, we were all still plugging earbuds into our phones using things called 鈥渃ords.鈥� The advent of Bluetooth, with its ability to pack into itty-bitty cordless speakers that reside in our ears, has changed things fast. Every year, the sound gets better. Nice touches like hear-through to let in ambient sound, in-ear detection that halts playback when you remove one bud, and active noise cancellation鈥攐nce seen only in travel headphones鈥攈ave expanded earbud versatility. Even battery life keeps improving. Today there are dozens of excellent-sounding, snug-fitting, water-shunning models out there, and teasing out the differences gets harder all the time. Our winners for 2022 are the ones that have the most intelligent design and most useful tech features, stand up to the elements, and, best of all, sound the sweetest.聽

Jaybird Vista 2 ($150)

Best for Harsh Weather

Like the first-gen Vista, these clear, robust-sounding earbuds have real outdoor cred. They鈥檙e IP68 dust- and waterproof and meet U.S. military shock and crush standards. What鈥檚 new: active noise cancellation and a volume control that lets you listen to music without blocking out the outside world. They go for eight hours, with two more charges in the case. Bonus: the app can find your buds on a map if you drop them.

Edifier TWS 330NB ($80)

Killer Value

Like the look of Apple鈥檚 AirPods but shopping on a budget? Look to Edifier鈥檚 TWS330 NB. Despite the affordable price tag, you鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find anything cheap about them. Sure, with active noise-cancellation turned on, the battery life is only five hours on a charge (plus 15 more hours from the charging case). But they boast solid sound and a sturdy build, with IP54 dust and water resistance. They even boast an AI algorithm that makes calls clearer by enhancing the other person鈥檚 voice.

Shure Aonic 215 True Wireless Sound Isolating Earphones, Gen 2 ($229)

Best for Audiophiles

Sure, this pair has a higher price tag, comes with a much larger case, has only IPX4 splashproof-ing (no waterproofing), and takes more effort to hook around your ears. But if you鈥檙e seeking a hi-fi experience, you鈥檒l find them a step above the competition. The earphones have excellent equalizers that can be controlled from Shure鈥檚 Play app, which also lets you modify the amount of ambient sound and customize what the buttons at the base of the over-ear hooks do. As for those hooks: they also make these the most secure-fitting pair in this list. These buds last for eight hours per charge, with three more charges in the case, for 32 hours of total run time.

Beats Fit Pro ($200)

Best for Everyday Use

Though the Fit Pro are a slight step down in durability from the Jaybirds and Jabras (it鈥檚 rated IPX4), they鈥檙e an excellent go-everywhere model with loud, heart-pumping sound. We love their compact design (these are the smallest buds on the list) with flexible wings to hold them in place. Battery life is six hours, with three additional charges from the palm-sized case. A five-minute charge restores an hour of playtime. Mac and iPhone users will like how they quick-connect without needing to open your Bluetooth settings.

Jabra Elite 7 Active ($180)

Best for Runners

Like the Jaybird Vista 2, the Elite 7 Active is a smooth-sounding unit built for the trails, with eight hours of battery life, 22 more in the case, and app-controlled active noise cancellation. They鈥檙e slightly less burly: waterproof only up to one meter (but still functionally rainproof), and have no fit wedges to hook inside your ear, which makes them easier to drop and lose. But in testing, they stayed in place just fine). But they offer a particularly significant feature that all trail users will love: a mono mode that enables you to leave one ear open to trail sounds without sacrificing audio quality. You get both sound channels coming into one ear, leaving your second bud free to charge in its case.

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Of all the ways to enjoy the outdoors, relaxing to music on a nice day is a simple and undeniable pleasure. There鈥檚 something novel about lying in a hammock on a sunny Sunday afternoon or listening to a vinyl record with friends at the park. While it might be easier to pack a small Bluetooth speaker and play tunes off your phone, dusting off a stack of hand-me-down records and reveling in some old-school charm is more about the experience. ($200) lets you have that anywhere you want. While there are other record players that let you listen to vinyl outside, most only work if you鈥檝e got access to an outlet. The Revolution鈥檚 rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it truly portable. It has enough power for 12 hours of continuous tunes, which is more than enough for a backyard barbecue or an evening around the campfire.

