3 Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers

No more wires, no more cords. Portable Bluetooth speakers are perfect for the peripatetic. Music loving travelers can’t wait on the next outlet to come around; adventurers in need of grooves can’t shut out the world with headphones. If you’re looking to bump beats via Bluetooth, consider linking up with one of these three top choices from Goal Zero, Outdoor Tech and Beats By Dre.

Best Solar-Powered Bluetooth Speaker: Goal Zero Rock Out 2 Rechargeable Speaker

Goal Zero Rock Out 2 Rechargeable Speaker This speaker system recharges itself in natural light.  On Chile’s Chiloe Island, Active Junky team members kept expecting Rock Out 2 to conk out due to endless playback, but Goal Zero kept the party going with this solar-charged machine.  When connected with wall adapters or to a laptop, Rock Out recharged even more quickly.  Being able to answer calls with the built-in mic was helpful, but solid bass proved more important.   The weatherproof shell kept the faith in spitting Pacific squalls and on-board the team’s coastal tour boat.  Bonus: there’s enough room inside for gear and more accessories.

Tester Quote: “Normally, headphones are my first choice.  Our trip to Chile was a chance to share music and Rock Out 2 is perfect for giving everything a listen. All things considered, it’s worth the small space and added weight – even if ear-buds are your go-to.”

Best For: Group trips, backcountry forays, long-haul trips where recharge sources are marginal

Best Affordable Bluetooth Speaker: Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0

Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0

Portable, sleek and water resistant, the Turtle Shell 2.0 is an Active Junky favorite—especially at the $80 price. While the Turtle Shell 2.0 can fill a room with sound, we recommend you bring it to the beach and compete with the roaring surf or to the campsite and drown out the crackling fire. In fact, Outdoor Tech claims the Shell (96 decibels) is louder than a bear’s roar (90 decibels). As fearless as they may be, Active Junky gear reviewers weren’t willing to test this theory, having recently watched Leonardo DiCaprio duke it out with a mamma Grizzly in The Revenant. All jokes aside, this easy-to-use speaker has plenty of standout features: a 32-foot Bluetooth range, 16 hours of playback, a microphone, intuitive controls to answer calls—to name a few. Mount it to your bike (yeah, they’ve got a Turtle Claw for that), bring it in the shower or strap it to your backpack on that next weekend overnight. Really, you can’t go wrong.

Tester Quote: “I’ve gotten this thing pretty wet, dropped it and lugged it across continents and it’s still going strong. Sound is pretty good and the price is right.”

Best For: Affordable jammin’, international travel, everyday use.

Best Sound Quality: Beats By Dre Pill 2.0

Beats By Dre Pill 2.0

We don’t exactly recommend you bring this one backpacking. Far from rugged (go with the Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0 or the Goal Zero Rock Out 2.0 if you’re unforgiving to electronics), the Pill 2.0 is more for the on-the-go audiophile. For a steeper price tag, you get (in addition to a sought-after brand name) a sound quality that’s surprisingly crisp. In small/medium rooms, the Pill 2.0 truly fills up the space with a sound that’s warmer and more full-bodied than you’d expect from a speaker similar in size to a Subway sandwich. Obviously sleek, the Pill 2.0 is also super easy to use, and you can link multiple speakers together for more beat-bumping power.

Tester Quote: “Intuitive, and the sound is unbeatable at the size.”

Best For: Audiophiles, travelers, those who don’t want to compromise on sound quality.