Take Your Music Anywhere With These Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers (2024)

JBL offers an extensive line of Bluetooth speakers, but the Charge 5 is one of the best based on sound quality.

With a long-excursion speaker for higher volume, separate tweeter for better high frequencies, and a bass radiator at each end for improved low-end frequencies, it pumps out clean, crisp, and loud sound.

Boasting 20 hours of playtime on a full charge, this speaker also has a built-in USB power bank, so you can charge other devices even while cranking out tunes. An IP67 waterproof and dust-proof rating lets you take this speaker jus about anywhere without a worry--park, pool, or out on the patio.

Key Specs

If you need music for a large outdoor party, consider the PartyBox. With a 5.25-inch woofer in a vented cabinet and 1.75 soft-dome tweeter powered by 100 watts, the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential is one of the most powerful speakers I tested, and one with solid sound quality, but also the speaker with the shortest battery life of in this roundup.

Two-stage bass boost and variable lighting that syncs with the beat (and can be turned off) turn this speaker into the life of the party. A wired mic input is perfect for karaoke. An app allows controlling your music, updating settings, and customizing the light show colors.

Key Specs

This portable speaker is so small it easily slipped in the pocket of my board shorts, but a pair of integrated rubber straps make it easy to secure to bike handlebars, a belt loop, or nearly anything else.

Heading to the pool or beach? An IP67 rating means this speaker is ready for a day by the water. And not only does the StormBox provide the soundtrack to your outdoor activities, it can also serve as a portable charger—it has a water-resistant USB-C charging port.

Its Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity offers a range of up to 120 feet. While a 2-inch speaker, passive radiators, and XBASS technology deliver decent sound for its size, the StormBox Micro 2 had the weakest output of all the speakers I tested.

Key Specs

If you’re on a multi-day camping, road, or rafting trip and can’t easily plug in, this is the speaker you want. The Ion Audio Sport XL can power you through a three-day weekend, with its 75-hour battery life, and its 120-watt amplifier is more than capable of cranking out your music. Keep in mind battery life drops with loud, bass-heavy music.

If you do rock out for a few days on your adventures and start running low on juice, the built-in AM/FM radio (less of a battery drain than booming bass) can tune in music (albeit with annoying commercials) and keep you caught up on news, traffic, weather, or a can’t-miss sports event.

The Sport XL comes with a microphone allowing this to double as a PA system. It only has an IPX5 water-resistance rating so it’s not submergible, should that be an issue.

Key Specs

This Bluetooth speaker is compact enough to take with you on any outdoor excursion. A built-in strap lets you hang it on or around almost anything, or just slip it into a pocket or purse. With an IPX7 rating, this speaker is fully waterproof so it's ready for the beach and pool, or even a rainy day, yet equally suited for places like the bathroom and kitchen.

Connecting to the Soundcore app turns your smartphone into a remote control, allowing you to turn the speaker on or off, adjust the volume, and equalize the sound.

With the company’s PartyCast technology, dozens of other Soundcore speakers can be linked together to deliver larger sound. You may need that reinforcement since with the Mini 3’s small size you can’t expect big sound, but its 15 hours of battery life will get you through a long day of listening.

Key Specs

Unlike other large outdoor Bluetooth party speakers, the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom has a more elegant, distinctive look with its rectangle design that comes in black or white. It stands out by creating big, quality sound—not by looking like a rugged piece of camping equipment or incorporating blinking lights and strobe effects.

Park it in your backyard or place it poolside at a party and it will use a built-in mic and algorithms to evaluate the acoustic environs and then produce the best sound possible. It can stand up to a splash or spill with its IPX4 rating, but it's not fully waterproof.

The Hyperboom has large and easy-to-use controls on top, a long 24-hour battery life, and even at 13 pounds, weighs less than other large speakers recommended here. It comes with a wired microphone input to turn this speaker into a PA system.

Key Specs

If there was an extreme sports competition for waterproof Bluetooth speakers, the Ecoexgear EcoBoulder+ would be the odds-on favorite.

An IP67 rating means it’s impervious to water, and Ecoexgear says you can take the EcoBoulder+ rafting, kayaking, or along for any water adventure since it floats.

It comes with a waterproof pouch to protect your portable electronics/music source, two built-in cupholders, and a bottle opener. The EcoBoulder+, with 100 watts of power, plays your music as loud and as clean as any speaker recommended here, but it’s also the heaviest (29 pounds!) and the biggest and bulkiest speaker I tested.

Key Specs

The Rocksteady 2.1 Stadium Bluetooth Speaker Travel Combo stands out for its portability and modularity, making it perfect for tailgating, pool parties, picnics, or anywhere great sound is required. The Combo consists of two speakers and a subwoofer that pack into a convenient and included carrying case.

Redundant LED touch controls on the top of each speaker make this simple to operate and, if needed, other Rocksteady speakers can be added at the touch of a button to boost sound in additional areas.

With 16 hours per charge, this speaker is up for day parties that last until the night, but each speaker has to be separately charged. Without waterproofing, this speaker means your jams might get rained out.

Key Specs

What is a quick checklist of things to look for in an outdoor Bluetooth speaker?

Audition a speaker using your music to see how it sounds, play with the controls to see how easy (or difficult) they are to use, check the battery life (longer is better), consider where and how you’ll use it (near or on the water? for music? audiobooks?), and how it looks and feels.

Which features are most important?

That depends how you plan to use your outdoor Bluetooth speaker. If you will be on or near water, consider a fully waterproof model. If you plan to take it on a camping trip away from a power source, look for long battery life and the ability to charge another device while your music is still playing. And factor in whether it’s for your own personal use or for a party or other gathering.

What’s the difference between water-resistant and waterproof?

Check a speaker's IPXX rating; anything under IPX7 isn’t waterproof and isn’t designed to be submerged. Ratings between IPX6 and IPX2 offer water resistance to varying degrees depending on the pressure and angle of water being sprayed or splashed on the device.

IPX6 defends against intrusion from high-pressure water being sprayed from any angle, while IPX1 offers protection from condensation and dripping water from above.

Editor's Note: Writer Don Melanson contributed to this article.