I鈥檝e had a couple of suitcase-style turntables before (two different versions of the which you can now find used for around $59); they鈥檙e kitschy, fun, and allow you to listen to vinyl anywhere, but they don鈥檛 sound that great, so I was surprised when the Go hit me with rich, warm music that鈥檚 not usually found in an all-in-one unit. The built-in Bluetooth speaker isn鈥檛 meant to deliver the audio quality of a hi-fi home-stereo system, but it does sound pretty damn good, especially for a unit you can pack anywhere.

The Revolution Go is a belt-driven turntable with three speeds鈥�33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM鈥攁nd three modes鈥攙inyl, vinyl stream, and Bluetooth, allowing you to pair it to your phone and play music through the built-in speaker, have your vinyl stream through a better-sounding setup, or pair it with your earbuds. An RCA jack in back lets you hook it up to external speakers the traditional way, the dial has a satisfying feel, and an Alexa-sounding voice announces the battery level and mode as you cycle through the functions.

One of the nicest things to see on the Revolution Go is the Audio-Technica magnetic moving cartridge, which has a ubiquitous (the needle that reads the grooves in the record) that鈥檚 easily replaced for around $25. The moving magnetic cartridge is a step up in quality from the ceramic cartridges found on most of the entry-level portable record players I鈥檝e seen, including my older Crosley turntable. If you鈥檙e unfamiliar with record components, think of a ceramic cartridge like a pair of hiking boots: rugged and a little heavy. A moving magnetic cartridge is more like a pair of trail runners: light and nimble. Both get the job done, but ceramic cartridges generally wear out records faster because they have a greater tracking force, and they don鈥檛 sound as good as magnetic ones, because they read fewer details in the grooves.

I鈥檝e mainly inherited my record collection from family or bought it at thrift stores and garage sales (though I will buy the occasional new album on vinyl, and Chris Stapleton鈥檚 double LP, , is the first record I tested on the Go), so I鈥檓 not too precious about it, but I still don鈥檛 want it unnecessary damaged. Some of my albums have gnarly scratches from improperly lowering the tonearm on my older record player, but I鈥檓 not worried about that with the Go; the cueing lever is foolproof and lowers the tonearm slowly and safely, so even my young son can use it without causing any real harm.

The plastic turntable platter (the spinning surface that the record sits on) does feel a little flimsy, but that鈥檚 pretty standard with portable players, which trade off some component quality in favor of packability. However, the platter is spring mounted, to help dampen vibrations, and a silicone slip mat absorbs shock and minimizes skipping. The record player has a folding handle that tucks away and a removable guitar strap for hands-free carrying. The lid鈥檚 design gives the Go a retro vibe and pops off to double as a record holder once you鈥檙e at your destination. I do wish the plastic dustcover was made with a more durable material; mine already has a few noticeable scratches just from setting it on the picnic table.

The $200 price tag is a jump from most suitcase players, which run closer to the hundred-dollar mark, but it鈥檚 an equal leap in audio quality and portability. Given how easy it is to carry (it weighs less than seven pounds), the Go has earned a spot in my 1980 Boler trailer for road trips, family car camping, and simply hanging out with friends outside. Just don鈥檛 take it to a beach party鈥攊t can鈥檛 get wet and shouldn鈥檛 be used in direct sunlight.

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Bose SoundLink Flex ($149)

Bose鈥檚 newest portable Bluetooth speaker is a case study in great things coming in small packages. It measures 7.9 inches long, 3.6 inches high, and 2.1 inches wide and lacks the kind of flashy aesthetics that make you instantly curious. But trust us: you should be.

Travel speakers have historically been the kind of gear that鈥檚 nice to have, but none that we鈥檝e tested has ever achieved downright greatness. That鈥檚 just physics: until now, outside of five- or ten-pound breadbox-size speakers, no brand has been able to pack in enough power to fully envelop you in the music. The achieves that鈥攜et weighs only 1.3 pounds and is smaller than a brick.

Bose engineered it with powerful drivers that produce more bass than you鈥檇 believe possible. It also has such clear, crisp highs that you may find yourself peering inside expecting to find tiny violinists making that precise, rich sound.

Best of all, you can carry it all day: it lasts up to 12 hours on a charge. Prop it on the picnic table, toss it in your duffel, or hook it to your tent with the webbing loop (provided you鈥檙e far from other groups). You can even set the SoundLink Flex on your boat and, should it fall off, it will float back to the surface. That鈥檚 because it鈥檚 both buoyant and IP67 dust- and waterproof, which means its submersible up to a meter for 30 minutes. Bose鈥檚 designers also enclosed the front grille in a steel frame, then encased the sides in rubbery silicone, so you can drop it from moderate heights. Use the Bose Connect app鈥檚 party mode to sync two Bose Bluetooth speakers and distribute the sound in stereo. Still, one SoundLink Flex is impressive enough on its own.

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Made from reclaimed British Columbian logging waste, this portable Bluetooth speaker ($200) kicks out an impressive 60 watts. The internal battery is good for ten hours at full volume, and USB charging ports keep phones topped off聽while you dance. No two speakers are alike, and you can also choose custom colors and stains for a personalized finish.

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With , a new one-ounce digital device, you can stream music on your run or hike without a smartphone.

The 1.5-inch unit syncs with your iPhone or Android and allows users to play up聽48 hours of music from Spotify, provided you have the premium subscription. Developers plan to expand support for other streaming services, too.

Because it鈥檚 designed for people who like to exercise, the Mighty is sweat resistant and works with both wired and wireless headphones. Recently funded on Kickstarter, units should start shipping in November.聽

$79,

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Because you can do better than聽ketchup and crackers.

Zippo All-Terrain grill聽

With an easy-to-set-up folding frame, rugged rubber-coated wheels, and 1.9 square feet of cooking space, the is your instant party starter. With a durable aluminum body and heavy-duty grate, it鈥檒l last for years. And it works just as well at campsites come summer.聽

Price $300

Therm-a-Rest Treo chair聽

A camp chair is not an unnecessary luxury in the parking lot鈥攊t鈥檚 a throne you鈥檝e earned with a day of hard charging. And is too easy not to pack: it鈥檚 smaller than a bottle of wine and weighs just over two pounds.

Price $100

Stanley Classic Vacuum growler聽

Apr猫s without beer is like winter without snow. The two-quart steel keeps your cerveza cold for 28 hours or coffee hot for 18, thanks to its vacuum-insulated body and foam-packed lid. Nice: the top stays open for one-handed pouring.聽

Price $50

Canada Goose Brookvale hoodie聽

Made from super-packable down fill and a stretchy face fabric, is the kind of insulator you keep at the ready year-round. Bonus points for the understated camo print. '

Price $475

Ridgemont Monty Hi shoes聽

The 鈥檚 oiled-suede upper is sufficiently waterproof to fend off light snow and earns far more style points than your old rubber boots. It鈥檚 also relatively lightweight, so your little stinkers will feel liberated after spending eight clammy hours strangled by heavy plastic shells.聽

Price $99

Bigtruck Brand Pro hat聽

The flat-brimmed mafia has taken over鈥攁nd we鈥檙e fine with that. Our lid of choice is made by Lake Tahoe鈥檚 , which was started five years ago by two friends who wanted to make high-quality, good-looking caps for people living and playing in the mountains.聽

Price $35

Snow Peak Silicone wineglass

It may look like glass, but it鈥檚 made of a foldable, unbreakable for easy packing and worry-free drinking. Available in tumbler and Old Fashioned versions, too.

Price $27

Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth speaker

This is loud enough to get your crew shakin鈥� and delivers the excellent acoustics expected from the Massachusetts-based audio-equipment company. Syncs seamlessly with a smartphone and鈥攁w, yeah鈥攃omes in five fun colors.聽

Price $130

Spy Discord Kaleidoscope sunglasses聽

We鈥檝e been casual fans of the 鈥檚 chunky frame and high-quality signature lenses for a while. Now we鈥檙e full-on groupies. This year it comes in a wide range of translucent, neon-bright frames to match your Hot Dog鈥� The Movie ski kit.聽

Price $120

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Isn鈥檛 technology wonderful? Used to be that playing music or a movie in the backyard meant wheeling out coils of sound cords and duct-taping them along the fence and warning people about tripping over them on the patio. But no more.聽

Thanks to some smart innovations, there are now聽far better ways to wire your yard for summertime dance parties and film screenings. Here鈥檚 our DIY instruction manual.

Power It Up

Even if you have a ready supply of electricity in your backyard, it'd be niftier to run the whole show off solar power? Goal Zero鈥檚 ($430)聽takes five hours to juice up, using a pair of ($200). It pumps out 12 volts so you鈥檒l have plenty of juice to run the following setup.聽

Lighten the Mood

Hurricane lanterns are pretty, but kerosene is a smoky pestilence that you don鈥檛 want to unleash on your crew. Ditch the gas-fed flames and string up a chain of Goal Zero鈥檚 new ($40)聽instead. They鈥檙e like holiday lights, just better. They come with both magnets and 鈥檅iner clips so improvising mood lighting is very simple, and the power draw is low. A single LAL can run for 50 hours off the Yeti 150 generator.聽

Turn It Up

Music is key to making any party a success. ($100)聽speakers are handy because they鈥檙e self-powered and they power down automatically when you鈥檙e not using them. Plus they鈥檙e weatherproof鈥攋ust leave them on the back deck and forget them until you need music. And you can daisy chain up to 10 speakers together wirelessly.聽

For the coolest effect, combine audio and lighting together with ($150). Yes you read that correctly. These are聽combination lightbulbs and speakers.聽Use the iOS/Android app and wireless bounce music from a phone or tablet to a pair of Pulses (and add up to six more bulbs for true surround sound). You can also dim the bulbs as the night goes on, and independently crank the volume. Of course if you want to keep it simple, there鈥檚 also ($200);聽one wireless, weatherproof Bluetooth speaker you can crank up to 11.

Project Yourself

You鈥檝e probably been in at least one boring conference where someone鈥檚 lame pico (read: handheld)聽projector rendered a washed-out video. Well, the ultra-portable ($360)聽is worlds better and only about the size of a VHS tape. For best results, position the projector such that the image on your display surface is roughly four-feet along the diagonal. You don鈥檛 need a traditional projector sheet. The surface can be the stucco wall in back of your house, a bed sheet, or even a light-hued tent rain fly. The projector鈥檚 720-pixel HD resolution comes through clear enough on whatever you鈥檙e projecting onto. The PicoPro also has a built-in battery good for up to two hours of battery life. Extend that life by plugging it in to external juice.

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You're glimpsing聽the future of manufacturing. Launched in August 2014, sells one type of custom-made earphone out of its headquarters retail store and factory in New York鈥檚 Chelsea neighborhood. Users download an app that snaps photos of both ears (because they are not mirror images of each other), lets them choose one of seven colors, and uploads the data to the company. Within 48 hours a bespoke pair of handsome, great-sounding earbuds is sent to your home, with your name etched on the case. If they don鈥檛 fit, you can send them back for a refitting, free of charge.

The Takeaway:

The Good:聽A workout-friendly, custom-made, 3-D-printed earphone that you order via a smart and entertaining app. The novelty would mean nothing if the tailored fit didn鈥檛 make a real difference, and the tailored fit would mean nothing if the sound weren鈥檛 exceptional.

The Bad:聽Two hundred is pushing it for a pair of聽earbuds. Environmental sound gets in; some users might prefer better noise聽cancellation. Not wireless (though fitting that technology in would have been a tall order).

The Verdict:聽A very well-made earphone by any measure; throw in the pure fun of 3D printing, a fit that will make them yours for a lifetime (unless your ears are still growing), and well-rounded audio quality, and they鈥檙e worth the price鈥攅specially considering the lifetime guarantee for repairs, even if you dunk them in water.

The Specs:

• 顿谤颈惫别谤:听14 mm Neodymium Dynamic
• 厂别苍蝉颈迟颈惫颈迟测:听109 dB/mW
• 滨尘辫别诲补苍肠别:听32 Ohms
• Frequency Response:聽20 Hz-20 kHz
• 惭厂搁笔:听$199 (includes tax and shipping)

Intended for:

Anyone who puts a premium on quality audio as well as on being able to do crazy stuff like get out of one鈥檚 chair and move around. For years, earbud makers have been trying various designs of rubber wedges, clamps, and looping cords to keep them in place, but once the sweat starts rolling, no one I know has been a stranger to the Big Slip, followed by the Great Exit and the God-Damn-These-Things. It鈥檚 not because any of us have oddball ears鈥擭ormal named themselves that because everyone has unusual ears. There is no normal鈥攐r, the only normal is abnormal.

The Competition:

There is no other product on the market like this, but the obvious comparison is with custom in-ear monitors (IEMs) like the ones made my Etymotic and Westone. Those professional-grade earphones require a visit to the ear doctor, who makes a silicone mold of your ear canal and ships the mold off to the company, and a few weeks later your monitors arrive. These therefore run to $1,000 or more, which means they鈥檒l always remain something best suited to music professionals, not us denizens of the backcountry.

In this price range, the closest competition is a premium sports earphone like the Bose SoundSport听辞谤 Bowers and Wilkins鈥檚 C5. Both come with various rubber attachments or looping cords that are good attempts at the holy grail of a secure fit but don鈥檛 come through in the end. But the clincher is that Normals sound just as good as those premium brands鈥攎aybe even better, because the speaker sits at just the right position, directing sound into your ear canal, and are very immune to the jostling that frequently causes other models to get displaced鈥攐ut of position and pointing their sound into your skin, or pushed in too far, causing a sweaty seal to form and causing that obnoxious mix of squeak and muffle.

The Test:聽

I wore the Normals on trail runs throughout the spring in Tucson, Arizona, where temps at 9 a.m. were already scorching by March.聽

Performance:

The first thing I noticed鈥攁nd have kept on noticing鈥攊s that the Normals nestle right into the lower-back pocket of the ear, unlike everything I鈥檝e ever tested, which typically utilizes the ridge over your ear canal. This results in an immediate and dramatic improvement: As I run, any inadvertent tugging, which comes from below, only pulls them into the lower contours of my ear, and nothing bad happens. The connector also swivels to further foster movement. As gravity and sweat conspire to try to overthrow this beautiful arrangement, again, the perfectly fitting molded earpiece goes nowhere. Which is exactly where it鈥檚 supposed to go.

I鈥檝e tested the pro-grade in-ear monitors, and they do sound amazing, but the trade-off is that they sit much further in, only millimeters from your eardrum. Any accidental full-volume blast from your music device could easily cause damage to your hearing, and if not damage, then some sharp pain.聽

After three months of using the Normals to play Alt-J, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, and many bands that don鈥檛 start with an A, I had no loss of audio quality. Some users have complained of crackling, which probably means that with enough tugging they will start to short out, but I didn鈥檛 have this problem. And frequent encounters with moisture (including head dousings when the temperature shot past 90) didn鈥檛 cause damage鈥攚hich is not to say that you should try to swim with them.

A cool feature that I wasn鈥檛 aware of until I visited the store in Chelsea is the reconnectable cord. Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e tying your shoes and you accidentally step on the cord; when you stand up, something鈥檚 gotta give, and with most wired earbuds, that means disaster. With the Normals, the cord disengages from the earpiece, and you just snap it back in. You can also swap out your old one鈥攕hould your miniature dachshund chew her way through it鈥攆or a replacement at no cost, and you can even choose from two sizes: 44 inches or 63 inches. The cord also houses an inline mic and call control so you can take a call without breaking a stride. 聽

And did I say they sound fantastic? Deep, smooth bass that doesn鈥檛 distort, very good midrange, and crisp highs. The drivers even seem to offer a different kind of dimensionality that approaches the sound of those expensive IEMs: Because they sit a little closer to your eardrum and direct sound to just the right place, you can pick out the clanging of a high hat from the strum of the lead guitar as if they鈥檙e coming from different places.聽

The Drawbacks:

Like Apple鈥檚 little round ear saucers, Normals let external sound in, which can be good or bad. If you鈥檙e looking for noise cancellation, these don鈥檛 have it, and those expensive IEMs do have a big edge when it comes to creating an intimate space that lets in nothing else. For me, this is not a concern except perhaps when I鈥檓 on a plane; I鈥檇 rather be able to hear what鈥檚 coming up from behind me, especially if I鈥檓 on a mountain bike (and I never listen to music on the road). Also, you decide: Is it weird that they enclose a card, signed by the engineer, that says, 鈥淵ou have lovely earholes鈥�?

Bottom Line:

Is this my new go-to earphone for trail running? Call it a tie. My other favorite is the long-discontinued Jaybird Sportsband鈥攁 lightweight pair of on-ear Bluetooth phones that, after six years of use, still sound great. They pop onto my noggin and stay there, the controls are built into the earpiece, and I am liberated from the tyranny of the cord. In a future review, I鈥檒l make a case for its resurrection. But if, somewhere down the road, Normal is able to fit a Bluetooth receiver into these custom-made wonders, then the tie would be broken.聽

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Instead of that old-school boombox, consider throwing a powerful water-resistant speaker or high-tech action camera in your beach bag this summer. Check out these six sand- and sun-resistant products guaranteed to make your hot summer nights even more fun:

Canon PowerShot D30 ($330)

Go ahead and dive up to 82 feet below the surface with this . The tough outer shell can withstand drops on the dock up to 6.5 feet. The killer feature? Perfect for beach-goers, the screen uses a new LCD screen that鈥檚 viewable even in direct sunlight.

Outdoor Tech Big Turtle Shell ($230)

Don鈥檛 dip your toes in the water unless you have the tunes to play in the background. This is water- and splash-resistant (not waterproof), plays music at a loud 110 decibels, and connects to your phone or tablet from up to 30 feet away.

Quiksilver Rashguard ($40)

This has a hidden feature. Although it looks like every other T-shirt you鈥檇 wear to the beach, it uses a new Rashguard tech with a UPF 50+ rating for sunblock. The entire line includes long-sleeve shirts, swimming trunks, and surf shirts.

Miir Growler ($59)

Not every water bottle is beach-ready. Not so the , which uses a unique clamp system that keeps sand and other residue from building up at the lip. The double-insulated shell keeps cold drinks cold for about 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12 hours.

Sprint Kyocera Hydro Vibe (Free with contract)

A few years ago, companies started offering so-called 鈥渨aterproof鈥� phones. The actually lives up to the claim鈥攊t can be submerged down to 3.28 feet for 30 minutes. The 4.5-inch screen is also crack-resistant and the phone wards off dust and sand.

Plantronics BackBeat FIT ($130)

This , which is splash-resistant and durable, comes with a neoprene armband to hold your smartphone on your arm while you lay out at the beach. The headset lets you control music and answer calls with a quick finger press.

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